Bright and Early

     There are few things more depressing to me than waking up while it's still dark outside. One of the only things more depressing than that is waking up while it's still dark outside for an early class. Unfortunately, that's how my schedule has worked out and will work out for the next little while, as it's the only way to take fifteen credits and work twenty-four hours a week. I'm not here to complain, though, so we'll cut the pity party short. Plus, I'm sure you're going through similar to if not the exact same thing right now, so this doesn't help in any way other than to reassure you that you're not suffering alone.

     But seriously, where did the phrase "bright and early" come from? In my experience, this is a complete paradox; you can either have one or the other. When I wake up early, it's dark. When I wake up to a bright sky, my first thought is, "Fetch! I'm late!" (yes, I say "fetch." I'm a Mormon). Whoever coined this phrase must have had a very different idea of what constitutes "early," like many people I know who think that 9:00 a.m. qualifies as the wee hours of the morning. I'm so jealous of people who sleep 'til noon. Even on days off, my body wakes me up at 7:00 (when it's still dark-ish). This might have something to do daylight savings time, but I don't know. It just doesn't make sense to me.
     My purpose today, however, is to talk about a morning both bright and early. Today is Easter, one of two days set aside to remember the Savior's role in our lives. There has been a lot of decay in the religious and moral culture of the world throughout history, and as sad as it is to see, it can be find of funny. Here's a video of Fox News guy Jesse Watters conducting street interviews to find out what people (don't) know about Easter:

     Jokes aside, I'm so grateful to Jesus Christ for His atoning sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane, for His lifelong example of righteousness and love, and for His victory over sin and death, all of which provide me and all of us with a clear path back to our heavenly home. "I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, confused at the grace that so fully He proffers me. I tremble to know that for me He was crucified, that for me, a sinner, He suffered, He bled and died. Oh, it is wonderful that He should care for me enough to die for me. Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me" (LDS Hymns #193).
     If Christ had never risen again, He still would have paid the price for our sins. We would still have His love and His teachings, and He would guide us spiritually from beyond the grave. He still would have saved us, and He still would have been the ultimate martyr. I would still own Him my life and my soul, my heart and my faith. His atonement in the garden was sufficient to redeem us from hell and the natural man.
     But His resurrection signified a turning point, a victory many had never expected Christ to achieve or had even known was possible. It meant that death was not the end for us and that He had power over all things except one. It meant that all things were possible through Christ. When I think about the resurrection, I realize that though the atonement of Jesus Christ can give us the faith to continue, the resurrection offers the hope to do so joyfully. It teaches us that we have nothing to fear. Oh, it is wonderful.
     Think about what the resurrection meant for His followers in Jerusalem: they didn't realize the magnitude of the atonement of Christ (if they knew He had suffered it at all), so they felt lost and confused. They felt no light, no hope. All they knew was that their Master's life had come to an end, and they saw no way forward. So early that Sunday morning, after a dark Thursday in Gethsemane and on trial, Friday at Calvary, and Saturday of Sabbath worship without a teacher, four women came to find an empty tomb, an unbearable disappointment. But not long after came the brightness as Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene (whose name means "Mary Cupcake" in Spanish), and nothing was the same again.
     I testify that Christ lives and that His sacrifice is infinite, and because of it, we will never have to suffer alone. I testify of Christ's love for us and for His desire to see us succeed. I testify that His victory over death provides us with the same capability and that we will one day see Christ and see God, and we will be as they are. I stand all amazed.
     Today and always, let us remember Christ and the gifts He gave us and the teachings He offered us that spring day almost two thousand years ago. Though it was early, a morning has never been brighter.