Losing a Life

So last week we talked mostly about losing someone. We all have a calling in life, and depending on our calling, our life may be long, or cut very short depending on what we accepted in Heaven. There’s a cool story that I actually found on Facebook that says, “A young man, just before leaving on his mission stood in sacrament meeting and bore in essence the following testimony:
Brothers and Sisters, as you know, the past two weeks I've been waiting for my mission call. During the time I was waiting I had a dream. I knew it was not an ordinary dream. I dreamed I was in the pre-existence and awaiting my call to come to earth. I was filled with the same anticipation and excitement that I had before I received my mission call. In my dream I was talking to a friend, and I felt a special closeness to him, even though I've never met him in this life. As we talked a messenger came and gave me a letter. I knew it was my call to go to earth. In great excitement my friend and I opened the letter. I gave it to him and asked him to read it aloud. It said: "You've been called to earth in a special time and to a special land. You will be born to the true church and you will have the priesthood of God in your home. You will born into a land of plenty, in a land of freedom. You will go to earth in the United States of America."
My friend and I rejoiced as we read my call, and while we were rejoicing the messenger returned. This time he had a letter for my friend. We knew it was his call to earth. My friend gave me the letter to read aloud. His letter said: "You've been called to go to the earth in circumstances of poverty and strife. You will not be raised in the true church. Many hardships will attend your life. Your land will be fraught with political and social difficulties - which will hinder the work of the Lord. You will be born in Costa Rica."
We wept, my friend and I, as we read his call. And my friend looked at me with tears in his eyes, and said, "When we are down on earth, you in your choice land and me in Costa Rica, my friend, please come and find me."
This young missionary, with tears in his eyes, said, "Brothers and Sisters, I have received my mission call. I am going to Costa Rica."
There is a sequel to the story. About a year after the sacrament meeting, the bishop received a letter from the missionary in Costa Rica. The letter had one sheet of paper in it and on that sheet written in capital letters were four words:
I FOUND MY FRIEND.”

I loved this because I know that we are called into our circumstances, before we come down to earth and that everyone comes down to earth for a purpose. But in class, we were discussing how some peoples purpose to come to earth is to die. Which I thought was very interesting, but I can see now how that would make sense. When we lose someone, we gain a better understanding of what Heavenly Father went through (and also what Christ went through). But mostly what our Heavenly Father experienced, whenever he watched Christ suffer and die. I think Heavenly Father went through the most pain, watching his own Son be mocked, whipped, persecuted, and just had to witness Him being treated so unfairly. And I think this was so hard for Him because Heavenly Father had the power to stop everything, but He didn’t, because He knew Christ’s purpose for coming to earth. And even Christ pleaded in Luke 22:42, Heavenly Father knew that Christ had to suffer, and die. For me, and for you. And just to refresh, when Christ was performing the atonement, suffering, he states “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

And I just have so much respect for Heavenly Father for the being the amazing parent that He is.  Of course just being Christ’s father is awesome, but He had to watch His own son suffer and die-having the power to stop it, but restraining, so that we could all benefit. I have not been through exactly what Heavenly Father has in terms of losing a child, but I am sure that so many people know what that is like, and have lost someone very close to them. But I know, despite how difficult it is, that those who die, knew that before they came to earth, and they chose to take on that challenge in this life. And dang, they must be SO blessed for it. And luckily, parents have the privilege to raise their kids in the Millennium if they are righteous and keep their covenants with the Lord. I know that when we lose someone, we do gain a better understanding of many things, but mostly an understanding of what our Heavenly Father went through. And I just love both Christ and my Heavenly Father for everything that they do, and go through to make everyone happy, and able to live with them again.