Disclaimer: this is not a clever or witty post

I have been feeling rather uninspired lately when it comes to coming up with clever topics for my blog posts.  So this is not a witty post (as I explained in the title) but I thought I might share an entry from my scripture journal.  I receive much of my inspiration when I'm pondering the verses I just read and, for some reason, this entry has meant a lot to me in the past few weeks.

5/6/12

2 Nephi 12:17 - "And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day."

   This whole chapter is basically about humility.  This verse reminded me that what is most important in this life is our spiritual success and growth.  Someone may have been very successful in business and may have acquired a lot of earthly treasures and wealth.  That's not a bad thing but if they attribute all of that success to their own merit and refuse to recognize the hand of the Lord, I think they will get a rude awakening when they stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  If all you care about is earthly rewards, how can you expect to receive spiritual and eternal rewards?  Being self-sufficient temporally is important, but it will all count for nothing if we aren't self-sufficient spiritually.  In essence, we must realize our divine nature and accept the fact that without God, we are nothing.
   As I wrote that phrase (without God, we are nothing) a thought came into my head that made me reevaluate the deeper meaning of that phrase.  I've always thought of the phrase strictly in a sense of gratitude, that we need to attribute our successes to God and give credit where credit is due.  That's a true statement but it also has to do with the very existence of God.  Without God, we are nothing.  If God did not exist, we would be exactly what some scientists and atheists say we are: the result of a random and coincidental 'Big Bang,' a random species that will fade into nothingness when we die,  But I want to testify that God does exist, that He created us and we are His children.  Because of that, we are something.  We matter to Him.
   This topic reminded me of a song that I sang as a member of the Balcony Chorus in the Oakland Temple Pageant.  After a period of nine years, I still remember most (if not all) of the words: "By happen chance have I come about by some ornate confusion?  By happen chance have I grown from rudimentary species eons past evolved?  By happen chance?  By happen chance am I a worthless piece of thing so dross, so void, so much of nothingness that when I pass my passing is just passing into past?  Who am I?  This is who I am.  My spirit lived with my Father before the earth was formed.  I chose the path to follow when my first estate was done.  I came to earth for a body, created like my Father to unite my spirit and body, to make my soul divine.  This is who I am.  I am a child of my Father, my Father in Heaven.  This is who I am.  I am a child of God."
   Because God exists, we are something.  In fact, we are everything to God. So live your life with a purpose because you do have one.