My first statement on this blog was:
“The purpose of this blog is to help bring peace
and hope into the lives of those who may be suffering emotionally and/or
physically, to those who are feeling alone or neglected, and to those who are
looking for greater meaning in life.”
I have tried to hold true to this purpose, trying
to not push my deeply held Christian religious beliefs on readers. But, I
believe in Jesus Christ, He is the source of my HOPE. I know that He is my
redeemer, and without Him there is no true HOPE. Without Him there is no
lasting personal peace. Without Him death wins. Without Christ there is no one
to calm our troubled hearts. Truly Jesus Christ is THE source of our HOPE. It is impossible for me to continue this blog
without testifying of these things.
Today we celebrate Easter, a day we commemorate Christ’s victory over death and sin. He is the living Son of the living God. Because
He was resurrected and lives, so will I; so will you. Through Jesus’ suffering
in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary, I know that you and I
can be cleansed of our sins.
For, “ Weeping may endure for a night,
but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
That joy referred to by the psalmist is made possible through Jesus Christ.
As you may
have noticed, it’s been a long time since I posted on this
blog, the 29th of March 2015 to be exact. The following month my
mother was diagnosed with cancer. She suffered intense pain for the next six
months, until she died in early November. I know better now what it means to
suffer. But I also know what it means to be comforted. In this post I would
like to share a few of the thoughts I shared at my Mother’s funeral:
“When I first
heard early Sunday morning that Mom had died, my first thoughts were; we lost
the fight, it's over, we are not going to get that miracle that we've been
praying for. But as quickly as those thoughts came and went, the spirit seemed
to speak comfort to my heart saying NO! NOT SO! This is not the end, this is a
new beginning, the victory was won in a garden and on a hill nearly 2000 years
ago, and through Christ has come the greatest of all miracles…
In the meridian
of time, the Savior Jesus Christ was born as a helpless babe, in humble
circumstances. “He increased in wisdom
and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Luke
2: 52) He walked the dusty
roads of Palestine. He taught His gospel in His perfect way. He set the perfect
example and lived a perfect life. He healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, and
raised the dead; gave sight to the blind, and made the deaf to hear. But the
greatest miracle of all is what He did for you and me in a garden and on a
hill.
When we sin, we
become unclean, we are not worthy to return and live with Heavenly Father in
His Kingdom. In order to be cleansed from our sins a price must be paid, a
price that we are incapable of paying. Because Christ is the literal Son of God
and lived a life without sin, He possessed the ability to pay the price for our
sins, and willingly did so because He loves our Heavenly Father and He loves us... In a way incomprehensible to us, the Son of
God “was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him
and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah
53: 5)
In a garden
called Gethsemane the Son of God suffered for us, which suffering caused Him to
bleed from every pore. On a hill called Calvary He voluntarily died for us. Not
only did he pay the price of our sins, but He suffered pains, afflictions,
temptations, and infirmities of every kind, “that
his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know
according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their
infirmities.” (Alma 7: 11-12)
As David A
Bednar, a modern day Apostle expressed; “The
Savior has suffered not just for our sins and iniquities—but also for our
physical pains and anguish, our weaknesses and shortcomings, our fears and
frustrations, our disappointments and discouragement, our regrets and remorse,
our despair and desperation, the injustices and inequities we experience, and
the emotional distresses that beset us.
There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or
heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that
the Savior did not experience first. In a moment of weakness we may cry out,
“No one knows what it is like. No one understands.” But the Son of God perfectly
knows and understands, for He has felt and borne our individual burdens. And
because of His infinite and eternal sacrifice (see Alma 34:14), He has perfect empathy and
can extend to us His arm of mercy. He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and
strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we
could never do relying only upon our own power. Indeed, His yoke is easy and
His burden is light.”
Three days after
Christ voluntarily gave up His life, on that first Easter morning, He rose from
the dead, a resurrected being. He conquered death, making the resurrection
possible for all mankind. As Paul expressed “Death is
swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1
Cor. 15: 54-55) The greatest miracle wrought by Jesus Christ
the Son of God is His rescue of each of us from the grip of death; both
physical death and spiritual death.
In the scriptures
we learn that the resurrection is the reuniting
of the spirit and the body again in its perfect form; both limb and joint,
… even there shall not so much as a hair of [our] heads shall be lost; but
every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame… Furthermore,
we are taught that this restoration shall
come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both
the wicked and the righteous; (Alma 11: 43-44) The resurrection is a free gift to all.
As the apostle Paul taught; “For as in
Adam all die, in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1
Cor. 15:22) …
I find great
comfort as I read the promise made by John in the book of Revelations; “And
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Revelations
7:17)
Have faith and remember
the victory has already been won; in a garden and on a hill. “Trust
in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding”
(Proverbs
3:5) “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. These things
I… [speak] unto you, that in Christ ye might have peace. In
the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer;
Christ has overcome the world. (John 14:27; 15:33)”
I know that I will see my Mother again.
The source of this HOPE is Jesus Christ, made possible by His sacrifice nearly 2000 years ago. He can be the source of your HOPE too.
The source of this HOPE is Jesus Christ, made possible by His sacrifice nearly 2000 years ago. He can be the source of your HOPE too.
Truly, HOPE springs eternal through Jesus
Christ, the living Son of the living God.
