3 Alma taught his wayward son Corianton about how the righteous would be “received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise” while the wicked would be “in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them” ( Alma 40:12, 14). For example, Book of Mormon prophets taught clearly about the “state of the soul between death and the resurrection” ( Alma 40:11). The Book of Mormon expands or clarifies several important truths about life after death. 2 The first revelation in this dispensation on life after death, however, is found in the Book of Mormon. This reality was as much on the minds of early Latter-day Saints as anybody else, 1 and they were blessed to be given, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, some of the most detailed revelations on life after death (see Doctrine and Covenants 76 131 132:19–24 137). All must come to terms with the death of loved ones, along with the real eventuality that they themselves will die. The reason for this is fairly simple: death is a fact of life. It is one of the most enduring questions of the soul. We find peace in the knowledge that we shall have our son again.What happens after death? People have been asking this question for millennia. These truths are also profoundly expressed in Mosiah 3 and in Moroni 8. I love and accept the Prophet Joseph Smith’s teachings on the innocence of children and their right to inherit the celestial kingdom (see D&C 137:7). I don’t think I could ever have coped without the hope given us throughout the scriptures and the writings of the prophets. I am grateful for the Atonement that can compensate for whatever happens and can heal all my wounds. I realized that simply because God knows all things does not imply that He is responsible for what happens. I knew I could cast my burdens on the Lord and He would sustain me (see Ps. Yes, it was an accident, but the fact that the Lord knew that such a thing could happen in mortality made it easier for me to accept and bear. Holland | Broken Things to MendĪs I turned to the scriptures, I read in 2 Nephi 9:20 that God knows “all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.” If the Lord knew beforehand what would happen to our son, then the word accident takes on a greater meaning. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'”Įlder Jeffrey R. He said to everyone, whatever their personal problems might be: He said it to believers, and He said it to those who were not so sure. He said it in the beginning of His ministry, and He said it in the end. It is found in the clarion call the Savior of the world Himself gave. To all such I offer the surest and sweetest remedy that I know. I wish to speak particularly to you who feel your lives are broken, seemingly beyond repair. ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit,’ He said, ‘for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ Whether you are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or among the tens of thousands listening this morning who are not of our faith, I speak to those who are facing personal trials and family struggles, those who endure conflicts fought in the lonely foxholes of the heart, those trying to hold back floodwaters of despair that sometimes wash over us like a tsunami of the soul. “The first words Jesus spoke in His majestic Sermon on the Mount were to the troubled, the discouraged and downhearted. I did a lot of soul-searching and determined that everything I had professed to believe throughout my life was indeed true.”Ĭatharine Rasband | Working through My Grief The strength of my testimony was of vital importance. Though Thomas was gone, I knew I had the gospel of Jesus Christ and the hope of the Resurrection to help me. I knew I had to accept my son’s death and work through my grief. I couldn’t sleep at night, so I searched my mind for any hymns or scriptures that I could call to my memory to find even a moment of relief. I looked to the scriptures for everything I could find about death and the Lord’s healing balm. I couldn’t stop the pain and the hurt, but I could choose my reactions. Through the Spirit it became clear to me that how I acted was my choice. Within six hours of the accident, he died…ĭuring the first few days following the accident, all I could feel was acute pain, though now I realize that the Spirit of the Lord was constantly with me. Though I longed for him to live, I could see he probably wouldn’t. The fire department put out the fire with minimum damage to our home or possessions, but our son was severely burned. Our two-year-old son, Thomas, was in the middle of it. “In April 1993 our water heater pilot light came into contact with gasoline fumes and exploded into flames.
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