More Than Chocolate Bunnies and Easter Eggs

Easter Sunday! A celebration of Christ's resurrection from the dead.

Do we realize what this really means? I am sure I don't. My limited mind just cannot really grasp what it means that God came down to earth, into our mess and pain, and voluntarily allowed himself to be mistreated, tortured and then brutally murdered.

I don't willingly, or even graciously, put up with mistreatment or even misunderstanding. I don't like to suffer and avoid it whenever possible. I don't think I would willingly trade places with someone in a third world country, letting them have my comfortable home while I took their place in a mud hut, or worse yet, in a war torn country.

In my limited, childlike brain, I just don't get it.

And yet my heart tells me that this is true and that it took incredible, personal love for God to choose to do this... for me. I am humbled. I am amazed. I am grateful.

Of course, the story doesn't end with death and a tomb. The resurrection follows, the unexpected life that takes everyone by surprise. The joy that fills the hearts of His mother and His closest friends. He is alive again! Death and suffering no longer have the last word.

He came for you too. He freed us all from a life filled with sorrow, pain and hopelessness, to let us know that He cares. He has freedom and joy for each of us.

We may still suffer. We may still experience hardship. But we will never go through it alone. And we have a model for living a life of love and sacrifice and self-giving that is truly empowering and life giving.

There is the paradox. That it is in dying to ourselves, giving up what we often think we need in order to be happy, to experience real joy and freedom. I can be incredibly happy, even though life isn't perfect. I still don't understand, but I have experienced this and I believe.

May you experience His love for you in a personal way today.

May you have a joy filled and blessed Easter day!