A Time of Sadness, A Time of Rejoicing

Sunday evening President Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, passed away. Those of us who are left behind will miss his leadership, love, and sense of humor. However, this is a time to rejoice in the knowledge of God's eternal plan--that death is not the end and we will be reunited with loved ones in the eternities.

Yesterday I learned that a friend just recently lost her mother to cancer, so understandably, I have spent some time reflecting on the imminent prospect of death that we all face. It struck me that when death happens, our existence in the afterlife is as real as it is right now. I think of all of the milestones I've passed through in my life: going from high school to college, serving a mission, starting a career, getting married, having a baby. Before I passed through these life-changing events, they seemed so romantic and far-off and unknowable--so completely out of my grasp. I felt that they would totally rock my world, and they did. But strangely each change when it came felt natural and real, and after a few adjustments life went on. I imagine that when it comes time to die, the experience will be similar. Right now it seems so strange and unfathomable, but when it happens, it will be real and possibly even strangely familiar.

My thoughts have also turned to that glorious reunion with our Father in Heaven that will occur as we transition to the next life. Again, I have been struck by how surprisingly natural that will feel--that when we stand before the Father and the Savior, they will be Real. President Ezra Taft Benson put it this way: "Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us." We often hear about how much the Lord loves us and knows us, but we rarely discuss how clearly and intimately our spirits know Him. He is our Father, and we know Him as closely as we know our earthly parents. It's kind of mind-blowing to think that there is this whole other life that we've lived but have no memory of. How amazing it will be to be reunited with those memories.

So while we are sad when loved ones pass on, sometimes devastated by the suddenness with which they are taken, we can rejoice in the knowledge that we will see them again and that the Lord is orchestrating all of our lives to bring us the most joy possible in this life and in the eternities to come.