holidays are an easy time to reflect back on my experience as a missionary. because it was such a precise day i remember exactly where i was, where i went and what experiences i had that day. as i awoke this morning and watched my favorite easter conference address none were with him, i remember watching it with an investigator the in middle of snowy miramichi. because easter had fallen on a sunday that year, my companion and i had been able to attend another denomination's easter service (because of the time delay, conference wasn't on till the afternoon). i remember thinking...but this holiday is about how he lives, not that he died. yes he died, and yes that is important too, but to me the most important thing is that he lives.
as i have reflected on that fact, that he lives, i think of what that means in my life and how that empowers my life. i have read a few talks and things that have impressed me this week. recently i have been studying the subject of grieving and i guess this easter holiday its kind of all come together. i've studied mourning in the past as well, when the word occurs in the scriptures, the circumstances that surround it, the attitudes of the people, the perspectives reflected in the writing, commonalities, differences, etc. maybe elder holland and elder bowen say it best in their respective conference addresses (none were with him and "because i live, ye shall live also")
first, elder holland:
Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of theHoly Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].” 20
My other plea at Easter time is that these scenes of Christ’s lonely sacrifice, laced with moments of denial and abandonment and, at least once, outright betrayal, must never be reenacted by us. He has walked alone once. Now, may I ask that never again will He have to confront sin without our aid and assistance, that never again will He find only unresponsive onlookers when He sees you and me along His Via Dolorosain our present day. As we approach this holy week—Passover Thursday with its Paschal Lamb, atoning Friday with its cross, Resurrection Sunday with its empty tomb—may we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear. This Easter week and always, may we stand by Jesus Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death,” 21 for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
and elder bowen:
I have learned that the bitter, almost unbearable pain can become sweet as you turn to your Father in Heaven and plead for His comfort that comes through His plan; His Son, Jesus Christ; and His Comforter, who is the Holy Ghost.
What a glorious blessing this is in our lives. Wouldn’t it be tragic if we didn’t feel great sorrow when we lose a child? How grateful I am to my Father in Heaven that He allows us to love deeply and love eternally. How grateful I am for eternal families. How grateful I am that He has revealed once again through His living prophets the glorious plan of redemption.
Remember as you attended the funeral of your loved one the feelings in your heart as you drove away from the cemetery and looked back to see that solitary casket—wondering if your heart would break.
I testify that because of Him, even our Savior, Jesus Christ, those feelings of sorrow, loneliness, and despair will one day be swallowed up in a fulness of joy. I testify that we can depend on Him and when He said:
“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
“Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.”5
I testify that, as stated in Preach My Gospel, “as we rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, He can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can be filled with joy, peace, and consolation. All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”6
I testify that on that bright, glorious morning of the First Resurrection, your loved ones and mine will come forth from the grave as promised by the Lord Himself and we will have a fulness of joy. Because He lives, they and we shall live also.
i have recently been reading a book by sister wendy ulrich called the temple experience, in the part i read yesterday she discussed the difference between being cured and being healed. i had never thought of those words in contrast but i immediately caught where she was headed. being cured refers to being brought back to how you once were; but being healed "involves a spiritual and emotional reweaving of our life story to incorporate, not merely remove, our injuries. it involves growth and personal change, maturation into a new state of deeper trust in god despite, not in the absence of, suffering. it includes acceptance of our lost innocence, while reaching toward greater wisdom (p. 8-9)."
the savior heals. he comes with compassion and he heals us. his atonement is all about making healing possible in our lives, regardless of the wrong we have done or that has been done to us. i know this to be true and that's why i am 100% confident in saying, as preach my gospel says, "all that is unfair about life can be made through the atonement of jesus christ."
let us be confident in our heavenly father's plan for all his children. let us utilize the atonement so we can trust jesus.
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none were with him, elder jeffery r holland
"because i live, ye shall live also, elder shayne m bowen
preach my gospel
the temple experience, wendy ulrich
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none were with him, elder jeffery r holland
"because i live, ye shall live also, elder shayne m bowen
preach my gospel
the temple experience, wendy ulrich
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