An Easter Thought

The other day as I came home from my Spiral Jetty adventures, I turned down a street to get to my apartment and there were police lights at the next intersection. Sirens rang from a bit of a distance and two cars sat in awkward angles to the streets main paths, people gathered around. One woman sat in the front of the car that looked as though it had been sideswiped. "I hope she's okay," I said to my friend, watching the faces as I passed by them.

Before February and my own accident I always felt for people, but there's something different when I see it now. Even when I heard about a friend's husband getting into an accident on the freeway shortly after I went through that, I had this sinking feeling of being there with him. It was terrible. I understood that. It's never expected, never wanted, and it throws your entire life into chaos, even if you're physically better off than you could have been.

With Easter coming up I was thinking about this and the difference between the sympathy I would feel for people in a car wreck before to the empathy that reverberates through me now.

Ever wonder why Christ had to suffer? Why would he need to feel our pain? Our sorrows? Because there is a love and connection that comes with having true empathy for others. Christ suffered to understand. Christ loved us enough to know us the best way you can know others: to know how they feel.

I know it's a bit early for Easter, but we spend a whole month celebrating the birth of Christ. I'm thinking a week isn't too long to be celebrating the great sacrifice of the Atonement. Happy Easter to all!