When I was a kid, Easter was all about the candy—and how much my siblings and I could consume before our parents pulled the plug on our holiday sugar fix.
Of course, we dyed eggs in various pastel colors. And I looked forward to wearing a pretty new dress on Easter Sunday. I enjoyed the festivities and the food (especially the lamb-shaped coconut cake my Grandma always served).
Back then, I had no idea there was more to this springtime celebration.
Infinitely more.
When I was in high school, I learned about the true and deeper meaning of Easter—the amazing grace and unconditional love and forgiveness available to each of us through Jesus Christ.
Amazing Love
I don’t know if we will ever fully comprehend God’s amazing love for us.
Think about someone you love. Maybe it’s your boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife, best friend, or a child. As much as you love that person, God loves you infinitely more. Always and all the time. No matter who you are or what you’ve done.
God’s love is mind-blowing love. Love that changes everything.
In fact, God loved you and me—and all people—so much that He demonstrated it in a way the world would never forget. John 3:16 tells us,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
That, my friend, is very good news.
Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished—overcoming death on a Cross and rising again victorious and alive—we can live forever, forgiven and free!
That is the hope and joy of Easter. Let’s celebrate!
So, how can we live out the joy of Easter every day?
Here are four (4) key ideas I’ve been pondering:
1. There is no resurrection without first a death.
There is no glorious Easter Sunday without a Good Friday.
Likewise, some things in our own lives need to “die,” they need to go. Like pride, resentment, out of control anger, or bad habits.
How do we get rid of them? By surrender. Giving our mistakes and messes to God in prayer—releasing the bad in exchange for the good—so we can become all we’re intended to be.
2. There’s a time of waiting.
After Christ was buried in a tomb, silence. Then waiting. And on the third day He rose out of that grave—alive!
In our own lives, after we have surrendered different areas of our lives to God, we often have to wait days, years or even decades for things to change.
But it is in the quiet and dark seasons of life that our character is tested.
How will we respond while we wait—with patience and faith, or with pouting and fear?
Galatians 6:9 reminds us to trust God’s timing: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
3. Believe for the day things will “arise.”
At the first break of dawn, on the third day after He was buried, a group of people went to the tomb to check on the body of Jesus. Here’s what happened:
“As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'” (Mark 16:5-7)
Easter means ultimate victory!
Christ powerfully arose from the dead. And today, He resurrects hopes and dreams in our lives, too.
Like a tender green shoot that erupts from the cool, dark earth, something worthy and wonderful happens in our own lives. To our joyful surprise, we arise to:
Joy after sorrow.
Peace after pain.
Forgiveness after an argument.
Dormant dreams springing to life.
Hope for the days ahead.
4. Live like you believe.
Easter is only one day of the year. But we can live the joy of the holiday every day.
Do you have dreams that seem dead?
A desire for a healthy dating relationship, a great marriage, a loving family?
A new business or ministry idea?
Perhaps you want to lose weight or end a bad habit.
As believers, we have “incomparably great power…that power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead.” (see Ephesians 1:19-20).
That’s some kind of power!
God’s strength in you, in me, today—and every day.
Prepare for Easter
As you anticipate the upcoming Easter season, you may want to try some of these ideas to prepare your heart for Resurrection Sunday:
• Read the Easter story. Sure, this story is familiar to many of us. But read it again (or even read it aloud) and find some new insights this year. If the story is new, turn to the book of Mark or any of the Gospels in your Bible and read about the astonishing things God has done.
• Reflect. In your prayer time, ask God what you need to surrender, to let go of—and what needs to arise to in your life. Ask Him for the strength to help you.
• Gather with other believers at church on Easter morning. Or find a sunrise service in your area held outdoors, which can be inspiring in new ways.
Because the tomb is empty, our lives can be full.
May the JOY of Easter be with you this season, and always. He is risen!
He is risen indeed!
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