University Conference 2009 - Come Let us Anew

Perhaps no metaphor for mortality is more ubiquitous than that of life as a journey. The image takes many forms and colorations. Some regard the journey from birth to death as an accident of biology, a purposeless passage into oblivion "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" (William Shakespeare, Macbeth, act 5, scene 5, lines 27-28). For believers, the journey through mortality is purposeful. It does not lead merely to the grave but constitutes a pilgrimage to a promised land. And for Latter-day Saints, this pilgrimage marks a journey home, a return to a loving Father who sent His children to learn what could be learned only through trial.

Trials are an inevitable and necessary part of our journey home. We knew this before we came to earth. Even so, when "fiery trial" befalls pilgrims along the way, it can feel "as though some strange thing happened unto you," as Peter wrote to the Saints facing persecution under Nero (1 Peter 4:12). It is one thing to know in principle that trials are part of the journey and quite another to experience them in practice. As Shakespeare quips, "There was never yet philosopher That could endure the toothache patiently" (Much Ado About Nothing, act 5, scene 1, lines 35-36).