Not One Hair Will be Lost

Alma 40:


23 The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb
and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.



‘The body will come forth as it is laid to rest, for there is no growth or development in the grave. As it is laid down, so will it arise, and changes to perfection will come by the law of restitution. But the spirit will continue to expand and develop, to the full stature of man.’ Parents, therefore, who have been parted from their children by death may rest assured that, if worthy through
obedience to the principles of the gospel, they will not only meet their children in the spirit world, but will also recognize them and know them as they knew them in this life. Parents, too, have even a greater comfort in the fact that their little ones whose lives on earth were cut short will continue to grow and develop, and receive every blessing to which their inheritance and faithfulness will entitle them. (Gospel Ideals, p. 75 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 340)

This is a comfort for me- it helps me to see the big picture. My grandmother lost 3 of her six children and she leaned on this doctrine as a comfort to help her maintain her faith and heal her wounds. I'm sure it is a comfort to anyone who has lost a child, to know that they are only separated for a short time and they will get that opportunity back- it will just take a little longer.

Alma 41:

5 The one raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness, or good according to his desires of good; and the other to evil according to his desires of evil; for as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night cometh.

Dallin H. Oaks: “Just as we will be accountable for our evil desires, we will also be rewarded for our righteous ones. Our Father in Heaven will receive a truly righteous desire as a substitute for actions that are genuinely impossible. My father-in-law was fond of expressing his version of this principle. When someone wanted to do something for him but was prevented by circumstances, he would say: ‘Thank you. I will take the good will for the deed.’ This is the principle that blessed Abraham for his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac. The Lord stopped him at the last instant (see Genesis 22:11-12), but his willingness to follow the Lord's command ‘was accounted unto him for righteousness’ (D&C 132:36). This principle means that when we have done all that we can, our desires will carry us the rest of the way. It also means that if our desires are right, we can be forgiven for the unintended errors or mistakes we will inevitably make as we try to carry those desires into effect. What a comfort for our feelings of inadequacy!” (Pure in Heart, p. 59)