Will It Really Be Fair?

As I read 2 Nephi 29 this morning, I found myself returning to a familiar question.

The chapter speaks of the Lord remembering His covenants and gathering the house of Israel. I understand that language. I am a child of the covenant. I was born and raised in a home where the gospel was taught, covenants were honored, and faith in Jesus Christ was part of everyday life. Looking back, I can see God's hand guiding and protecting me.

But what about those who were not born into those circumstances?

What did they do differently? What opportunity did they miss? We all came into this world with a clean slate. Why are some born with gospel blessings while others spend their lives without them?

I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I do know where my thoughts eventually led me this morning: the Abrahamic Covenant.

The covenant was never intended for a select few. Through Abraham, the Lord promised that all nations would be blessed. President Russell M. Nelson has taught that all who receive the gospel, make covenants, and remain faithful become heirs to those promises. Whether by lineage or adoption, they become part of Abraham's family.

That changes everything.

Gathering Israel isn't about creating an exclusive club. It's about extending God's covenant blessings to every one of His children. Every person will have the opportunity to accept those blessings. Every person.

That realization brings some clarity to the Lord's urgency in gathering Israel. It also helps me understand the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. Some arrive early. Some arrive at the eleventh hour. The invitation remains open until the very end. The question then: Do we continue to labor until the task is done?

Then my thoughts turned to those who have spent their lives in other faiths. Many are really good people. They love God and strive to follow Him according to the light they have received. It can be difficult to set aside traditions, even when new truth is presented.

But then I remembered the role of the Holy Ghost.

I know what the Holy Ghost did in my own life. Even though I was raised in the gospel, there came a time when I had to be converted for myself. The Spirit's influence was powerful—so powerful that I still remember it today. Conversion is ultimately God's work, not ours.

That brings me peace.

By the time I finished reading, my mind was racing in a dozen directions. I found myself wondering about the records the Lord says will yet come forth from other nations. I wondered about agency. I wondered about the Millennium.

A thousand years is a long time.

What will life be like? Will we live in homes and cities? Will we continue the work of gathering souls to Christ? But of course! Will people still be learning, choosing, and growing? Again, of course!

I don't know how it's going to look, but I have faith it will be wonderful.

What I do know is this: the more I learn about God's plan, the less worried I become about whether it will be fair. The Lord remembers all His children. He has prepared a way for all to hear His voice, receive His covenants, and choose for themselves. And this is where I realize that even thought agency is only a 7-letter word, it is HUGE!

And somehow, that answer is large enough to hold all my questions.