Happy Easter! I love this holiday because it’s so wonderful to think about the amazing gift the Savior gave us when he atoned for our sins and was resurrected for us. It hit me the other day that it was because of my sins that he suffered in the garden, and on the cross. Horrific, awful pain! But he is willing to forgive me for all of that pain and heartache I made him go through, and stand with me before God and call me his. He is willing to say, “Yes, I did that for her, so that she could return to live with us, the Father and the Son.” It makes any offenses I might encounter from others seem petty in comparison.

     Today in my youth class, I handed the young women a plastic Easter egg with candy in it, but told them not to open it. I talked to them about how Easter eggs are awesome, because they are freely given to everyone. No one has to ask for one, they are just given out. Better yet, inside the Easter egg is a gift. A gift that is sweet and could put a happy smile on their faces. Then I said, “But what if you never open the egg? What if you just sit it somewhere and never look to see what’s inside? How sad would that be to have this perfectly good Easter egg and never enjoy it?” I pointed out that the Savior’s atonement is like that Easter egg. He’s given it to us all freely. He holds out the promise of a wonderful gift that can make us happy.

     We read Doctrine& Covenants 88:63

     We talked about how Jesus Christ’s gift to all of us is free, but we have to seek it out, like an Easter egg hunt, we have to look for him in our lives, and take the time to open the gift he has given us. What a shame it would be to have such a wonderful gift and never bother to find out what it could mean for each of us.

     My family had an Easter party yesterday. It was so fun to watch the little kids run around the yard looking for Easter eggs. It took our six-year-old granddaughter a while to figure out that she was going to need to really look hard and work a little if she wanted to find some of them.