Easter Morning I was lucky enough to be in the vicinity of the kitchen as my two boys were having breakfast and talking. And I’m glad I was, because it was one of those priceless experiences where I could say, “Ahh, they are getting it.”
As I was sitting on the couch, feeding Haven, I heard Griffin start out:
“Gage, do you know what it means when we have Easter eggs? It means that Jesus died on the cross.”
The little brother stretched his hands up high and added, “On the tall cwoss!”
Griffin continued, “Yeah, and they gave him a hat of thorns and then he died.”
There was silence for a few seconds while they both took a bite of cereal, then Griffin finished up by saying, “But that’s OK, ‘cause after they put Him in the tomb, He arose!”
At hearing this, Gage threw his arms in the air again and shouted, “He’s Awive!”
It does this parent’s heart so much good to hear that the children are retaining what we are teaching them. One of my greatest fears in life is that some shortcoming on my part will prevent them from having a relationship with God. I fear that I’ll miss teaching them something and because of it a greater influence will come into their life and lead them in the wrong direction. I’ve seen it happen. I’ve had close friends turn away from their faith, and I’ve seen them live their consequences. I’ve even made choices in my own life that ran contrary to what I believe, and experienced the bitter results first hand. The life of spiritual abandon has a smooth, glassy surface to it, but it’s a mere shell to the madness and loneliness that lies waiting on the other side. Undeniably, there is a large measure of entertainment to that life, but there is no joy. Apart from Jesus Christ, there is no sense of fulfillment. Many have tried to fill it with other things, but that emptiness is impossible for us, as humans, to sate.
It seems kind of funny that faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus is our way to a loving relationship with the God who created this Universe. But maybe it’s not really so funny after all. We all eventually put our faith in something, whether it’s government to save us from a financial crisis, or science to explain the origin and progression of life, or religion to fill this need for something to worship and give us meaning. At one point or another, we believe in something even though we don’t have all the facts.
If you’re looking for what to believe in, let me suggest something that has proven to make a difference in the lives of those who truly accept it. That the sin in your life has separated you from the God that created you, yet He loved you so much that He sent His son to die in your place. If you can believe that Jesus paid the price for your sin and then as a sinless sacrifice He overcame death, then you can have that fulfilling relationship with your creator.
Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow…
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