Increase access to Greater Love this Easter

I have been reflecting this week on how to make my celebration of Easter more meaningful. In our family, the Easter Bunny always visits on Saturday as Easter Sunday is reserved for Jesus. Even so, as a child, I recall that most of my anticipation and enjoyment came from chocolate eggs and stuffed animals. As I raise my children and seek to make Easter more meaningful to them, I want them to know the sweetness of Christ’s love and the joy that accompanies greater access to his love.

We have been sent to earth in families to be able to practice love. I have explained to my younger daughter that love grows the more we share it and loving one child doesn’t diminish the amount of love I have for the other. You can love your sister even if she doesn’t recognize or apologize for the hurts she has inflicted. You can benefit from love and forgiveness to the extent that you are willing to ask God to help you practice. I want my children to love each other. And I can’t compel them to do it.

Christ clarified, “This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13). The love of God, like the light of Christ, “proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space” (D&C 88:7-13). Terryl and Fiona Givens explore the effects of reformation and restoration teachings to clarify concepts of sin, forgiveness, justice, atonement, and repentance in their book, All Things New. They frame sin as any action that blocks us from experiencing God’s love: resentment, jealousy, anger, justification, suspicion, polarization, “and a thousand other impediments to love.”

Givens observed, “When we sin we erect barriers to the flow of Christ’s life-affirming and life-uniting light. Our trespasses, from this perspective, are the rocks that block the current of love that proceeds ‘from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space.’ Harmful actions are the blockage, the impediments we create to God’s designs for universal harmony.

“We are the channels through whom God’s love passes to another, and hence God’s greatest concern is that we do not obstruct the flow; forgiveness clears the channels for Their love to emanate freely.” Repentance, then, is the way God has provided to regain access to Their love; it is the way to access divine healing for the wounds that result from sin.

Repentance, like forgiveness, requires a willingness to let go of suffering, noticing uncomfortable feelings instead of seeking to justify our actions, control outcomes, or deflect responsibility. There is power in forgiveness. We can access God’s promise of peace and healing when we stop building barriers and protections around our hurts, and let Them heal our wounds. My heart bends toward Christ, seeking comfort and strength to act in faith.

This week, I join with Christians around the globe to commemorate Jesus Christ’s resurrection redeeming all people everywhere from physical death. Healing spiritual wounds requires action: faith unto repentance. I invited my children to identify one relationship or memory that brings suffering, and exercise faith that Christ will heal that wound. “Even if it is no more than a desire to believe, let this desire work in you” (Alma 32:27), to pray and ask for His help. His arms are outstretched, and his love can make you whole.

Amity Scoville has lived in Palmer for 21 years and is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is following the daily reflection prompts for Holy Week. These and other resources for bringing greater love into your Easter season are at Easter.ChurchOfJesusChrist.org.