When I was a little girl, Easter was all about getting the frilliest dress, the hat, the purse, shiny shoes, and the gloves. It was also about chocolate bunnies! Now that I’m older, I shake my head at all that nonsense and realize that Easter represents Jesus Christ’s greatest gift to me.
Yes, I know, it’s fun for the kids. But another thing I’ve learned as an adult parent is that kids follow the influence of their parents. We had no problem overdosing our children with chocolates. But from the very beginning, we created baskets full of goodies, for our children, and hid them around the house on Easter morning. They had to go find them and then we sat down and talked about how Jesus Christ was buried and resurrected, as they dug into their stash.
As an adult, I spend much more than a mere Easter day thinking about my Savior. I realize I owe Him so much. My constant prayer of gratitude is long and rich with personal meaning.
Howard W. Hunter’s talk, in the April 1988 General Conference, is entitled, “He Is Risen.” Side note: He was serving as the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and gave this talk sitting in one of those big red chairs. His talk reminds us of all the prophecies about Christ. The world has always known what He was born to do on this earth. And it is documented almost completely what He went through while He was here on earth. We even have scripture on what He did in the Spirit World, after His crucifixion, and His visit to the Americas.
Our scriptures continue to speak of Jesus Christ as we look forward to His Second Coming to the earth. We watch faithfully for the signs of His coming. In fact, I heard some people expecting to see Him sitting six feet away from Pres. Nelson during this most recent conference.
The bottom line is, because of the scriptures, we know an awful lot about the Savior of the world. Everything He has done for the benefit of mankind has been written up. It is our responsibility to read the scriptures, so we know what we know. It’s just too easy to forget. We need to be reminded constantly.
Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He took upon Him all of our sins, sicknesses, lonelinesses, hurts, and pains. Think of that. Each and every time we feel bad, He feels bad. He knows how we feel. He understands. He doesn’t stop the hurt from coming, but He feels it because He paid for it. It needed to be paid for because of the law of justice. The price had to be paid. He paid it in full.
His payment plan is one of mercy. As we repent and call upon Him, He offers us mercy. He doesn’t demand payment from us; instead He gives us more. Our pain is extinguished, and we are made whole.
This Easter, I am reminded of a Christmas song: the final verse of Away in a Manger (#206).
Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven to live with thee there.
The phrase “fit us for heaven” often makes me cry. It reminds me that on my own, I probably don’t fit very well in God’s kingdom, but Jesus Christ has the ability to fit me in some way, somehow, and I am ever most grateful for that.