I am a speck in a giant's eye*

"One well-remembered day several years ago, I stood knee deep in the Virgin River and looked up in awe at the thousand foot rock cliffs of Zion's Park on either side. The park service brochure said that the rocks were more than 200 million years old. I remember comparing my age to the age of the rocks and feeling young, very young, very unimportant. It got dark early in the narrow canyon, and by late afternoon I could see stars in the narrow slice of sky above.
I recalled that scientists had discovered 7x10 to the 13th power stars. (The article went on to dramatize the magnitude of that number by saying that if there were 7x10 to the 13th power playing cards pressed together face to face, the line would go around the world six hundred times.) I thought to myself, I am one tiny speck, on one tiny world, that's going around one of those 7x10 to the 13th power stars. How small and totally insignificant I am.
That night as I unrolled my sleeping bag, a thought came to me with great impact: I am older than the rocks (for my spirit is eternal). I am more important than all 7x10 to the 13th power stars (because I am God's son and they are only his handiwork). "**

I found that quote in a John Bytheway book a few years ago, and I absolutely love it. Look at the incredible things that God has created, the mountains, the stars, the oceans, the planets, etc, etc, but His "work and glory are to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." We, you and I, are the most important of His creations. His goal is for us to have eternal life and to be happy. "Men are that they might have joy." It's not just in a general sense either, that all of us as a whole are meant to be happy, it's meant individually. I, Katie, am meant to succeed and find happiness in this life in whatever path I'm supposed to take. It's the same for each of you. Life is hard sometimes (sometimes I make it harder than it really is...what can I say, curse of being really, really blessed, instead of having actual problems you invent your own insignificant and meaningless ones), but it's worth it! It's worth it to be good, it's worth it to work hard, it's worth it to go out of your way to do things for others, to go to activities when you would've stayed home, to introduce yourself to people from whom you would've shied away, it's worth it to live!
Sometimes I like to think about eternity, the fact that I am a wanderer from a more exalted sphere.*** We lived with God before we were born, and we can live with Him again if we live our lives in accordance with His plan of happiness. Life does not start at birth and end with death! Life goes on forever! We can continue to learn, grow, progress, love after this earthly existence. I love that truth. It's one of the most important pieces of knowledge that I have.

I wish that everyone knew what I knew. That small truth alone would change the world.



*sorry Alyssa, I stole your post title. :)

**quoted from "You're Gonna Make It" by John Bytheway from Paul H. Dunn and Richard M. Eyre, Goals [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft 1976] p. 8

***I'm pretty sure that's in a hymn or a quote or something, but I can't find it...if anyone knows what I'm talking about/where I can find the actual thing, let me know.