What's Left When the Lights Go Out? Thinking About the Eternal Perspective

Sometimes, when we’re in the thick of the work—whether we’re in the MTC, knee-deep in missionary discussions, or even just having a quiet moment studying scripture in our living rooms—the weight of eternity can settle on you. It can feel heavy. It can make you pause and ask, "What is the point of all this effort? What is the lasting impact of a single week spent in the field?"

Recently, I saw a clip of Phil Robertson talking about death, and it struck me with the force of a revelation. His simple request—'Don't cry.' It’s a profound thing to contemplate. It forces you to look past the immediate pain, the temporary struggles, and focus on the *why*.

As returned missionaries, we spend so much time preparing for the *arrival*—the arrival in the field, the arrival at the mission headquarters, the arrival of the Spirit. But what about the *departure*? What are we building, what are we establishing, that will remain when we are no longer here to see it?

The Currency of the Spirit

It’s easy, when we are focused on our own assignments, to get caught up in the immediate tasks: hitting our calling goals, preparing for transfers, or mastering the art of the testimony. But the true currency of discipleship isn't the number of hours logged or the number of tracts distributed. It’s the quality of the covenant we are building in our hearts and in our community.

Think about it through the lens of the Plan of Salvation. Our lives are temporary assignments. The physical body will eventually fade. But the covenants we make, the knowledge we gain, and the seeds of truth we plant in the hearts of others—those things are designed to endure. That’s the core of being an internet missionary.

If we treat our interactions—whether it’s a quick chat in the temple Recommend interview, a deep dive in a Book Club, or even a challenging conversation with a friend who needs to hear the Gospel—as fleeting moments, we risk treating them as such. But if we treat them as eternal investments, everything changes.

This isn't about morbid contemplation; it's about eternal focus. It’s about remembering that every single member can be a disciple anywhere, all the time. We don't have to wait for the next assignment or the next conference to feel like we are doing the work. We can do it right where we are.

A Skill for the Journey: Asking the "Why"

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the weight of the work, I want to give you a small mission prep skill to carry with you this week: Practice asking "Why?" not just about the doctrines, but about the *experience*. When you are studying scripture, don't just ask, "What does this passage say?" Ask, "Why did the Lord include this detail here? What is the eternal principle this passage is trying to teach me about *my* life?"

This kind of deep questioning is exactly what Davee excels at. If you're wrestling with a hard doctrinal question, don't hesitate to bring it to him. He's trained to walk you through the tough questions an investigator might ask, helping you build answers rooted in scripture and the Spirit.

Let's keep our eyes fixed on the eternal. Let's make sure that when the time comes, our testimony isn't just a memory, but a lived, enduring reality. We are building something that lasts.

If this message resonated with you, I encourage you to join a Bible Study Group in HolyPlaces this week. Let’s dig into the Book of Mormon together and keep the focus on the enduring gospel.