and the powerful play goes on ...

“O me! O life!” by Walt Whitman

O ME! O life!... of the questions of these recurring;
Of the endless trains of the faithless—of cities fill’d with the
foolish;
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish
than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light—of the objects mean—of the
struggle ever renew’d;
Of the poor results of all—of the plodding and sordid crowds I
see around me;
Of the empty and useless years of the rest—with the rest me
intertwined;
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these,
O me, O life?

Answer.
That you are here—that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a
verse.
-Walt Whitman

I was helping a student yesterday and this morning read this poem. Monday evening I had been studying a church missionary manual called "Preach My Gospel," thinking that I need to study more, think deeper and feel more. So the lesson was on my mind as I read and reread and read a third time this poem. The ANSWER is the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ, what we call the Plan of Salvation or, as we sometime call it, the Plan of Happiness. There is purpose in this life and there was purpose in our premortal existance and our eternal life will too have purpose and meaning. Our identity is eternal and divine. We were all meant to be happy but we are also conflicted by greed and pride and power and so many other traits in need of refining; the "natural" man.

But we are here, you and me. None perfect. None without "stuff" in need of fixing. None without a need to do over so many things. But that is the plan. We are here to do over and fix and achieve perfection ,not necessarily in this life and certainly not alone.

A few weeks ago I taught my Sunday School class about perfection. When I was in 7th grade Home Economics I learned how to make the "pefect" muffin. I still have my recipe book. Mrs. Brandon, my teacher, who taught me how to do many things "right," taught me about muffins. Do not beat them. Do not overmix or they will have pointed tops. Bake to only golden brown. I learned what a perfect muffin should like. But, I am not sure I know what a perfect person looks like, except of course, the Savior, and I don't really know what he looks like. I imagine what he looks like; at least I think he looks kind and forgiving and tolerant. But a person, one  who is  striving to emulate their Savior, Jesus Christ, comes in all shapes and sizes and colors and live in all kinds of circumstances, and speak all languages and certainly has all kinds of infirmities and challenges in his or her life.

Well, the powerful play goes on and on and on. Each will contribute a verse, because no matter what you think of you, no matter what your talents and abilities and identity; you are DIVINE. Your Heavenly Father knows what role or roles you can and will contrtibute in this grand plan. O that I may not find myself in the endless trains of the faithless or the plodding and sordid crowds. The powerful play - the Plan of Happiness, the eternities, goes on. This I Believe!