From YA Weekly
The Best Day in History Transcends All Our Worst Days
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ isn’t just a moment in history—it’s a daily source of hope for me.
Have you ever had a completely life-changing moment—the kind that seems to ruin everything? I have, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
One minute, my siblings and I were sitting on the living room couch, quietly waiting. The next, it felt like my whole world was crashing down.
My dad’s casual explanation of his decision to file for divorce contradicted everything I thought I knew. I thought we were a happy family. I thought daily scripture study and family prayer were supposed to keep us together.
From that point on, a lot changed. My happy childhood memories began to sour. My parents both got remarried. My siblings started choosing sides.
I wondered what had happened to my life.
The Day We Commit to Follow Christ
It felt so unfair—why did someone else’s decision get to ruin my life?
Or did it? For a while, my parents’ divorce felt like the most important day of my life. But a talk by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles made me rethink this.
He taught, “The most important day in the history of mankind was the day when Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, won the victory over death and sin for all of God’s children.”
Then he added that the most important day in our lives is the day when we commit to follow Jesus Christ—a day he hoped would recur “over and over again throughout our lives.”
So, yes, while my parents’ divorce did change my life, the Atonement of Jesus Christ changed the trajectory of human history. And that’s not all; I’ve learned that because of the events of Easter, Christ can change the trajectory of my life—every day.
Restoring Hope
As I navigated life after my parents’ divorce, I learned that Jesus Christ really is the ultimate source of peace and hope.
The Apostle Paul called Christ “an high priest of good things to come” (Hebrews 9:11). High priests before Him offered animal sacrifices in similitude of His future offering. Jesus Christ then offered His own life as the infinite atoning sacrifice—redeeming us from sin and death forever and pointing us toward the hope of resurrection and eternal life. Because of His sacrifice, we can be assured that good things are coming to us in this life and the next.
That assurance—that my future would be brighter than my present circumstances—gave me the hope I needed to keep going. To me, Easter is a celebration of that hope.
The day Christ was crucified, hope seemed to vanish. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday was the darkest.”
He continued:
“Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. …
“But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come.”
That first Easter Sunday did come, casting the darkness of the previous days behind it. Christ’s Resurrection restored hope to His disciples in every age. This hope can carry into our everyday lives.
Healing What Was Broken
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “[Jesus Christ] lives—not only then, but now; not just for some, but for all. He came and comes to heal the brokenhearted, deliver the captives, recover sight to the blind, and set at liberty those who are bruised. That’s each of us. His redeeming promises apply, no matter our past, our present, or concerns for our future.”
Christ’s healing power is real. For years, I didn’t talk to my dad. I tried to forget what he had done. I begged for Christ’s grace to help me let go of my anger. The Spirit helped me understand what to do, and eventually, I was able to forgive him. Our relationship, while still recovering, was instilled with new life.
Easter is a reminder that through Jesus Christ, hope will conquer despair, life will conquer death, and light will conquer darkness. Choosing to follow Him is the decision that shapes my life—not one made by someone else.
At some point, we will all face life-altering moments. The beauty of the gospel is knowing that those days aren’t the ones that matter most. The most important day has already happened, and we can live in it every single day.