Easter Reflections

The Burial of Christ, by Carl Bloch

It is the eve of Easter and my heart is full, overflowing, with love, appreciation, and deep gratitude for my Savior and the possibilities He provides me; repentance, forgiveness, eternal life. How can I ever repay Him? The fact is, I can't. I cannot offer Him anything that is equal to His offering to me. I will always fall short and be indebted to Him, but I will also continue trying my best to repay Him, by striving to live a good life, serving others, and showing Christ-like love to my fellow man.

I have been thinking a lot lately about why difficult things happen to good people; people who try to do the right things, people who serve others. It's a silly question really, especially on the Eve of Easter. Our Savior Jesus Christ was the best person to ever walk the earth and yet, even He faced the most difficult thing imaginable. He faced all of our difficulties. ALL of them! Whenever I ponder on the atonement, my mind begins to feel overwhelmed because of the depth and intensity that He surely experienced. I imagine that I can't even scratch the surface of understanding. What He did in the Garden of Gethsemane, and then at Golgotha is beyond my capability for understanding. So, I choose to be grateful. Grateful that He lived his perfect life, and gave me an example of how I should strive to live. Grateful that He is merciful and forgiving and comforts me when I stumble over and over and over. Grateful for His unconditional love.

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.

Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!

I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,
That he should extend his great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.

I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet

-I Stand All Amazed, Hymn #193

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
-John 15:13

Remember Him Always

Every Knee Shall Bow - Oil on Canvas, by J. Kirk Richards [1]

This week and last week we have been studying the Helaman chapters, which have become new favorites of mine. As I read these Helaman chapters, I recognize myself in the verses detailing the wicked who have forsaken all that the Lord has done for them. I need to work harder at remembering the Lord each day, after all, I covenant each Sunday as I take the sacrament to "always remember Him." I don't want to treat that sacred ordinance as rote, but more as the sanctifying blessing it is. As I have studied the Lord's rebuke in Helaman 12, [2] I have written down some resolutions that I can personally practice that will help me remember Him and my daily hourly need for His guidance:

• Expressing gratitude: when I am diligent in expressing gratitude to my Father in Heaven and all He has blessed me with, I am much more aware of His hand and power in my life. If I strive to express more gratitude it will help me remember that all of the good in my life comes from Him. 
• Be more intentional in recognizing my reliance on Him and showing humility in realizing how much I need His guidance, this will come through prayer especially, but also in taking time each day to acknowledge my dependence on the Lord.
• Serving others and being willing to do all that the Lord asks of me. This will manifest as magnifying my calling, sharing my talents, doing my responsibilities in sharing the gospel, visiting teaching, caring for my fellow man in need, feeding the missionaries, attending the temple, etc. There are countless ways each day that we can do the Lord's work, but I tend to fill my days with things that only serve myself. I think if I can focus more on waking up each day and asking the Lord what I might do that day to serve Him, my day will instead fill with remembering Him always. 
•  Reading the scriptures daily really does help me remember Him. If I can strive to read even just a little bit each day of my life, it will help me feel closer to Him and the words I read will be influential reminders of the great power I receive from Him.

I am so grateful for my loving Heavenly Father and for my Savior Jesus Christ, who bore my sins, my griefs, my heartaches so that when I fall, I can repent and lean on Him for strength. I want to live my life in a way that glorifies Him so that at that last day I can be counted on his right side.

[1] Every Knee Shall Bow by J.Kirk Richards
[2] Helaman 12

Mothers Who Know

Back in 2007, Sister Julie B. Beck, then the Relief Society General President, gave a powerful talk titled "Mothers Who Know" [I]  in which she spoke about the eternal and powerful influence of motherhood. This talk has greatly influenced me as a mother because it impressed upon me the importance of my role as a mother to teach and instruct my children in the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sister Beck referenced the 2000 Stripling Warriors, from the Book of Mormon, who were valiant, courageous, and strong. In Alma 53:21 [II] it reads, “Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.” These faithful young men paid tribute to their mothers. In Alma 56:48 [III] they said, “Our mothers knew it.”

One of my favorite quotes from Sister Beck's talk emphasizes the strength our youth need in this world filled with temptations of every kind:

"The responsibility mothers have today has never required more vigilance. More than at any time in the history of the world, we need mothers who know. Children are being born into a world where they “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). However, mothers need not fear. When mothers know who they are and who God is and have made covenants with Him, they will have great power and influence for good on their children."

I know that there is so much more I must do to prepare my children to withstand the evil forces of this world. I can do better, and I must do better. I want my children to know that I know, so that I can influence them for good.


I. "Mothers Who Know" by Sister Julie B. Beck, October 2007 General Conference 
II. Alma 53:21
III. Alma 56:48

All Things Denote There is a God

This week we have been studying Alma 30-35 and of course, the highlight of this passage is the interaction between Alma and Korihor, the anti-Christ. I have loved reading, studying, and pondering Alma's responses to Korihor's stubborn beliefs that there is no Savior. There are two points in particular that have impressed me this week:

1. When Alma testifies of God and of Jesus Christ in verse 39, he teaches us how to respond to objectors in a way that invites the Spirit. "For behold, I say unto you, I know there is a God, and also that Christ shall come." Alma exemplifies sincere faith in the Savior and patterns for us the way in which we should testify. Our personal testimonies are a powerful way for us to share our beliefs without engaging in arguments or contention, and testimony invites the Spirit into the discussion. 
2. After Korihor asks Alma for a sign to convince him that there is a God, Alma speaks pure wisdom: "The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God, yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." Alma responds to Korihor's request with strong evidence, whereas Korihor cannot prove that there is no God. 

From the Book of Mormon Institute manual I found the following quote from Elder Gerald N. Lund: "When questioned, Korihor categorically denies that he believes there is a God. Alma then asks, 'What evidence have ye that there is no God , or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none save it be your word only.' (Alma 30:40) "It is an inspired insight on Alma's part. Korihor is not consistent in his own thinking. If we truly can know only those things for which we have empirical evidence, then we cannot teach there is no God unless we have evidence for that belief. And Korihor has no evidence." Lund goes on to explain how Korihor would need to be a God himself in order to prove that God does not exist. He says "Therefore, in declaring there is no God, he is acting on 'faith', the very thing for which he so sharply derides the religious leaders!"

I love this video that teaches us the powerful lesson of faith and what happens when we ignore the warnings of our leaders.