Have you ever had someone close to you pass away? When I was in high school a good friend of mine passed away. He was on his way to work at a ski resort when the slippery Idaho roads caused him to loose control of his pickup and slide off the road. I was shocked when I heard the news, and it took me a while to finally accept it and move on. Throughout my life up to this point I always knew about
Gods plan, that we will be able to see our loved ones again, but it never really meant much to me. After the death of my friend however I decided to research that topic a little more. Eventually my research took me to the story of the Saviors death and how those who loved him were able to see him again.
After the Saviors death he was placed in a tomb. On the first day of the week the women came to tend to the body of Christ. But when they got to the tomb an "angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow...the angel... said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for
he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." (
Matthew 28:2-6).
"Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down,
and looked into the sepulchre...she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master." (
John 20:11, 14-16).
What I love about Easter is not only do we get to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, be we also get to be reminded that we too get to be resurrected, because of the mercy of a loving God! " Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous" "[In] the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body...The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame." (
Alma 11:44;
40:21-23). What a blessing! We will all be resurrected and blessed with a perfected body! I am grateful to a loving God who will allow us, His children, to see those we love again and even have a perfect body just as He does.
Our living Prophet today,
Thomas S. Monson, has declared his testimony of the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
"My beloved brothers and sisters, in our hour of deepest sorrow, we can receive profound peace from the words of the angel that first Easter morning: 'He is not here: for he is risen.'
He is risen! He is risen!
As one of His special witnesses on earth today, this glorious Easter Sunday, I declare that this is true, in His sacred name—even the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior—amen." (
He is Risen, April 2010)
I know God the Father is the Supreme Being in whom I believe and whom I worship. He is the ultimate Creator, Ruler, and Preserver of all things. He is perfect, has all power, and knows all things. He “has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's” (D&C 130:22). I know we are all literally children of God, spiritually begotten in the premortal life. As His children, we can be assured that we have divine, eternal potential and that He will help us in our sincere efforts to reach that potential (see lds.org to learn more). I know God loves each of us personally. He has a plan for each of us! I've seen how much trusting in God can bless our lives. The mini miracle that I shared above is one example. I have also seen it in making difficult decisions in life. Elder Christofferson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, was faced with a financial challenge that wasn’t resolved for years. “The fact that I was forced to turn to God for help almost daily over an extended period of years, taught me truly how to pray and get answers to prayer, and taught me in a very practical way to have faith in God,” he said. “I came to know my Savior and my Heavenly Father in a way and to a degree that might not have happened otherwise or that might have taken me much longer to achieve.” In making decisions day by day, we can slowly but surely draw closer to the Lord and avoid distasteful influences from becoming a part of our lives. Being consistent in seemingly small, daily steps is a key principle in achieving any great work, including faith in and obedience to the Lord. “And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33).
