![]() Instead, I speak of hope as an expectation that will be realized. I speak of hope in Christ not as wishful thinking. This sense of spiritual and cultural identity, love, and belonging can inspire hope and love for Jesus Christ. Our spiritual identity is enhanced as we understand our many mortal identities, including ethnic, cultural, or national heritage. Each of us “is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents.” 7 This is our identity! This is who we really are! Believing that God loves us and that we are His children is comforting and assuring.īecause we are the spirit children of God, everyone has a divine origin, nature, and potential. I think that, for many, it is because they may not know that they are loved by Heavenly Father and that we all belong to His eternal family. As I watch news from around the world, I see many who seem to be experiencing this loneliness. I personally feel the pain of those who lack a sense of belonging. Nevertheless, despite the challenges we face in life, we can, like on that first Easter morning, awake to a new life in Christ, with new and marvelous possibilities and new realities as we turn to the Lord for hope and belonging. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted this sense of isolation and loneliness for many. I know what it is to be surrounded by family members, friends, and associates but still feel lonely-because the love of my life is no longer here beside me. I have experienced this loneliness since the death of my precious wife, Barbara, over two and a half years ago. Like these ancient disciples nearly 2,000 years ago, many of you may also feel lonely from time to time. I wonder how lonely the faithful women and men who followed Him must have felt in Jerusalem as the sun set and darkness and fear encompassed them. He said to them, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer I have overcome the world.” 4 Before sunset the following day, Jesus Christ had suffered and had “died for our sins.” 5 On the evening before His suffering in Gethsemane and death on the cross, the Savior met with His disciples for the Last Supper. … Nearly every aspect of our lives is organized around belonging to something.” This report adds, “We cannot separate the importance of a sense of belonging from our physical and mental health” 3-and, I would add, our spiritual health. The Mayo Clinic recently noted: “Having a sense of belonging is so important. Knowing that we are loved by our Heavenly Father will help us know who we are and know that we belong to His great eternal family. Jesus wants us to know God is a loving Heavenly Father. He declared, “No man knoweth the Son, but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” 2 In the verse preceding this loving invitation, Jesus teaches how this is done by seeking to follow Him. The Savior’s invitation to come unto Him is an invitation to all not only to come unto Him but also to belong to His Church. “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 1 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. We remember His loving invitation to “come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Brothers and sisters, at this Easter time we focus on the glorious Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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