Then we come to this weekend,
Spring still making its shy debut.
Snow is still heaped against the shadowed places beside the fence and ice covers the tops of the puddles that the sun melted yesterday.
The lawn is brown and yellowed, the trees bare; life beneath the ground holds its breath waiting for the sun’s warmth to signal that it is time.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24
We wake up Good Friday to the sky cold and dreary. All day it changes back and forth from cloudy to sunny to cloudy again. It cannot decide whether its a day of light or darkness, and our hearts agree.
So much grief; so much joy.
So much loss; so much gain.
Pain in the midst of victory; the greatest sacrifice to accomplish the greatest rescue mission the world has ever known.
“He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
We do our Easter hunt a day early, scavenger clues scrawled on colourful pieces of paper.
They shriek and run eagerly with buckets banging by their sides.
Their eyes light with joy at each new discovery.
The chocolate is sweet and sticky on my tongue.
Mmm. So good.
And I wish that all of life was this sweet and perfectly mesmerizing.
But they tear into packages and leave bits of paper and cardboard all over the counter, knocking each other over in their haste.
I prickle with irritation and the magic of it all starts to dissipate.
The sugar high brings chaos and silliness and fighting naps and I get frustrated at it all.
And its this.
It’s for this that I needed that cross.
Impatience, sarcasm, frustration and pride.
My sin glares ugly in our faces and rips and tears at what wants to be whole.
We are only humans and we feel it oh so real.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:11
We cling to that hope in our brokenness.
Because of the gift; that cross so crude and unlovely,
We are justified!
We are whole and spotless and beautifully redeemed.
Because of death, yes…
But also because of Life!
“In Christ shall all be made alive.” I Corinthians 15:22
“Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:54-55
Tomorrow is Sunday!
Resurrection Day.
We will put on our dresses and buttoned shirts and pretty hair bows.
We will smile and rejoice as we sing the victorious songs.
Songs of hope.
Songs of promise.
Songs of light and love.
We are not lost.
We are not doomed to break under the weight of all our shortcomings.
We are redeemed!
We’ve been rescued and scooped up into the palm of a Hand so gentle and nurturing.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us.” Ephesians 1:7-8
Chosen to be the recipient of lavish grace.
Lavish.
And so, it is Easter.
So much grief; so much joy.
So much loss; so much gain.
Pain in the midst of victory.
The greatest sacrifice to accomplish the greatest rescue mission the world has ever known.
~AF
Adoption, Mommyhood & the Rest 