It’s Resurrection Sunday

It’s a good day. Even though it may not have felt like a good year, today is still a good day. What comes to mind when you think of Easter Sunday? Matching dresses with your sister. Chocolate eggs. Pancakes for breakfast and decorating Easter eggs. Re-hiding your eggs for your siblings to find over and over again. Maybe a ham for dinner or mini egg cheesecake for dessert.

There are so many good parts about Easter, but deep down below all the surface celebrations, this is a really good day. This day represents and reminds me of the hope I have through the sacrifice, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

I spent some time this week listening to this episode of See Hear Love that was all about Christ’s suffering in relation to his resurrection. I’ve been familiar with the Easter story for most of my life, but this episode brought some new insights, especially in relation to our own current suffering. Because let’s be honest, the world has felt extra heavy this year and there certainly has been no shortage of suffering all around. This conversation touched my heart and filled me with many ideas to ponder as we approached this Easter weekend and I will forever feel grateful for the opportunity to do that.

But today, in particular, is about the resurrection and it is worth every ounce of celebration. I have actually been reflecting on the resurrection for much of this year as I have navigated my own struggles and anxieties. Guiding me through my many challenges and shortcomings has been the ultimate hope I have in Christ - knowing that regardless of what present suffering I may face, he understands it, he walks me through it, and he frees me from it. Hope has set me free and continues to set me free day by day, moment by moment.

On this day, I pray you would find hope - in the grass starting to green, in the opportunity to finally gather outdoors with loved ones, in the buds on the trees and the songs of the birds, in a perfectly sweet chocolate egg - and remember that we can keep moving forward because we have a renewed hope in our present suffering. There is more than this. We can endure because we know that this battle is already won.

Many blessings from me and mine to you and yours on this blessed Easter day.