Yesterday was my cousin's birthday. She is one of the best mothers and most spirited people I have ever met. Though I remember her this way, my last recollection of her is with tubes up her nose and sunken cheeks, barely able to hold her head up. She passed away last year from cancer, leaving behind a husband and 4 children under the age of 5. Some might blame God for the trials her family has been through. Some may say that He doesn't exist because, "if there was a God, He wouldn't let a thing like this happen."
About 7 or 8 months after she passed away, I saw her kids again. Within 10 minutes of their arrival, one of them looked me straight in the eye and said, "My mommy is dead." At first it surprised me. I wasn't sure what to say, so I tried to be gentle and said, "I know, but she's with Heavenly Father now." Without blinking, he shrugged and replied, "I know," and turned around to play with his twin brother. During the dinner prayer that night, he asked God to bless his "mommy in Heaven." Kids accept the idea of an afterlife more than adults do, I think. They are so willing to believe. When Christ was on the earth, He commanded us to become as little children. When we submit ourselves to the will of the Father and trust that He is in charge, He will make things happen according to His plan. (And we all know that His plan is far better than ours: Isaiah 55:8-9.)
One thing that is very different about the LDS church (Mormon church) from every other religion is the idea of eternal families. We believe that, through sacred temple ordinances and promises, we can be sealed to our families for time and all eternity. We believe that God has again given His priesthood power to men on earth that they may, like Simon Peter of old, have power to bind (or seal) families together into eternal relationships. The Lord told Peter, "Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19). So not only will my cousin live again because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, but she will be united with her family in the resurrection. Our Father in Heaven has so much love for us! He wants us to be happy and has made it possible through the sacrifice of His Son. How much we have to be grateful for!
The following is a video from the Lord's prophet, Thomas S. Monson, about the promise of life after death. This man is a true prophet of God. As you listen to his words, pay attention to the feeling that will come.
I promise that, if you open your heart, God will send His Holy Spirit to testify truth to you. I challenge you to ask yourself:
-Is it possible that this is a man of God?
-Whose message is he teaching?
-What is the Holy Spirit telling me?
-Do I have the courage to act on this prompting from the Holy Ghost?
Where there's a will, there's a way. And if it is God's way, many blessings will follow.
"The spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life..." To read more about the resurrection, go here.
