I'm a Mormon, I'm a traveler.
I have in my bathroom, a travel wall. Once upon a time I wrote the names of far-off places I wanted to visit upon individual post-it notes and hung them where I could see them. (A goal not written is only a wish, right Dad?) Over the course of the last few years, I have been systematically replacing those sticky notes with photos from exotic locations. Paris, Lisbon, Buenos Aires, Rome, Prague, Montreal and a host of others–let’s face it, I’m not too picky when it comes to travel.
My second to last* sticky note remaining is Jerusalem. The Holy Land. The City of David. The town where Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior of the World not only healed and taught, but where he atoned for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected as a perfect being back to live with His and our Father.
The sticky note comes off the wall in six weeks. I’m spending two-and-a-half-weeks in the Middle East with a tour group traversing Jordan, Israel, and Egypt. In preparation for this monumental trip, I’ve been doing some geographical, historical and spiritual study (PDF). (Some might call it nerdy, I call it prepared.) I’m learning more about the customs of the ancient land and spending more meaningful time reading the New Testament. How fitting it was yesterday then, when my study coincided with the events of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. The events leading up to the empty Garden Tomb have been well documented the Internet over, but I highly recommend this day-by-day explanation and commentary.
But what now? Yesterday was Easter Sunday and today is Monday. Back to school, back to work, back to normal life. What happens next? Do we go back about our business and forget about Easter until next year? 364 days is an awfully long time.
I love this video montage edited to the words of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, one of our modern-day apostles, who speaks about “one of the great consolations of this Easter season.”
“…one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].”
Because Jesus suffered for our sins, weaknesses and frailties, He understands us. It is by his sacrifice that mercy overpowers justice. He knows our hearts and our pains. He is always with us. I feel his love and concern witnessed to me by the Holy Ghost–and this feeling persists much longer than the days leading up to Easter Sunday. This is a feeling I have in my heart every day of the year.
That is my testimony, because I have felt the daily presence of Jesus Christ in my life–and I knew it long before I ever visited the Holy Land where Jesus walked two thousand years ago.
Easter Sunday may be over, but would you agree with me that the Easter season is year-round?
*Greece is the lone sticky standing.
