Although we have fun with all the egg and bunny themed things we do around this time each year, we have a tendency to do all those things before the actual holiday. We do have chocolate bunnies and jellybeans on Sunday, but we try to focus on the Savior and the real reason Easter is so important to us. Each year I include some kind of reminder of Christ in the kids’ Easter baskets. This year I tucked a replica of an ancient Israeli clay lamp in their baskets, the kind that would have been used in the time of the Savior’s earthly life. It was a different kind of reminder of Christ, one that looks forward to his second coming rather than one that looks back to his atonement and resurrection. I wrote a letter explaining why I selected this particular item so they could refer back to it later on, and thought I should include that letter at the end of this post.
As I have studied about the Savior and the atonement this week, my heart has been full of gratitude and love for my Savior. I have been enveloped by reassurances via the Spirit that what I have read is true. I could struggle to find the right words, or I can simply quote Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf whose words touched me to the point of tears earlier this week:
“Because of Jesus Christ, we will rise from the despair of death and embrace those we love, shedding tears of overwhelming joy and overflowing gratitude. Because of Jesus Christ, we will exist as eternal beings, worlds without end.
Because of Jesus the Christ, our sins can not only be erased; they can be forgotten.
We can become purified and exalted.
Holy.
Because of our beloved Savior, we can forever drink from the fountain of water that springs up into eternal life. We can dwell forever in the mansions of our eternal King, in unimaginable glory and perfect happiness…
…I testify that the most important day in the history of mankind was the day when Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, won the victory over death and sin for all of God’s children. And the most important day in your life and mine is the day when we learn to “behold the man”; when we see Him for who He truly is; when we partake with all our heart and mind of His atoning power; when with renewed enthusiasm and strength, we commit to follow Him. May that be a day that recurs over and over again throughout our lives.”
Amen. As Nathan would say, “The book is blue. The gospel’s true.”
April 17, 2022
Easter Sunday
This year’s Easter reminder of the Savior needs a bit of explanation. As the signs of the times have become ever more apparent in the past several years, I have found that the parable of the ten virgins has become one of my spiritual focal points. While some parables teach about believers vs. non-believers, this parable is about the members of the church. It teaches that many members of the church won’t be spiritually prepared when the Savior returns and as such, will be left bereft of some of the choicest blessings the Lord has promised us. I want to be among the number that is prepared to meet the Savior and want our family there with me, so I’ve tried to keep in mind the reality that time is growing short (Pres. Nelson has been quite clear on that) and that I need to be a follower of Christ and not just a member of the church. (Thank you, Daniel, for that concise description.)
As usual, when a gospel principle resonates in my heart, I like to have an image or some kind of reminder to keep that principle fresh in my mind as I go about my day-to-day life. However, I have never seen a painting of the parable of the ten virgins that I really love. I’ve looked and continue to keep my eyes open, but nothing has every really clicked for me.
In about November, Sis. Whosit taught relief society. She was talking about the parable of the ten virgins and shared a visual aid with us. She had visited Jerusalem with her sister several years ago and while she was there, she purchased a replica of the ancient Israeli lamps that the women in the parable would have used. The lamp was tiny, small enough to fit right in the palm of her hand. She explained that when filled with oil and equipped with a wick, the lamp would give off light, but not a lot of light. Just enough to light the face of the person carrying the lamp and perhaps enough to show the bearer one step in front of them. The meager amount of light given from such a tiny lamp is the reason every person needed their own lamp.
Sis. Whosit then turned to talk of the oil filling the lamp. The small amount of oil that each lamp can hold is not enough to allow it to burn throughout the night. It would need to be refilled in order for the lamp to burn until daylight. Then she brought out the oil jar that would accompany the lamp. Again, it was tiny, fitting easily in one hand. The amount of oil in the jar would fill the lamp once so that between the full lamp and the one jar of oil, the light would last through the night.
As I pondered what she had shared with us, I realized that the reason the five prepared virgins did not share oil with those who were unprepared is not because they were feeling mean or spiteful. It was not that they didn’t care about these other women. It was not because they were selfish or un-Christlike. It was because they literally could not share or they themselves would not have what they needed to be prepared for the arrival of the bridegroom.
With that, the little lamp became a reminder of what that parable means for us. Each and every one of us must have our own testimonies. We must all make and keep our own covenants with the Lord. Each of us must individually search out the Savior and develop our own relationship with him. Each of us must make the choices that will allow us to become a little bit more Christlike every day. Each of must do the work necessary to become truly converted, true disciples of Christ. In short, each of us must take responsibility for our own salvation.
Of course, we are all here to help each other along the covenant path. That is a key element of the gospel, a part of the covenants we make, and an undeniable part of developing a Christlike nature. We are responsible to teach others, helping them however we can in their journey towards the Savior, loving unconditionally and striving always to show greater charity. But my firm belief will never be enough to save another person. I can only seek to help them come to believe on their own.
So hold this little lamp. Ponder on what having oil for your lamp means. Allow your daily actions of prayer, scripture study, ministering to others, and keeping your covenants fill your lamp one drop at a time. Let your heart be softened and changed every day that you may be more fully converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And then, turn outwards and seek to help others fill their lamps as well. With love and compassion, willingly become the Lord’s hands on the earth and a better servant in his service. As each of us does so and becomes a bit more Christlike in the process, we will all be counted among those who are prepared when the Savior comes.
Love,
Mom and Dad
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