Welcome aboard, Dawn! Yes, filling the world with enthusiasm about the restored Gospel is a good thing! Hope to see you around in the comments sharing your insights and how the restoration has answered your questions. -Rusty
I have an honest question… What does a person do when the promises of Heaven no longer mean anything? I still believe, I just don’t care anymore. I don’t want an inheritance in Heaven. I’m exhausted, I want to cease to exist after this experience. But I don’t get that choice. The thought of an eternity anywhere fills me with dread.
I hear ya. Don't know your age, but I am now 50, which according to stats for American females, I might easily have around another 4 decades on this planet, give or take. When I think of living w/o end, after I've done my time here on this earth, it scares the bej*sus out of me! However, I don't think our experience in eternity will be anything like our existence in this life. Maybe you've tried for so long to be responsible at work, w family, or just battling w whatever life has thrown your way (as is our human lot) that the mere thought of living forever is overwhelming and "ceasing to exist" after death sounds refreshing. This may have been what my own father, who was an atheist, preferred to believe. But I encourage you to think, no--ponder seriously--on God's love for YOU, and how his son the Christ will NEVER leave you comfortless as long as you run to Him, even in the eternities. Remember, they're not just God as long as humanity exists on this planet. They are our God FOREVER, even after this universe ceases to exist as we know it, they still have our backs! As long as your consciousness (or soul or whatever you want to call it) exists, they are right there beside you. Always. Don't believe me? Ask them.
Hey, JOkER. It's a heavy question you present but it's an honest concern that I believe many share. I worry that anything I might say in a comment will not hit the mark, but I'll try to share something worthwhile. Maybe "cheer up" or "you have so much to be grateful for" don't do the trick. It has been my experience that many wonderful people who even do what "they are supposed to" don't have a clear fiery purpose for themselves and start feeling burned out and "just done." If you haven't done so already, I recommend reading a short book called "Ikigai." It documents some of the happiest and long-lived people on earth and the importance of having a clear purpose/mission helps them find joy even in a seemingly mundane existence. Years ago I went through the process of determining my purpose and I landed on "Aedificare Regnum Dei" - build up the Kingdom of God (in latin). This is the idea that fires me up. I would ask if there is any important concept in the gospel that truly juices you up? One of the points in Ikigai as that you can't force a purpose, but it reveals itself to you and it is something that truly energizes you (and it's positive of course).
