A few weeks ago, one of my sons came up to me and asked me a question that started an interesting conversation:

“Does God know everything we’re going to do?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“If God knows everything we’re going to do, then what’s the point of being on this earth?”

I told him that we have to be on earth in order to make the choices that will ultimately shape how we spend eternity. I compared it to him going to school and not being allowed to take a test because the teacher knew how he was going to do because she knew how much he had prepared for it. That would not be fair, I told him. The teacher had to let him take the test so that he would earn whatever the result was, and that he would know that he earned it.

So it is with our life on earth. God knows everything, but he also knows that he has to allow us to be here so that we will know that how we will live eternally is just.

I’m sure there is more I could have said, but he said nothing further and went to do something else, which I hope is a sign that I gave a satisfactory answer.

To elaborate on those thoughts just a little, because God knows everything, he knows exactly what is best for us so that we can return to him. He knows what we need to do, and what we need to avoid. He gives us scriptures, like the Bible and the Book of Mormon, as well as living prophets and apostles to help guide us. It’s easy to think of commandments as burdens, that they stifle our freedom to choose, but the truth is they help us avoid negative situations that actually restrict our freedom.

I used to drink way too much of a certain caffeinated soda which will remain unnamed. I won’t acknowledge how much I would drink on a daily basis, but suffice it to say, it’s not something to be proud of. At one point, I decided that I wanted to be healthier. I saw how consuming so much of this soda was negatively affecting me and I desired to stop. After a couple of days, I developed an excruciating headache. I managed to stop it by taking some pain medication, but while I had the headache, I was extremely limited in what I was able to do. I truly felt like I wasn’t able to function. The next day, at almost exactly the same time, the headache returned, at the same degree of intensity as the first time. Again, I took some pain medication and it slowly disappeared. This cycle continued for an entire week before it eventually ended. After that, I told myself that I could never drink another caffeinated soda again.

Of course, there is no commandment against caffeinated sodas, contrary to what some might think regarding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the lesson is applicable to the commandments that are given. They are meant to benefit us and actually give us more freedom, not less.

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I read the following recent Facebook post by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He said:

“When I was three years old, I lived in a house in Czechoslovakia that had a balcony guarded by a handrail. I remember looking at this barrier, and the thought ran through my mind, ‘I’ll bet I could fit my head between the vertical rails.’

“The more I thought about it, the more curious I became. It looked like I could do it. And there it was, beckoning me to try.

“So I pushed my head into the space, pressed harder and voilà! My head slid beyond the barrier and through the rails. I had done it! I had reached my goal!

“But my elation in having accomplished this task soon evaporated when I tried to extract my head from the space.

“I was stuck.

“My ears were too big, and, try as I might, I could not escape the trap. I was hopelessly stuck.

“I was only a small child and had to learn a lesson. Sticking my head through the banister was not the noblest of goals. I saw the barrier and wondered if I could get past it.

“I was free to choose, and so I did.

“The consequences of that action, however, limited my subsequent freedom in a very difficult way. I needed help to get out of this painful situation, and I did. My father was there and took care of me.

“In our quest to become our best selves, we willingly take upon ourselves certain constraints. These constraints are sometimes called commandments and covenants. These covenants and commandments are not burdensome. They are delights–for they are the very things that guide you from your current state into the person of glory you wish to become.”

To me, it’s all about perspective. Are you looking at what you’re not able to do if you follow a certain commandment, or are you looking at what you’re not able to do if you don’t follow a commandment. I try to think about the latter, and because of that, I can say, like Elder Uchtdorf, that commandments are certainly a delight.

Contact Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net. Follow him on Twitter at @rbcomer8388 and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rbcomer8388.

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