How We Have Found Peace
"In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally." -Excerpt from The Family: A Proclamation to the World
What comfort this knowledge has brought to us this week. Although we don't know the reason God has chosen this trial for us, we can take comfort in knowing that He is in control over all, and that we will get to raise our baby girl in the next life. There she will have a perfect body, and we will spend eternity with her and the rest of our family!
Attitude is a choice, and we choose to stay positive. The time we have to spend with Paetyn is now, and we plan to take advantage of that. We will enjoy every kick, every squirm, every sleepless night, and every trip to the bathroom. Even thought she's in the womb, she is still with us, and we choose to celebrate and love every minute. One day in the near future, Paetyn will come into this world! For how long, there is no way of knowing. We will hold her, kiss her, hug her, and love her. We will smile and laugh with family and friends, and document every minute with her so we can always look back on those happy times. We realize that nothing we do now can fully prepare us for the moment when our sweet baby will pass on to the next life. We plan to take advantage of every opportunity we have now to prepare ourselves for that bittersweet moment. As the difficult times come and go, we will continue to choose to stay positive.
One of the first things we did upon receiving the news of our sweet Paetyn was attend the temple. Here we remember the promises we made with our Heavenly Father when we were married and sealed together eternally. "The scriptures call the authority to unite families forever the "sealing" power. This is the same authority Jesus gave the Apostle Peter to provide blessings on earth that will continue in heaven." While in the temple, we were blessed with peace and comfort as we were reminded that although Paetyn's time here on earth with us will be short, we will be blessed to live together forever in the eternities to come if we remain faithful to our covenants (promises we make with our Heavenly Father) and follow the example of His son, Jesus Christ.
"For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a temple is the most sacred place of worship on the earth... It is a place where you can feel closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, a place of peace and revelation, a place where family relationships are strengthened, and a place to seek direction concerning life's challenges."
"Heavenly Father's plan of happiness is ultimately to have you and your family live with Him forever. In sealing rooms within the temple, marriages between a man and a woman are performed. There, a man and a woman kneel and join hands across a sacred altar to be married for this life and for eternity. This eternal marriage is called a temple sealing, and children born into such marriages are also sealed to their families forever. Being sealed as a family is the crowning ordinance of the temple and the greatest of God's blessings for His children... Knowing that families can be together forever brings peace and hope as you face the challenges of life, including the suffering and death of loved ones. If you are sealed to your family and remain faithful to your covenants (promises to God), your family relationships will continue after death." -Excerpts from "Families and the Temple"
Overwhelming peace came to us as we worshiped the Lord in the temple that day. We received confirmation that all would be well and that our Heavenly Father would support and strengthen us through this journey; that He is in control of all.
A close friend brought us more comfort as he shared with us his perspective of the situation: "In my trying to justify the situation, I chose to look at it through Paetyn’s eyes. I pictured her standing hand in hand with the Savior having to make a very tough decision. Knowing that her time on earth would be brief, but wanting to be part of an amazing eternal family. I have to say she made the right choice!"
The Lord has trusted us with agency to make choices for ourselves; Paetyn has chosen to come to earth and receive this imperfect body, knowing that she will shortly return back to her Heavenly Father and be perfected in Him.
The prayers of family and friends have brought us more strength and comfort than we can begin to express. We hope you can feel of our sincere gratitude for all of you who have offered prayers in our behalf.
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