And I will tell you why.
I am a lover of Easter. It is my absolute favorite holiday. And it has been since I was a little girl, which is odd for a youngster because Christmas always wins...my reason when I was six as to why Easter was my favorite holiday, however, is quite different for the reason that developed since then.
When I was six I picked Easter to be my favorite holiday because it was the closest big holiday to my birthday... I know.... I know.... I was an extremely logical child. haha I also picked it just to be different from all of the other kids who all loved Christmas so much.
Luckily over time my reasons changed. As I matured in the Gospel of Christ I came to love Easter for more than the egg hunt, the baskets... and the proximity of it to my birthday. I fell in love with Easter because of the true reason why we celebrate it. We celebrate Easter because of the Resurrection of our Savior.
Easter is a time of year that we get the chance to reflect upon what Christ did for us and what it means when we say that He lives.
Sure, I don't really like to think too much about all the pain and suffering He went through in His last hours on earth. But the fact that He suffered in Gethsemane for such as I is not only remarkable, but the greatest gift man has ever known. I do not like to dwell on the fact that he was betrayed, denied, scourged, mocked, spit upon, and crucified. But because He was I know of His love for me. Because of all of this I know that no matter how great my sin... I can be forgiven. I know that I am never forsaken. That is truly the most pure love I will ever know. It is so pure, true, and strong that I cannot even comprehend it.
His death saddens me. I cry every time I think about it, but how grateful I am that He made that Great and Atoning Sacrifice for me. And for you.
But Easter also speaks of other great truths. That HE IS RISEN!!!
Which causes my heart to rejoice exceedingly! He broke the bonds of death so that men might live again. So that we can be united with our families forever. No one who dies is lost. For death is not the end, but only yet another stepping stool. How wonderful a message. How blessed is the name of the Lord!
And how grateful am I for His life; that perfect example. How grateful I am for the Atonement, for this allows me to return unto my Father in Heaven. I am so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and to know what I know. I do not know these things simply because someone told them to me. I know these things because I took the time to study them out in my heart and to kneel down in prayer. I know these things because I have felt the truth of them so strong and powerful that I can never deny it.
I invite all of us to think on this beautiful Easter about Christ and what His life and death did for us personally. I invite you all to read the Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Christ, and to kneel down and pray about what you have read. So that you may taste of the joy that the gospel of Christ has brought into my life.
Here is a video about Christ. Please take the time to watch it:
http://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/he-is-risen?lang=eng
Happy Easter!
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