Resurrection is a miraculous blessing to everyone. There is no fulness of joy possible without a reunion of body and spirit. Three prophets—Joseph Smith, Joseph F. Smith, and Joseph Fielding Smith—taught us more about how resurrection works.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection, provided you continue faithful.”36 “As concerning the resurrection, I will merely say that all men will come from the grave as they lie down, whether old or young; there will not be ‘added unto their stature one cubit,’ neither taken from it; all will be raised by the power of God, having spirit in their bodies, and not blood.”37
President Joseph F. Smith declared: “The body will come forth as it is laid to rest, for there is no growth nor development in the grave. As it is laid down, so will it arise.”38 “From the day of the resurrection, the body will develop until it reaches the full measure of the stature of its spirit, whether it be male or female.”39
President Joseph Fielding Smith elaborated on the meaning of his father’s words: “President [Joseph F.] Smith was in full accord with Amulek and Alma. He taught that the body will be restored as stated in Alma 11:42–45 and 40:22–23. While he expresses the thought that the body will come forth as it was laid down, he also expresses the thought that it will take time to adjust the body from the condition of imperfections. This, of course, is reasonable, but at the same time the length of time to make these adjustments will not cover any appreciable extent of time.
“President Smith never intended to convey the thought that it would require weeks or months of time in order for the defects to be removed. These changes will come naturally, of course, but almost instantly.”40
President Joseph Fielding Smith also observed: “Bodies will come up … as they were laid down, but will be restored to their proper, perfect frame immediately. Old people will not look old when they come forth from the grave. Scars will be removed. No one will be bent or wrinkled. How foolish it would be for a man to come forth in the resurrection who had lost a leg and have to wait for it to grow again. Each body will come forth with its perfect frame.”41
Elder Dallin H. Oaks explained that all defects and deficiencies will be corrected and resolved in the resurrection: “What a comfort to know that all who have been disadvantaged in life from birth defects, from mortal injuries, from disease, or from the natural deterioration of old age will be resurrected in ‘proper and perfect frame.’ …
“The assurance of resurrection gives us the strength and perspective to endure the mortal challenges faced by each of us and by those we love, such things as the physical, mental, or emotional deficiencies we bring with us at birth or acquire during mortal life. Because of the resurrection, we know that these mortal deficiencies are only temporary!”42
One student wrote about a sacred experience that formed part of her “family scripture.” She said: “In about 1967 my uncle lost his right arm (at the shoulder) in a farming accident. I have no memory of him with his arm. My earliest memory of him was the first time I saw him after the accident. Years later, one of my aunts died. I was going to school at BYU. My mother flew here for the funeral. We were seated during the funeral with me in front of my mother, who was seated on my uncle’s right side. During the meeting I turned to check on my mother. I could not believe what I saw. At first I wondered what was wrong with what I saw. When I figured it out, I turned again to double-check what I was experiencing. I saw my uncle’s right arm around my mother, his hand wrapped around her right shoulder. This ‘vision’ continued through the entire funeral service. When I told my mother about this experience, she replied that if he did have his arm, that is exactly where it would have been… . Because of this experience I know that the body parts will be restored and that deformities will be fixed. I know that our spirits are in perfect form and that is what our bodies will be perfected to when that transition is made.”43