Life After Death

Easter was extra special this year. It once again came with the assurance of life after death; but, it also came with a much more personal witness of this truth. All of the things I've ever known and professed to believe are not just beautiful sentiments, but are real. One of my favorite sermons ever given on the Resurrection was delivered by Elder Wirthlin and entitled, Sunday Will Come. The following are a few excerpts from this talk (though I'd highly recommend reading it in its entirety):

"We know what the resurrection is--the reuniting of the spirit and body in its perfect form. When we are resurrected, 'this mortal body is raised to an immortal body...[we] can die no more.' Can you imagine that? Life at our prime? Never sick, never in pain, never burdened by the ills that so often beset us in mortality? 

The Resurrection is at the core of our beliefs as Christians. Without it, our faith is meaningless. 

...When the Savior rose from the tomb, He did something no one had ever done. He did something no one else could do. He broke the bonds of death, not only for Himself but for all who have ever lived...

I think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross...It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God. I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world's history, that Friday was the darkest.

But the doom of that day did not endure.

The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of mankind...Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, stood before them as the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the proof that death is merely the beginning of a new and wondrous existence.

Each of us will have our own Fridays--those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death--Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come."

This experience with my mother feels like a "dark Friday"; but I hang my hope on the promise that Sunday will indeed come. In my most private moments, I've reflected on what the Savior did for us. I reverence the Savior's suffering and crucifixion; though I wouldn't call it the symbol of my faith. Because although he died for us, HE LIVES. And I've come to understand that if I focus too much on the devastation, I will miss the miracle. The same goes for the situation with my mother, I suppose.

Over Easter weekend we hauled my mom up to Bear Lake. This was a bucket list item she had hoped to fulfill, and we're all about making dreams come true these days! At the dawn of Easter morning, we took her on a "Resurrection Walk" (Keith called it the "Resurrection Roll" since she was wheelchair bound) and guided her through the course of events leading up to that glorious day. At the end, Grady shared his talk he'd given in church the week prior. This weekend will be etched into my memory forever. I'm so grateful for the Resurrection which makes it possible that we can live after we die.