Latter-day Saints often say that the purposes of mortal life are to receive a body and to be tested. For anyone who suffers from test anxiety, that is not good news.
Certainly, mortality includes testing. But I prefer to think of it primarily as a step in our eternal progression. Maybe pre-mortality is something like completing a foundational education, mortality might be like serving an internship, and eternity is our eternal life’s work. The metaphor is not perfect, but it feels richer, more hopeful and more accurate than the idea that we came merely to get bodies and take a test.
We do not know many details about our premortal life. What follows, therefore, is reverent imagination rather than revealed history. Yet it grows out of what we know about our beloved Father, His Son, and the Holy Ghost.
I imagine that sometime before we left pre-mortality, Father met with each of us. Perhaps He asked one central question:
“When mortality is finished, what would you like to do for eternity? What eternal work are you preparing for?”
We hesitated, wondering whether we dared say what was deepest in our hearts. Father nodded, encouraging us.
At last we blurted, “More than anything else, I want to be with Thee and take part in Thy glorious and everlasting work of salvation.”
Father glowed.
“That is what I want too. Heaven would not be heaven for me without you in it.”
What joy we felt! Surely all heaven rejoiced!
Then Father became serious!
“You have learned much here in your premortal life. You are on the path toward exaltation. But preparation for godly glory can be intense. May I show you something of what your mortal curriculum will include?”
His solemnity worried us. Yet we trusted Him. I do not believe our perfect Father concealed the pain and sorrow of mortality in the small print of our covenant. I believe He helped us understand that earth life would be demanding.
“Yes, Father. Please show me.”
Perhaps He showed us the general shape of our mortal experiences that would prepare us to join Him in the family work of exalting souls.
He revealed to us that we would experience great joys in mortality—opportunities for love and purpose, meaningful relationships, fulfillment from using our strengths and talents, personal and spiritual growth. But surely, He did not send us into mortality thinking it would be an easy path. I suppose He also revealed to us that we would make some foolish mistakes, there would be people we would hurt, we would have weaknesses that would challenge us, and we would be confronted with some significant disappointments and trials.
Even having been told of the joys of mortality, after learning of the many challenges, perhaps we collapsed.
“I cannot do it! I will never make it!”
Father looked at us tenderly.
“You are right that you will make mistakes. You will sin and fall short of the glory you desire. You cannot complete this journey depending on your own strength.
“But I have good news.
“If you covenant with me, I will place the resources of heaven at your disposal. The Holy Ghost will guide, inspire, correct, and comfort you. My Beloved Son will mark the path and personally pay the debts you cannot pay. Angels will watch over you. I will provide truth, power, ordinances, companions, and experiences to lead you home.
“You will not make the journey alone.”
We stood speechless before Him. Then, overcome with gratitude, we fell into His arms.
“Father, I now covenant with Thee!”
Surely heaven rejoiced that another soul had chosen heavenly joy and eternal exaltation.
Then we came to earth, and mortality was just as Father had described.
We get lost. We make mistakes. We sometimes feel blind, confused, and alone. Yet we also feel the Spirit comforting and guiding us. We are inspired by everything we learn about Jesus. We are astonished by the magnificence of this earth. At times, we reflect, if this is a telestial sphere, how glorious must the celestial kingdom be!
Sometimes we sense Father calling to us, the Son praying for us, the Spirit reassuring us, and all heaven awaiting our return.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell described one form of that heavenly reassurance:
This inner serenity which the believer knows as he brushes against the veil is cousin to certitude. The peace it brings surpasses our understanding and certainly our capacity to explain. But it requires a patience which stands in stark contrast to the restlessness of the world in which, said Isaiah, the wicked are like the pounding and troubled sea which cannot rest.
“Patience,” BYU Speeches
Having made covenants and received the promise of heavenly mentoring, mortality feels to me less like a pass-fail examination and more like an internship in eternal living. Here we practice faith, love, patience, devotion, forgiveness, and all the lessons Father taught us when we lived and walked with Him before this life.
Of course, this imagined scene is speculative. It is grounded in my trust in God and my understanding of scripture, but it is undoubtedly incomplete. The truth of our eternal journey must be immeasurably more glorious than even our most faith-filled imagination can conceive.
Still, the way we understand God’s purposes matters.
Tests can create anxiety. We worry about failure. We imagine a stern examiner watching for mistakes and uncovering our limitations.
An internship suggests something different. Typically, the goal of an internship is to help prepare you for an eventual full-time role in your field. A good internship includes real-world experiences, challenging assignments, and a high growth curve with both corrections and successes. If the internship is done under a high-quality leader, it also includes mentoring—training, guidance, feedback, resources and support.
That is how I understand God’s work with us. When He reveals the expectations for our time on earth, it is not to test us to see if we will “pass”. He is seeking to prepare us for the role we desire in eternity. And He offers to be our master mentor throughout our internship on earth. He has promised:
“I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88)
In Him, our confidence can wax strong in the presence of God and our peace can surpass understanding. To His covenant children, the Lord gives this extraordinary assurance:
Doctrine and Covenants 78:17–19
Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;
And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.
And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.”
That is not the language of a detached examiner. It is the language of a loving Father who intends to lead His children back home to His presence.
Mortality is not merely a test of our wits or worthiness. It is sacred preparation under the direction of a perfect Father, through the redeeming grace of His Son, and the tutoring companionship of the Holy Ghost.
We are not abandoned here. We are being prepared for home—and for the glorious work that awaits us there. Surely His goodness surpasses all understanding.
I cannot wait to be Home again!
Thanks to Barbara Keil for her insightful editing of this article.
