Easter 2011

Good Morning Blog World! I write to you from my "spot" on the couch this early overcast a.m., right side, lamp on, where I meet with my Jesus in the mornings. I have a heavy heart this Easter eve eve after the reminder and realization that today is Good Friday. Growing up I never really knew or understood that Good Friday was the day that Jesus died on the cross and that Easter was the day that He rose from the grave. I probably just thought it was "good" because we got out school. I was disillusioned by the basket, the bunny, and the eggs like the rest of the world.

On that note, a few days back I went to Walgreen's to get an Easter card for Jeremy's precious grandmother who will celebrate her first holiday without her spouse. I was scanning the aisles of cards for "Easter" and I ran across a sizable selection and then I glanced down to a teeny tiny corner of that selection and saw the title "religious". In the middle of Walgreen's I hung my head in shame. How on earth do you have a "religious" section for EASTER for Pete's sake? EASTER IS RELIGIOUS! It is Jesus, it is His death, burial and resurrection and it is forgiveness for all the sins of the earth. But in that moment it hit me, I was horrified mainly because Easter has meant so very much for me.

If you knew of the sins this one soul from a little town called Winchester, Tennessee has committed you would understand. If you knew the forgiveness that cross has bore for this 5'2" gal you would see why I was staggered by the trick of society. A bunny means nothing to me and does nothing for me but JESUS.....well that's a whole other story. He saved my rear, radically changed my life, healed REAL diseases I had and called me out from a grave that a few people had begun to dig on my behalf and I so easily helped finish.

I spent last weekend with some gals that knew that old Kelly. I tend to remain somewhat in a bubble these days. Most people that I "run" with I did NOT run with before. They've never seen me smoke a cigarette or drink a beer (or 12). They've never seen my actions wreak havoc over an entire family or be a complete and utter disgrace to myself. But those gals had and what a perfect reminder for this Easter 2011 season. That cross and that tomb means EVERYTHING to me and one of my greatest fears is that after all He and I have been through I will begin to dumb down Easter to matching outfits for my children.

A little boy asked me the other day (with a blatant look of disapproval on his face) "why is his name Cross? is it like cross the street." And I looked at that sweet little boy who has no clue the impact Jesus could make in his very own life and said "no honey it is like Jesus on the cross". Cross the child is here ONLY because of the cross of Jesus. These two sinners would have destroyed each other long before we would have had the honor and privilege of having a son. Sin would have killed and destroyed our reproductive systems just to be totally honest. That cross means everything to us and our journey to our Cross not to mention our Mercy.

So for this Easter 2011, I pray for all of us, that we will figure out this weekend regardless of where we are in our journey. If you have no relationship with Jesus, I pray that you tell society you have a bigger brain than to celebrate a bunny. I pray that you will grab a Bible and start in John and figure out what really happened that Easter weekend all those many years ago. Or if you have walked away from your Savior who you once knew and loved, I pray that you remember that the cross of today is so precious because it only takes a return to be reunited. It is no more complicated than that. And then finally, if you are madly in love with your Savior please fight tooth and nail this weekend and in the years to come to avoid society's temptation to settle for an egg. I wanna talk to my Jesus on Easter! I wanna snuggle up and thank Him. I want to confess sin on Easter for sure but because of the resurrection I want to walk in the power and not be bound to any ever again. I want Easter to be something I celebrate and thank Him for daily, certainly not once a year. I want this weekend to be one that is of Holy significance on the Kingdom calendar and I want my kids to get that truth more than they ever get a stupid Easter basket. I want to respect this corporate Holiday but at the same time I want it to be very personal to this sinner redeemed.

So Happy Easter dear friends! May we walk humbly this weekend, checking our hearts, seeing how we love others, seeing whether our greatest concern is matching outfits or needy neighbors. May we never do another Easter egg hunt with our children without doing everything in our power to make sure that they know the King before hand! He loves you, He died for you, He rose for you, He is coming back for YOU!

K