Yesterday marked the most important day in all of the Christian faith… the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This is the day in which Jesus provides us all with a second chance. Through His suffering, His death, and His resurrection we are given new hope and new life. What a tremendous gift we have been given!
Throughout Lent we prepared for this day. We fasted, we sacrificed, we prayed, we confessed our sins, and we contemplated. Even though we prepared were we ready when the sun peeked over the horizon and we discovered the empty tomb? Could we ever be truly ready for the great gift of everlasting life?
I think about all that I do each and every day to sacrifice for my children, for my husband, for those I care about and what always astounds me is that those sacrifices pale in comparison to the gift that Jesus gave us through His ultimate sacrifice on the cross. However, that’s not to say my daily small sacrifices are not worthwhile… they are! Christ calls us to be like Him in all that we do and that includes putting others before ourselves. He wants us to give all of ourselves for the good of those around us. He modeled this for us on Good Friday as He took our sins upon Himself and overcame them for us. Are we ready to be the Easter people that He wants us to be? Are we ready to have faith in Him, to take up our crosses, and to rise with Him as He did on Easter Sunday?
Jesus has given us a second chance at life; a second chance to do things right. Do we go to the tomb of our risen Lord and turn our backs, walk away, and not embrace His gift or do we go searching for Him and thank Him for the precious inheritance that He has left to us? The choice is ours and we are being asked now to choose a path. Easter shows us that through Jesus we can overcome all the pain, sorrow, hurdles, difficulties, and stumbling blocks that we encounter. Will we accept the great offering He has made for us or allow those barriers to keep us from obtaining what is ours through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross?
Today, as Easter Sunday has passed and the joy of the Risen Lord has settled into your heart, I pray that you will ponder Christ’s calling and that you will find you wish to take that second chance that He is offering you. Reach out, take His hand, and follow Him on the greatest journey of your life… the journey to true happiness and peace. He suffered and died for all of us but alas- He has risen! Alleluia!
