what i believe: God has a plan

before we were born, i believe that we existed as spirits who lived with Heavenly Father. He presented a plan: that we would come to earth, be tried and tested, and if we proved faithful, we would return to live with him again. but beyond this, i believe God has a plan for each one of us individually. i don't know what His plan is for anyone, not even myself really, except to be a mother and raise good kids, and to be a good person myself so that i can return to live with Him. what's interesting to me is how everybody's plan is different. today in church a man spoke who was on a mission for our church in africa. he'd been out about 13 months when he started having trouble with his eyes. the doctors performed a simple blood test and discovered he had leukemia. he was on a plane home the next day and began chemotherapy the day after that. he had a bone marrow transplant about five years ago and is now cancer-free. he was even able to finish his mission in georgia. God obviously had a plan for him, and his time on earth wasn't finished yet. i have a cousin who was in almost the exact same situation. diagnosed with leukemia on his mission, he had to come home early to begin treatment. he also had a bone marrow transplant, but my cousin passed away. his mission was finished. i don't know what his mission was, but he had obviously completed his.

On Mormon.org it says:

God has blessed us with gifts to help us navigate our lives. One of the most precious gifts He has given everyone is the ability and power to make choices. Your Heavenly Father respects your freedom to choose and will never force you to choose what is right, nor will He stop you from being able to make poor choices. He will however, invite and endeavor to entice you ‘to do good continually’( Moroni 7:13).... In learning to choose good, you are creating a pattern that will help you become more like your Heavenly Father.

we have the choice to do something with our lives, to choose good things, to be good people, and that fulfills God's plan for us. my cousin and this man who spoke in church today had trials that i may never know (hopefully) but both of them chose to do good things and impact others lives for the better. they both had a choice to become bitter, to curse God, but instead they chose to bless God. He gives each of us trials, but it's what we do with these trials that can fulfill our individual plans. as we make good choices, we are choosing to return to live with God after we die. i'm thankful that there is a plan for each one of us. i know that God loves us all as His children and that he wants us to return to live with him. God has a plan for each of us.