Day 7(part 1):Easter

What a beautiful Easter Morning; the bright sun shone through the blossoming trees. Yesterday's rains gave the earth a clean, newly washed feeling. Taking a deep breath you could feel the clean scent of washed earth and spring blossoms. New life was all around, how fitting of Easter Morning.
At church, my mind was naturally drawn to the Savior and His atonement. In Sunday School, the teacher made an interesting comment. "The Jews wanted a Messiah who would come to change others" he said, "But Christ came to teach them to change themselves." They wanted God to change their outer surroundings; he wanted to change them. They desired a new situation, He desired to make them new creatures.
I think that encapsulates Easter: Rebirth into new creatures, through the atonement of Christ.
I began to think of how that has worked in my life.
There are many ways I've been blessed, every good thing in my life has come because of the Atonement: forgiveness, hope, mercy, love, comfort, gentility, faith, good relationships, happiness, and healing, only to name a few.
This morning after waking up, I began to read my Mom's book, "Solo", as I remembered those very hard days, weeks, and months following my Dad's death, I was so grateful for the healing power of the Atonement. From the "chasm of grief" the Atonement rescued me and my family.
I remember mornings wondering, "will life ever be normal again?", "will the pain ever go away?"
If I could now, portal through time and sit down on the bed with my 16 year-old self, I think I'd say, "Yes. It will. And not only that, but life will become more beautiful than you can possibly imagine now. It is going to get so good! Hold on! Don't give up! The best is yet to come!"
Because of Christ, my life did get better, and I can have faith that still, "the best is yet to come." The message of Easter is that tears will be wiped away, weaknesses will become strengths, harshness will become beauty, and imperfection will eventually become godhood.
As spring shows new life all around us, I hope we'll find new life in becoming new creatures, applying the atonement in our lives, and becoming more holy, more dedicated, and more faithful children of God.