Why a Celestial Journey?

Let me start by quoting Hebrews 11:13-16:

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

“For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country,

“And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

“But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly : wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God : for he hath prepared for them a city.”

Before these verses, the Apostle Paul was speaking about faith being the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  He spoke of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sara living by faith and doing all things in faith.  He tells us that it is by faith that all things were made and without faith it is impossible to please our God and in verse 6 tells us “for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

After these verses quoted above, Paul continues to talk about the Old Testament prophets, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and other occurrences resulting from faith.  He ends his talk on faith in verses 38-40 that say:

“(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth,

“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

“God having provided the better things for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”

All of these great Prophets, who I have studied about since I was young, had their own journeys to go on but they had faith in their journey and believed in their God — our God, my God!  When I worked in the Young Women organization in the Colorado Springs 6th Ward, Brother John Hasler once told us that each of these journeys or exodus’ in the Old Testament and The Book of Mormon are types of our personal journey to the Celestial Kingdom.   I have never forgotten that and I believe that my journey along that path may be nothing like that of any of the prophets of old; but it is my personal journey.  I also seek a better country, that is, an heavenly where my Father in Heaven resides.  I, like them of old, want to be in the presence of my Father in Heaven and my Savior, Jesus Christ, and with my eternal family.

And that is why, I call this “Celestial Journeys” for it is my journey and beliefs that move me ever forward on that pathway to eternity.