Easter's Light Shows Us How Things Really Are
Easter doesn't get rid of all the bad things in life. The crosses don't disappear.
I used to use Easter to kind of paper over what was wrong or painful in my life. Easter was a time to just be happy, to eat and drink. It's not like I wasn't "religious" or anything. I reveled in the beautiful Easter liturgy, loved the white vestments, heard all the Alleluia's" and kind of let them sink in. Sometimes I felt pretty good about it all.
It wasn't a real kind of feeling good. I kind of forced the issue. Every time a little cross appeared in my life during Easter, I almost resented it. Crosses and Easter didn't mix. At least that's what I thought then.
But no matter how hard I tried to ignore them or bury them, the disappointments and difficulties of life were always there in the background. They didn't go away just because it was Easter. It bothered me for a long time.
I didn't understand that Jesus rising from the dead wasn't meant to just make everything bad "go away." The bright light of His Resurrection wasn't meant to hide the things in life that can drag us down, hurt us, make us sad. Actually, it kind of lights things up - including the bad things.
The light He brought is the light of truth. The disappointments and difficulties of life exist. You can't ignore or deny them. If you do, you deny the truth.
The light of the Resurrection shows us things as they really are. When things aren't good, Jesus isn't saying they are good. He rose to show us how to handle the tough parts of living. His light shines on the good and the bad equally, so the bad might even appear more clear to us now.
If the bad seems clearer now, rejoice. You're seeing the truth.
The key here is that now you turn to Christ. You turn to Him first as you turn to face the truth. Then He helps you. He helps you face the truth. He helps you face disappointment. He helps you work through any and all difficulties.
The glory and joy of Easter isn't about everything being hunkey-dorey from now on. It's about Christ rising from the dead. And rising from the dead, He shows us that nothing is so bad, no problem is so great, that He - and us following Him - can't conquer.
So as the Easter Season continues, don't run from what's difficult or sad or disappointing or even painful in your life. You don't have to do that. It's time to turn to Christ now, in everything, forever.
He rose from the dead so that we would never doubt or question His power again, not so we wouldn't ever face or bear crosses in our lives. Rise with Him and face the truth. See the world as it really exists. Face things as they really are.
Happy Easter!
I used to use Easter to kind of paper over what was wrong or painful in my life. Easter was a time to just be happy, to eat and drink. It's not like I wasn't "religious" or anything. I reveled in the beautiful Easter liturgy, loved the white vestments, heard all the Alleluia's" and kind of let them sink in. Sometimes I felt pretty good about it all.
It wasn't a real kind of feeling good. I kind of forced the issue. Every time a little cross appeared in my life during Easter, I almost resented it. Crosses and Easter didn't mix. At least that's what I thought then.
But no matter how hard I tried to ignore them or bury them, the disappointments and difficulties of life were always there in the background. They didn't go away just because it was Easter. It bothered me for a long time.
I didn't understand that Jesus rising from the dead wasn't meant to just make everything bad "go away." The bright light of His Resurrection wasn't meant to hide the things in life that can drag us down, hurt us, make us sad. Actually, it kind of lights things up - including the bad things.
The light He brought is the light of truth. The disappointments and difficulties of life exist. You can't ignore or deny them. If you do, you deny the truth.
The light of the Resurrection shows us things as they really are. When things aren't good, Jesus isn't saying they are good. He rose to show us how to handle the tough parts of living. His light shines on the good and the bad equally, so the bad might even appear more clear to us now.
If the bad seems clearer now, rejoice. You're seeing the truth.
The key here is that now you turn to Christ. You turn to Him first as you turn to face the truth. Then He helps you. He helps you face the truth. He helps you face disappointment. He helps you work through any and all difficulties.
The glory and joy of Easter isn't about everything being hunkey-dorey from now on. It's about Christ rising from the dead. And rising from the dead, He shows us that nothing is so bad, no problem is so great, that He - and us following Him - can't conquer.
So as the Easter Season continues, don't run from what's difficult or sad or disappointing or even painful in your life. You don't have to do that. It's time to turn to Christ now, in everything, forever.
He rose from the dead so that we would never doubt or question His power again, not so we wouldn't ever face or bear crosses in our lives. Rise with Him and face the truth. See the world as it really exists. Face things as they really are.
Happy Easter!
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