By Laura BennettThursday 1 Apr 2021Hope AfternoonsEasterReading Time: 3 minutes
Two months ago I decided to take a break from my personal social media accounts. They were a noisy place in light of last year and, if I’d learned anything from my experience in 2020, it was that times of slowness and disconnection are important.
This week I entered back into the online world, and as I did, I realised deeply again that our world is aching. Not everyone – and not all in the same way – we each carry some kind of want: we want our leaders to “do better”, we want our bodies to look different, we want our outrage to be beneficial and we want less of what we don’t like. We want to cancel people we don’t agree with, and we want, our view (the “correct” view) to be the dominant one.
It’s debilitatingly exhausting.
The one great salve though to all our “wants”, I believe is Jesus. Not to be confused with religion or slogans or the comfortableness of church, but really, truly, Jesus. In all His offensively loving, open-armed, “one-for-all” glory.
Christians celebrate Easter because Jesus’ resurrection proved He makes good on His promises. His word counts for something and we can trust it. Even in the waiting.
It’s one of the most divisive and insulting truths out there, that there is no other cure for our need to know all-encompassing peace than accepting Him. It’s a surrender that grates against our every desire to strive toward our own solution and want to not need Him.
This Easter, there’s not a single person Jesus doesn’t include in His journey from the cross to resurrection. A journey my friend Mike Gore recently summed up as: witnessing Jesus take a painful step upon painful step, choosing to bear each because of their purpose – every step was one step closer to death, but also to life! Forever and for all.
If you’ve ever wondered why Christians celebrate Easter, it’s because Jesus did what He came to do and offered His life so anyone could live eternally with Him in bliss. And that’s not a “one day, someday life”, but a now life. A present life filled with peace and hope in spite of all the wanting.
Christians celebrate Easter because Jesus’ resurrection proved He makes good on His promises. His word counts for something and we can trust it. Even in the waiting.
This Easter I pray this time comes to mean more to you than chocolate and long weekends (although #bonus), but that it would mark a time where “the eyes of your heart are enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18), and that when they open you see that you are loved! Wildly and audaciously, in a way that can be only understood as you invite Him in more.
It would mark a time where “the eyes of your heart are enlightened”, and that when they open you see that you are loved! Wildly and audaciously…
Never forget, the same God who formed the stars “with the breath of His mouth” also “formed the hearts of all” (Psalm 33).
And your heart is made by Him to know Him.
Happy Easter.
Laura
You can find more of Laura’s encouragement and insights @laura.bennett_