The passing of a loved one is never easy. Sometimes it comes unexpectedly, sometimes
there is ample time to prepare.
Sometimes it's a relative that loses a long battle with cancer, and
sometimes it's a friend that's taken in a tragedy. No matter the circumstances, all involved are
left to ponder the frailties of life and mourn the memories left from that
special person. We tend to hold our
loved ones closer, spend more time with our friends, say those things that we
never said or do those things we never did.
We begin to realize just how great of a blessing it is to live on this
good Earth.
How great it is to know that our loving Heavenly Father sent
us here with a purpose. How great is the
blessing to know that there is a life after this one, that death is not the end
but only a necessary door that all must walk through to return to live with
God. And how penetrating is that
question that was asked by the angels at the tomb of Christ, "Why seek ye
the living among the dead?" (Luke 24:5).
As Latter-day Saints we know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ,
all men shall live again. He paid the
ultimate price for our sins through His selfless sacrifice that we will
resurrect even as he and be partakers of eternal life if we would repent of our
sins and follow His righteous example, receiving all the ordinances of
salvation and exaltation. "O death,
where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin;
and the strength of sin is the law. But
thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)
How great and comforting are these things to the mourning
soul! But how many people in this world
don't know of this good news? How many
people think that death is the end and that the flickering light of a person's
life blows out with death like a candle to the wind? This is our message to the world, that Christ
lives and that through His Gospel, all can reap the eternal blessings he has
prepared for us. "Wherefore, how
great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the
earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence
of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy
Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again
by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the
dead, being the first that should rise." (2 Nephi 2:8). This responsibility is ours, both to the
living and to the dead. We've been instructed
of the Lord to construct temples, to seek out our ancestors and to help all
those that have come before us to receive the same ordinances that we've
received. Temple work and missionary
work is the exact same thing, just on different sides of the veil. So let us be dilligent in our duties. To all those that mourn the loss of a loved
one, to all those that stand in need of comfort and seek the truth, and to all
those that have gone before us without a knowledge of the Savior. Elder and Sister May teach a class at
6:00-8:00 on how to do family history through familysearch.org. If you're not familiar with this site, they
will help you to find your ancestors and procure for them the blessings that
they're waiting for.
-Brian Hart
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