From the time of Christ’s resurrection, Christians from around the world have celebrated Easter day as a great blessing to all mankind. For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) it is not different. We are in awe of the sacrifice our Savior gave us in creating a way for us to repent of our sins and become whole. We are in awe of the gift of resurrection for all mankind after we have fulfilled our mission here on earth. We praise Jesus Christ and remember all that He has done for us.
We know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and we celebrate Easter with reverence and hope that all who come unto him will live their life as He has and remember the great sacrifice He gave us by giving up His life for us. With each Easter morning, we renew our faith in Him and live our life better as He exemplified righteous principles.
Joseph Smith, a revered latter-day prophet for the LDS Church bears his witness to all who will listen and know the importance of Jesus Christ and that He is a fundamental principle for our religion as written in our church history. (History of the Church, 3:30) “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”
We know the importance of remembering Jesus Christ every Sunday as we partake of the Sacrament (bread and water) and renew ourselves to live like Him. There is a story told by Dieter F. Uchtdorf from a general conference talk in April 2010 for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which sums up our feelings of Jesus Christ at Easter time.
“A story is told that during the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged. When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.
Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: ‘You are my hands.’
There is a profound lesson in this story. When I think of the Savior, I often picture Him with hands outstretched, reaching out to comfort, heal, bless, and love. And He always talked with, never down to, people. He loved the humble and the meek and walked among them, ministering to them and offering hope and salvation. That is what He did during His mortal life; it is what He would be doing if He were living among us today; and it is what we should be doing as His disciples and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
As the Easter day comes tomorrow, we must remember the life of Jesus Christ and His gift to us in giving His life and paving the way to return to our Father in Heaven. How thankful we are for the Savior’s life and as the world comes together for one weekend in remembrance, we can fashion our life after His.
Valerie Steimle has been writing as a family advocate for over 25 years. As a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she promotes Christian living in her writings and is the mother of nine children and grandmother to twelve. Mrs. Steimle authored six books and is a contributing writer to several online websites. To her, time is the most precious commodity we have and knows we should spend it wisely.
To read more of Valerie's work, visit her at her website, The Blessings of Family Life.
