The Promise of the Resurrection

What does the resurrection mean to you?  What promises do you hold on to and celebrate during the Easter season as a result of Christ's glorious victory over death?  Today, I want to share a brief testimony with you of a dear lady and her husband, who, through the loss of a child, have come to cherish the promise of the resurrection.

On Friday, I shared on Facebook about this beautiful resurrection scene that I ordered off of Etsy.  I love the quality and look of it. It's just exquisite.  I also love that Honor can play with it and talk for the characters.  She knew just what it was when we opened the package.

So, it's beautiful and functional, but more to the point, it is a wonderful expression of faith, and that is why I was drawn to it as I perused Etsy offerings the other evening! I soon learned that the creators of this beautiful piece--the family behind the shop Lilac Harvest--have a beautiful back story, that I'd like to share here.

This dear family lost a baby unexpectedly just a few months after her birth.  Here is a brief part of their story and testimony of what the promise of the resurrection means to them:

"The loss of our daughter, Laila, turned our world upside down.  The loss brought a pain beyond anything we had previously experienced, let alone what we could have ever imagined.  So many truths, previously accepted without serious thought, were brought into sharp relief.  Does Laila live on?  Is the spirit world near or far?  Can families truly be together forever?  Firmly grounding ourselves in our beliefs, and working through our pain, brought new meaning to old stories.  The celebration of the resurrection is an example."

Consider Mary, a sincere disciple and follower of our Lord, Jesus Christ; present when He raised her brother from the dead; present as He hung upon the cross; witness to His power and to His humility.  Here she is, returning to His tomb, a final act of devotion, to anoint His body.  She questions the gardener, falls to her knees to beg, her grief too heavy to bear any longer, her pain spilling down her cheeks.  He speaks, "Mary."  Can it be?  She looks up in disbelief, stretching forth her hand.  It is.  The darkness is swept away, and light fills her soul.  He is Risen!

For us, this story has taken on new meaning.  No longer an account of a distant, and ancient experience, but a personal promise to us that, as Christ rose from the dead, so will our daughter, and all of us. We will be united, with perfect bodies, to live together as a perfect, and whole, family once again." 

I am so grateful to Adrianne and Mike for being willing to share a brief, but poignant testimony with us today.  

Now it's your turn.  We can all benefit from pondering the Atonement and all that it means to us for just a few minutes today.  So please take a minute to leave a comment about what the promise of the resurrection means to you.

I am reminded of the lesson we did as a family about Elder Christofferson's talk "The Resurrection of Jesus Christ" (from April 2014 Gen Conf).

In his talk he lists the many things that we know and can be assured of because of Christ's Resurrection, things like: Death is not permanent, no injustice in permanent, we can trust Christ, the things he taught are true, and He will come again.

This is a glorious time to turn out thoughts and hearts to the Savior.  I hope that you will take a few minutes to do so today.  Have a great week!

And remember that the 30 Day #MyForeverFamily challenge is still going on.  For more information and to read more Easter/Family History-related posts, click here!