A few months ago, some of our family had the opportunity to go to a professional baseball game. When we got into the stadium and I sat in my seat, I was so fascinated. All the seats were set at an angle pointing toward home plate rather than the field. I immediately considered that in a similar way, everything about our life here on earth points towards the final destination of our heavenly home. There are many distractions around us, but our ultimate goal is home.
Recently, our ward sang “O Canada” as the opening hymn in sacrament meeting. I love singing our national anthem. The first line says, “O Canada, our home and native land.” As soon as I sang that line, I reflected on our real “home and native land”- our heavenly home where we lived before we came to earth. The Primary song states, “I lived in heaven a long time ago, it is true. Lived there and loved there with people I know. So did you” (“I Lived in Heaven,” Children’s Songbook, 4). As part of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we believe that we lived with our heavenly parents before we came to earth and were prepared for the experiences we would have here. Ultimately, we will have the opportunity to return home to our heavenly parents and be reunited with them and others that we love. This beautiful principle brings much peace throughout our life here on earth.
God wants all of us to return home to Him
In his most recent conference talk, Elder Patrick Kearon talked about our Heavenly Father’s great desire for us to return home to Him. He said, “My friends, my fellow disciples on the road of mortal life, our Father’s beautiful plan, even His “fabulous” plan, is designed to bring you home, not to keep you out. No one has built a roadblock and stationed someone there to turn you around and send you away. In fact, it is the exact opposite. God is in relentless pursuit of you. He “wants all of His children to choose to return to Him,” and He employs every possible measure to bring you back.”(Liahona, May 2024, 87)
“Every possible measure” is a very comforting thought. Consider what that might look like for you. Some of those measures may take some discernment, but as our Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, has taught us, if we “Think Celestial” (Liahona, Nov. 2023, 117), we will see things in a different light. “Possible measures” could be people that come into our lives at a particular time, or experiences that help us learn something in a way that no other thing could. It might be a timely visit from a friend or a particular quote that is posted online. Perhaps it’s a song with lyrics that touch a part of your heart or a chance opportunity to see or do something unplanned. Whatever the “measure” might be, it is to ensure that the desired destination of our heavenly home is realized.
Many people have used GPS to guide them through a tricky inner city or a complicated freeway to reach their desired destination. Plugging in the final destination helps us navigate the journey and leads us to where we need to go. My husband and I are always amazed by the accuracy and ability of that technology to see things that we are unable to see and know things that we are unable to know.
Recently, we have started using a GPS app to help us on hiking trails. With its assistance, we have safely hiked in some beautiful areas of the world. In a much bigger way, Heavenly Father similarly helps to guide us back to our heavenly home. His means are greater than our own, and His ability to help us is much greater than any of us have on our own. A large part of that is due to the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. He has redeemed us and provided a safe passage back to our eternal home.
He will show us the way
Perhaps we could call this our celestial GPS, or “God’s Positioning System.” Its accuracy is remarkable.
In God's Positioning System:
1. We are known and loved by our Heavenly Father. He knows our needs better than we do.
2. We are given opportunities and experiences that will best help and teach us what we need to know to return to our heavenly home.
3. The gospel of Jesus Christ provides the guideposts for returning to our Heavenly Father.
4. The ultimate goal is for everyone to return home.
In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is able to leave Oz and go back home by being instructed to say, “There’s no place like home.” (K. Vidor, “The Wizard of Oz,” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1939) She could not wait to return. She remembered home and knew she was loved there.
Even without remembering our heavenly home, we can feel its existence at certain times and in certain places. These are often very sacred moments for each of us. Perhaps they happen in the temple or out in nature as we ponder the Lord's creations. Perhaps these are moments of interaction with our children or grandchildren. Maybe it’s the birth of a new baby or the passing of a loved one. Whatever they might be, these reminders of our heavenly home will help direct and guide us to do all we can to align ourselves with Christ.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “I believe that every man, woman, and child has felt the call of heaven at some point in his or her life. Deep within us is a longing to somehow reach past the veil and embrace Heavenly Parents we once knew and cherished.” (Ensign, Nov. 2017, 21)
Our “home and native land” beckons to us and helps keep us focused on what is truly important. At the end of the baseball game we attended, our family realized that we had been aware of all the plays on the field, but ultimately, we focused on what was happening at home plate. All eyes were on home.
There really is no place like Home.