Preparing for Death

This is the English translation of a talk I gave in Sacrament meeting last week. Yes, it is very long. I was the only adult speaker.

My thanks to the Bishopric for giving me the opportunity to speak today. The theme that they gave me is “How to prepare for death.” It might seem to be a dreary theme, but I hope that by the time I finish, we will all be a little more excited about it.

I would like you to pretend with me that as we are sitting in this meeting, we begin to smell something foul. It gets worse and worse, and suddenly a terrorist comes into the meeting and says how much he hates Mormons and says he has put a poison in the air conditioning and we will all be dead within 24 hours.

What would your first thoughts be? Would you immediately think of the shoes that you never got around to buying? Would you be sad for the soap operas that you won’t be able to watch again?

President Monson said

When compared to eternal verities, most of the questions and concerns of daily living are really rather trivial. What should we have for dinner? What color should we paint the living room? Should we sign Johnny up for soccer? These questions and countless others like them lose their significance when times of crisis arise, when loved ones are hurt or injured, when sickness enters the house of good health, when life’s candle dims and darkness threatens. Our thoughts become focused, and we are easily able to determine what is really important and what is merely trivial.

If we could only remember this all the time, we would always be ready for death!

We know that death comes to all, and we know that nobody knows when it will come for them.

When my son was on a mission, in one letter he wrote a parable comparing life to a shopping spree. When we are born, it can be compared to entering a huge store. We receive a shopping cart, and we can go all over the store and gather anything and everything we want. We know there is an end to our shopping, but we don’t know when the end will come, so we hurry through the store gathering ever pretty and desirable thing.

There are specialists throughout the store who give us advice on what we will need to get out of the store successfully, but we can choose to listen to them or not. There are so many lovely and appealing things, but there are also some things that are very heavy and difficult to carry. We pick up everything we can.

Suddenly one day we are taken to the front of the store and told our time is up. Now everything we have gathered, the good and the bad is shown to all. If we have not gathered enough of the good, we are taken somewhere we don’t want to go. But if we did gather enough of the good, and if we were kind and helpful to others, and if we listened to the specialists, we are taken to the cashier.

The problem is that nobody has enough to pay the full amount due. Fortunately, our Older Brother comes and pays the full amount for us, and we are able to leave the store successfully.

In this life it is imperative that we always gather all the good we can.

President Monson continues,

“God, our Father, and Jesus Christ, our Lord, have marked the path toward perfection. They have giben signs so we can follow the eternal truths and so that we become perfect, as They are.

The Apostle Paul likened life to a race. To the Hebrews he urged, “Let us lay aside … the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”⁹

In our zeal, let us not overlook the sage counsel from Ecclesiastes: “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.”¹⁰ Actually, the prize belongs to him or her who endures to the end.

And the President Monson remembers another type of race from the days of his childhood:

“My friends and I would take pocketknives in hand and, from the soft wood of a willow tree, fashion small toy boats. With a triangular-shaped cotton sail in place, each would launch his crude craft in the race down the relatively turbulent waters of Utah’s Provo River. We would run along the river’s bank and watch the tiny vessels sometimes bobbing violently in the swift current and at other times sailing serenely as the water deepened.

During a particular race we noted that one boat led all the rest toward the appointed finish line. Suddenly, the current carried it too close to a large whirlpool, and the boat heaved to its side and capsized. Around and around it was carried, unable to make its way back into the main current. At last it came to an uneasy rest amid the flotsam and jetsam that surrounded it, held fast by the tentacles of the grasping green moss.

The toy boats of childhood had no keel for stability, no rudder to provide direction, and no source of power. Inevitably, their destination was downstream—the path of least resistance.

Unlike toy boats, we have been provided divine attributes to guide our journey. We enter mortality not to float with the moving currents of life but with the power to think, to reason, and to achieve.

Our Heavenly Father did not launch us on our eternal voyage without providing the means whereby we could receive from Him guidance to ensure our safe return. I speak of prayer. I speak too of the whisperings from that still, small voice; and I do not overlook the holy scriptures, which contain the word of the Lord and the words of the prophets—provided to us to help us successfully cross the finish line.”

This is why we have been given prayer, the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. We also have the holy Scriptures that contain the word of the Lord and the words of prophets, given to help us cross the finish line.

In any moment of our earthly mission will come the experience we call death. Death comes to every human soul.

We know that there is life after death. We know that at the final judgment (the cashier) we will see all the good and bad that we have done in this life.

As the Book of Mormon teaches all of us have the possiblility to achieve the Celestial Kingdom where we will be able to live with our Father in Heaven and where we can life with our  beloved families. We do not want to lose that possibility. But, are we living in a way now that will accomplish that?

President Monson said,

It is the celestial glory which we seek. It is in the presence of God we desire to dwell. It is a forever family in which we want membership. Such blessings are earned through a lifetime of striving, seeking, repenting, and finally succeeding.

Our actions here and now either qualify us or disqualify us for the future we seek. What we do today will determine our future.

We need to remember that the Sacrament gives us the perfect opportunity each week to experience a mighty change of heart – to remember who we are and what we most desire. As we renew our covenants to keep the commandments we will gain the companionship of the Holy Ghost that will guide us to the presence of our Father in Heaven. It will help us to put aside our daily worries like whether we will sign up Johnny for football, and think of the more important and eternal things. We can remember that we WANT to partake of the Sacrament worthily, and that we WANT to be worthy to have a temple recommend, and that we WANT to serve others.

President Monson said, “Now is the time. My brothers and sisters, death eventually comes to all mankind. Frequently death comes as an intruder. It is an enemy that suddenly appears in the midst of life’s feast, putting out its lights and gaiety. Death lays its heavy hand upon those dear to us and at times leaves us baffled and wondering. In certain situations, as in great suffering and illness, death comes as an angel of mercy. But for the most part, we think of it as the enemy of human happiness

How fragile life, how certain death. We do not know when we will be required to leave this mortal existence. And so I ask, “What are we doing with today?” If we live only for tomorrow, we’ll have a lot of empty yesterdays today. Have we been guilty of declaring, “I’ve been thinking about making some course corrections in my life. I plan to take the first step—tomorrow”? With such thinking, tomorrow is forever. Such tomorrows rarely come unless we do something about them today. As the familiar hymn teaches:

There are chances for work all around just now,

Opportunities right in our way.

Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,”

But go and do something today. ⁸

Let us ask ourselves the questions: “Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need?” What a formula for happiness! What a prescription for contentment, for inner peace—to have inspiredgratitude in another human being.

Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved.

Remember that when we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are only in the service of our God.”

Because life is fragile and death inevitable, we must take full advantage of each day.

President Monsan said, “My brothers and sisters, may we resolve from this day forward to fill our hearts with love. May we go the extra mile to include in our lives any who are lonely or downhearted or who are suffering in any way. May we “[cheer] up the sad and [make] someone feel glad.” ¹¹ May we live so that when that final summons is heard, we may have no serious regrets, no unfinished business, but will be able to say with the Apostle Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” 

I have found that in this life, there are some things that are very important to remember:

D&C: 3 Remember, remember that it is not the ^awork of God that is frustrated, but the work of men;

D&C 8:  5 Oh, remember these ^awords, and keep my commandments. Remember, this is your gift.

Alma 37ª;  13 O remember, remember, my son Helaman, how ^astrict are the commandments of God. 

Alma 37:  35 O, remember, my son, and ^alearn ^bwisdom in thy ^cyouth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.

Mosiah 27: 16 Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of ^aHelam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; 

It is very important to remember God’s blessings that we have received, and His goodness and greatness.

I’ve also learned that there are some things that are very important that we forget.

Jeffrey R. Holland in a devotional at BYU Jan 13, 2009 said:

I beg of you to not remain in past days or yearn for yesterday, no matter how good or bad those days were. The important thing is to learn from yesterday, not continue living in it.
There is something iwthin all of us that does not want to forgive nor forget errors, either ours or those of others. This not is good. It is not Christian. It is in terrible opposition to the atonement of Christ.
To keep resentment towards others is like daily taking a poison and expecting the other person to die.
Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe that people can change and improve. Is that faith? Yes! Is that hope? Yes! Is it charity? Yes! Above all, it is charity, the pure love of Christ. If something is buried in the past, leave it buried.
Such dwelling on past lives, including past mistakes, is just not right! It is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We should always REMEMBER the blessings of mercies of God, and at the same time FORGET the errors of others.

There is no greater thing to do than that which the Lord does:

D&C 58: 42 Behold, he who has ^arepented of his ^bsins, the same is ^cforgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.

Brother Holland says, “Now, like the Anti-Nephi-Lehies of the Book of Mormon, bury your weapons of war, and leave them buried. Forgive, and do that which is harder than to forgive: Forget. And when it comes to mind again, forget it again.”

To God it is not so important what someone did, as what he is now doing. It is not so important the mistakes of yesterday as our efforts today. It is the same for all. We must treat others with this same love of God.

Death is similar to passing from one room to another. It is like coming in from outside and walking into the chapel where we find all our best friends and beloved family. Death is not something to fear unless we are not prepared.

Today we must prepare for death. Now.

Alma 34:32 says  32 For behold, this ^alife is the time for men to ^bprepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of ^cthis life is the day for men to perform their ^dlabors.

 33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many^awitnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not ^bprocrastinatethe day of your ^crepentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the ^dnight of^edarkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

 34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful ^acrisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth ^bpossess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.

 35 For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become ^asubjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth ^bseal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.

For this reason we must prepare now for death.

Yes, all of us must die and nobody knows when. But we can do all in our power now to keep the commandments, attend Church each week and partake of the Sacrament, serve others, forgive their errors and love them; be faithful in our callings, and take advantage of the blessings of the temple, then we WILL be prepared to pass to the other room of happiness and joy.