The Bronze Serpent

I remember at a stake conference last month there was a speaker who talked about The Bronze Serpent.  In the biblical book of Numbers chapter 21, the Israelites were punished by God for speaking against Him and Moses. He sent fiery serpents among them to deliver deadly bites.  When they asked God for forgiveness and to heal them He told Moses to make a bronze serpent and attach it to his staff, that who ever looked upon it will be healed.  The interesting part about this story is that even though God gave the people a way to be healed most of them died. Why? Because the way they were to be saved was too simple.  They did not believe that it would be so simple to be saved and therefore they died.

My interpretation and how it resonated with me:

I remember it was still morning time and the sun was shining through our living room window and I looked at it through our white transparent curtains and I called out to God.  It was then that I felt His response and I was given the remedy for my loss. Although I truly believe that I was not being punished for my sins, I know that when my son died God presented me with the Bronze Serpent and all I had to do was to look upon it to be healed.    It was simple, just like the Israelites had to look unto the Bronze Serpent to be healed, I had to trust Heavenly Father to be healed. I had to change my life and become the person He wants me to be.  The Bronze Serpent is the knowledge of the gospel, I just had to accept it with all my heart to be healed.  The Bronze Serpent means all of the lessons and teachings of Christ, the prophets and the Apostles, for these things help to heal me. The Bronze Serpent is like having faith, and with this faith comes the hope that I needed, and with hope I can be healed.

The Bronze Serpent is the soft spoken words of the Holy Spirit, I just have to listen to be healed.  And now that I am listening, it's whispers are so clear; I had to go back to church, I had to obey the commandments,  I had to endure to the end.  In order to be healed, the Bronze Serpent told me I had to do my temple work and make and keep sacred covenants, I had to be sealed to Wesley for all time and eternity so that I may be with him again.  The Bronze Serpent is all the knowledge that I have and will have in this life that will make being with my son possible one day, and then when I do get to hold my son again I will be healed.

I do have faith. I do believe that Heavenly Father sent His only son down to Earth for the remission of our sins. I do believe that eternal salvation in Heaven is possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ...and I have never understood or been more grateful for this act of selflessness. The ultimate sacrifice God made was to have His son, Jesus Christ, die for our sins because He loves us so much and wants us to be with Him.  Without the Atonement, without repentance, I could not have the hope or the chance to be with my son again.  If I hadn't looked upon the Bronze Serpent, I too would be doomed in this life. I probably would have caused my own self destruction. I probably would have killed myself.

When I read the scriptures, learn about the gospel, learn how to be with my son again it gives me so much comfort. It is in these things that strengthens my faith and it's in these things that I know God will heal me.  I know this because I looked...