Faith | He said goodbye to his father and found comfort in his faith
On May 12, 2023, the greatest man that I know, my father, passed away. My heart was broken.
The man that raised me to be the man that I am will never be there to pick up the phone for our daily conversations. Oh, how I looked forward to hearing his sweet voice every day. Those phone calls will never happen again.
The weeks after his funeral were challenging times for me, adjusting to my life without my dad.
Death separates the “spirit and the body” which are the soul of man. That separation evokes pangs of sorrow and shock among those that are left behind.
Mourning is one of the deepest expressions of pure love. When we lose a loved one, on whom we have set our hearts, we can turn to the gospel of Jesus Christ for comfort.
Life does not begin with birth, nor does it end with death.
Prior to our birth, we lived with our father in heaven as his spirit children. While we were there, we waited with anticipation to come to earth and obtain our physical bodies.
We are taught in the scriptures that this would be a probationary state, a time for us to be accountable for our actions and prepare to meet God. Returning back to our heavenly father’s presence requires us to pass through the doors of death. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 we read that there is, “A time to be born, and a time to die.”
Mortality, temporary as it is, ends with death.
Some questions that come into our minds as we say goodbye to our loved ones include, “Where is my loved one now?” “What happens after death?”
A prophet of old wrote: “Concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection-Behold, it has been made known unto me ... that the spirits of all men (women and men), as soon as they are departed from this mortal body ... are taken home to the God who gave them life. The spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace.” (Book of Mormon, Alma 40:11-12). While Jesus Christ was on the cross, we read in Luke 23:43, “And Jesus said unto him, [the thief] Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
Oh, how sweet that simple phrase is! The grip on death is temporary. It began with the fall of Adam, and it ended with the atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ eases the pain that comes with the death of our loved ones. Knowing that we were spirit children of a loving father in heaven who sent us to the earth to gain a physical body; to learn from our experiences here on earth; to prove that we are worthy to return to his presence again; that we can be reunited with God and all of our loved ones, brings peace to my soul.
I can only imagine the joy and happiness in my dad’s eyes and heart as he left us and was greeted in paradise by my mom, the love of his life, his eternal companion who passed away in 2017. Oh, how glorious was my dad’s reunion with his loved ones and friends that preceded him in death.
I can imagine my mom extending her hand though the veil and calling dad home. I know that I will see him and mom again. Families are forever!
Guest Spiritual Life writer Gerry Brazington is a member of the Pasco Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Questions and comments should be directed to editor Lucy Luginbill in care of the Tri-City Herald newsroom, 4253 W. 24th Avenue, Kennewick, WA 99338. Or email lluginbill@tricityherald.com.
