THE WORTH OF A SOUL

  

 

When God the Father showed Enoch His corrupted children that would be swept away in the flood, He wept at the loss (Moses 7:28). Enoch was beyond perplexed when he considered that God would sorrow over a ‘handful’ of His children compared to the immensity of His creations (v 29-31). The Father simply answered that these His children were ‘the workmanship” of His own hands (v 32). The dictionary defines ‘workmanship’ as ‘the product or result of labour and skill, or work executed’. 

 

When I was bringing up my two children some 20 years ago, it was estimated by the Australian Government, that it cost $180,000 to raise a child to the age of 18. When you consider the cost of food, clothing, housing, medication and all living expenses, it seems plausible. But what of the mental and emotional expenditure? How can we put a price to worry, protection, care during sickness, guidance, teaching moments….??? 

 

We are told the worth of a soul is great in the eyes of God (D&C 17:10). What does that exactly mean? Does it mean our worth is great simply because we are the offspring of Deity who loves us? Well, it would seem there is more to it than that. If ‘workmanship’ insinuates investment of labour and skill, the worth cannot be purely in the birth alone. To arrive at the estimate of the worth, consider all the ‘work’ that went into the making of YOU: 1. Your spiritual creation which depended on the Father’s rise to Godhood; 2. Your spiritual tutoring for eons of time; 3. The creation of the earth for your mortality; 4. Overseeing of your earthly tutoring; 5. Preparation of kingdoms for your eternal destination; 6. The redemption of your soul through sacrifice of another. Now think of the scale of guidance, protection, care, overseeing, anguish and sorrow of your Heavenly Parents, the Holy Ghost, your guardian angels, your ancestors, your departed loved ones and all the hosts of heaven who know you….what price would you put to all that??? I know two things:  the price would be higher than we can possibly imagine;  and I know who paid it. 

 

Surely for a God to be impaled upon a cross to suffer the agonies of humanity is the crescendo of all the work invested in our souls. The Atonement is the crowning glory of the work that has gone into you and me. All the  prior work that had been put into us would be in vain if there was no Atonement, and even more importantly, there would be no future for any of us, and the future is what counts, because it ensures our rightful place in the eternal scheme of things. It completes the Plan, it ensures the success of the Plan, it validates the ‘workmanship’ and preserves its value. So with all the labour, material, and struggle that has gone into your creation and development, how much do you think your soul is worth?

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Though Your Sins Be As Scarlet by Greg Collins)

(For further understanding of this concept, see The Mortal Messiah by Bruce R. McConkie, p 49)