To Become Like Him

In our church, we believe that we can become like our Father in Heaven.  This doesn't mean we think we can replace Him or we think that there will come a point when He will not be our God.  It means we consider ourselves to be His literal children, and just like my children can grow here on earth, we will be able to grow in this life and in the life to come.

In the Topical Guide of our scriptures, there is a topic called, "Man, Potential to Become Like Heavenly Father."  Here is what I learned today:

• The Lord has given us dominion over a few things on earth to help prepare us for an eternity of work. (Genesis 1:26)
• We are the offspring of God, heirs of the Father and joint-heirs with Christ (Acts 17:29, Romans 8:17)
• We need to learn to overcome the challenges here in this life, which will prepare us to dwell with God in the next life.  (Revelations 3:21)
• We are to be filled with joy in the process--and forever  (3 Nephi 28:10)
• The Lord wants us to have a beautiful, full life with Him forever (many scriptures on that link support this).

I have felt a little overwhelmed because of my responsibilities lately, but whenever I go to the scriptures, I feel the Lord tell me that the whole point is to prepare for what is to come after this life--greater responsibilities, greater blessings, and greater joy.  I don't need to get caught up in or frustrated with the details.  The only question I really need to ask is if my experiences are refining me to become more like Him.  That helps to put everything in perspective.