What Is Your Story Going To Be?
What Is Your Story Going To Be?
By Sariah Hilt
I love a good story! Especially one with action, emotion, and a nice plot twist. Stories are not only fun to listen to; they are a very important tool. You can learn a lot from a story. It not only broadens your imagination, but you start to understand more about who is telling the story. Robyn Fivush Ph.D. from PsychologyToday.com says,
“When we listen, truly listen, to someone else’s story, we understand who they are in a new and different way, we hear their perspective, their interpretation, their understanding of the world and of themselves. Closely listening to others’ stories creates a shared moment of compassion.” (2)
All my life, I’ve been fascinated by the myths and legends recorded by cultures through time all over the world. As Robin said, you start to understand why those people do what they do and feel how they feel, because of their stories and how they are told. I especially love to hear stories about how the Earth was created. Every civilization throughout time has a story, and while some sound similar others sound totally unique.
In ancient Babylon, the creation story is told through a poem called the Enuma Elish (3). After a great and terrible battle between several Gods, men were created from the blood of a traitorous God. Mankind was meant to be of service and helper to the deities.
In Egypt, men were created from the eye of the Sun God Re (4). The Eye of Re had wandered off, and when the gods tried to return the Eye, it struggled, and from his tears were men born. Humans and Gods lived together, until Re grew old. Mankind, being ungrateful and warlike, decided to rebel against the Gods for which they were punished and killed by the thousands. Re finally relented, and spared the rest of the human race, but decided he couldn’t live among them anymore (5).
There are many more religions and cultures that have their own version of how the Earth was created and mankind came to be on it. Not all of the different versions are quite so violent, but most do include some form of order being created from chaos. My own creation belief comes from the King James version of the Bible, along with other modern scriptures from prophets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In a nutshell, it tells of how God created a world and mankind in 6 days.
But, while other religions depict the Gods creating a world for them to use and mankind just another creature to inhabit it, I find the Judeo-Christian belief different in that God created this world specifically for us! He didn’t need this planet to dwell on or inhabit, he organized it and put everything on the Earth for us to use. Another key piece of information is why he built the Earth. We are taught that we are God’s literal spirit sons and daughters (6). We are not some accidental creation made from blood and tears of a deity, we are literal sons and daughters of the most high God, formed in his image and his likeness. (7)
Oh what a difference that makes when you think about our place in this world. Not only that, but God has promised to bless us as we live on this earth. (8) God didn’t create this world and place us on it just to leave us to our own devises. His spirit can be with us always, if we let it. Knowing that, I don’t feel alone on this earth. I have felt my Heavenly Father’s love for me and I deeply believe that I am his daughter, no question.
I had an experience with a friend who felt very differently about her Heavenly Father. My friend is trying to start her own business, and it doesn’t appear to be working out the way she expected and wanted it to. I know from past discussions, she feels a little cursed, like she cannot ever succeed in her own business because God doesn’t want her to. Lately, she told me, “I feel like God told me to take this path, and dangled the carrot in front of me, only to pull the carrot away and leave me alone.” Oh how I felt sad for her; not just because the words she said were sad, but because I could feel how she felt through those words. I infer that she doesn’t believe the almighty God is there to help her along the path. She feels abandoned, and ill used by deity.
I testified to her that I do not believe that is the truth. I don’t believe that God would tell her to go down one path only to leave her blind and alone. I don’t disregard that things are not working out, but I believe there is a legitimate reason. The true and living God is not petty, he does not curse humans for no good reason. Things do not always work out the way we expect, but I know there is a purpose behind it. We don’t always see or know that purpose, but I believe God can and will show my friend the way if she will continue to trust that he really is there for her.
I believe that that a loving Heavenly Father created this beautiful world for us, his spirit sons and daughters. I believe he will send his spirit to help us when we ask, but we also need to do our part and follow the commandments he has given us. I don’t feel like I am a mistake, born on this earth as an accident. I believe I am a Daughter of God. I believe we are all Sons and Daughters of God. And with his help, we will have many stories of hope to tell. I’m look forward to experiencing my story as it unfolds.
Credits:
1.) Photo by Nong V on Unsplash
3.) https://www.worldhistory.org/article/225/enuma-elish---the-babylonian-epic-of-creation---fu/
4.) https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcr09e.html
6.) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 335
7.) Moses 2:26-27
