Easter and Things of Eternity

  

 The other day I found myself in a small regional airport in South Carolina. I had been on a business trip all that week in the beach resort of Myrtle beach. After my assignment was over I took a four hour drive to the city a Greenville, NC. After spending a 24hr with a close friend I found myself in this airport. As I was killing time before my flight-as one dose- I began to browse the book shelves of one of the airport shops. My eyes landed on a book with a well know title. The book was the script for the play, "our town" by Thornton Wilder. I search in the recesses of my mind if I had ever read the book or seen the play. Had I ever spent time in the fictional town of Grover’s Corner. Surly I had! Or maybe I hadn’t. The only way to be sure was to buy the book and read it I thought to myself. That is just what I did. On the flight home I became engrossed in the lives of the citizens of the small New Hampshire town. As I made my way thru the three acts I found myself struck by a passage, found in act three. The the Narrator pondering the difference between the living and the dead, said this 

"Now there are some things we all know, but we don’t take’m out and look at’m very often. We all know that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even stars..everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings.  All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you’d be surprised how people are always losing hold of it. There’s something way deeper that’s eternal about human beings." ("Our Town: A Play in Three Acts" by Thornton Wilder; act three). 

This sent my mind thinking. Do we live are lives as if we are eternal? And if we did how would our lives change? How would the lives around us change? what would be the ripple effect. this led me to another author's quote, this time form C.S. Lewis 

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.” ("The Weight of Glory" By C.S. Lewis) 

I feel we oft time fall into the trap of the worrying about this life. we worry about bills, our jobs, and our temporale affairs. I say this because I am guilty of it as much as anyone. It is hard to think out so far from where you currently are, It's hard believe sometimes there is more than just this one mountain you are trying to climb. this life is hard, I feel it was designed to be so. sometimes it all we can do just to put one foot in front of the other. But how small would our current troubles be if we looks up and out and not just at our feet.    

“We are here [in this life] with a marvelous inheritance, a divine endowment. How different this world would be if every person realized that all of his actions have eternal consequences. How much more satisfying our years may be if … we recognize that we form each day the stuff of which eternity is made.” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (1997), 174.)

With the approach of easter, these thoughts of eternity, and that of the Savior; Jesus Christ, have inter mingled. I have reflected on the events of our Savior's finale days of mortality. I wonder if through all his suffering, pain, and eventual death, was he looking up and out at eternity or was he looking down? I think he answered that question when her stood before Pilate.  

36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. (John 18:36-37)

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/john/18?lang=eng#p36

I would venture to say his was always an eternal outlook. He knew for what purpose he was born. He was chosen before the foundation of the world for this work. It is a work that was looked to and hoped for, for countries. His was for the eternal welfare of the entire human family. we read in "The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ"

"And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."(Alma 7:12)   

 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/7?lang=eng&id=12#p12

This easter I hope to remember the eternal impact of Jesus Christ's infinite Atonement. I believe as he suffered for us we were on his mind. All the children of god, both before his mortale ministry and those to come after. His act of supreme love blankets all of eternity. how fortunate are we to live in a time, where we know through scripture that the long awaited Savior of the world has come. That he lives and offers eternal life to all. That through his resurrection we can live again.  

"Resurrection gives us more than this assurance of immortality. It changes the way we view mortal life.
The Resurrection gives us the perspective and the strength to endure the mortal challenges faced by each of us and those we love. It gives us a new way to view the physical, mental, or emotional deficiencies we have at birth or acquire during mortal life. It gives us the strength to endure sorrows, failures, and frustrations. Because each of us has an assured resurrection, we know that these mortal deficiencies and oppositions are only temporary." 

(What Has Our Savior Done for Us?, President Dallin H. Oaks First Counselor in the First Presidency ) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/04/35oaks?lang=eng#p3

 I hope in the coming days I take out the knowledge - I have that I am a child of god and intern am an eternal creation - more frequently. That i may look at others the same way. That I may be like my Savior and see there are eternal things I should be more worried about. I hope this will elevate Easter this year and add more meaning then just candy and a bunny. I hope it will drive home the eternal impact easter has and will have throughout all time.