I don't know what Easter was like for you. Maybe it was a blur of sugar and relatives. Maybe you went to church. Maybe you actually enjoyed church. Maybe, while you were at church, you actually thought about what Easter really means. Perhaps it crossed your mind that eggs and bunnies and pastel colors don't really matter, that "Easter" is actually a celebration of the fact that a man from Nazareth rose from the dead after being tortured and crucified and spending three days in a grave. I sincerely hope that Easter, for you, was a time of peace and reflection, a time to thank Christ for His work on the cross and for the miracle of His resurrection.
...but what's on your mind now? I think we would all like to answer this question the same way that we would have answered two days ago, with words that sound as if they were taken straight from the New Testament, full of praise and thankfulness and passion for the creed we preach. But I've talked to a lot of people since Sunday, including myself (it really helps to clarify things, you know), and it seems like most of us are missing something. It's not like we lost it after Easter. Rather, in our failure to live as if every day were Easter—a celebration of the resurrection of our Savior—we have slipped into complacency and worry.
We're not the only ones to slide in and out of spiritual highs. Look at Elijah, for example. After standing before the nation of Israel in opposition to the prophets of Baal and boldly calling on his God, this powerful prophet watched fire come down from heaven and consume his sodden sacrifice. He then, by the power of God, outran King Ahab's chariot for about seventeen miles. He had every reason to trust in God and to rest in his identity in his Maker. But the very next chapter of his story (I Kings 19) records him moaning over his life, crying, "I have had enough, LORD...Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors" (v. 4, NIV 1984). (If you have some time, read the rest of his story to see how God replies. It's pretty cool.)
Why do we, like Elijah, so often fall into forgetfulness? Do we not realize the extent to which we are saved?
Read this. Read it slowly, and know that it is true!
"The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear Him..." —Psalm 103:8-17a (NIV 1984)
Finger through the rest of Scripture. Ease your mind in taking in the love letter that your Creator has written for you. Look at what He has done. Remember that you are FORGIVEN.
There's no need for our spiritual life to feel like a rollercoaster. We serve an unchanging God. Even though our circumstances may whirl around us in what looks, to our finite eyes, like pure chaos, our God stands firm. And we are anchored to Him.
Rooted in this identity, we can live in a state of forgiven-ness. Grasp this. Know that it is true. By God's grace, you are not who you used to be. You are forgiven, and this is a big deal. Bob Goff phrases this concept well: "Every time we believe the lie that we're who we used to be, we roll the stone back into place like nothing happened."¹
Beloved child of God, let your old self rot with the chocolate bunnies you threw out after Easter. Don't touch it again. Live in forgiven-ness, knowing that you are free. Start singing a new song. You, my friend, are free.
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¹ Facebook post from 04.21.2014.
Once again, my precious Daughter, your depth and insight into God's word has brought me to tears. Thank you for being so willing to allow God to do a mighty work in you and thank you for sharing what He does in you with us. This post has definitely caused me to "be still and know". It is completely humbling and unburdening to remember just how much He does love us.
ReplyDeleteThank-you for sharing this. I believe it is important to encourage one another to love and good works because we so easily forget why we are here and who we are supposed to be living for. I am learning how important what we say and what we allow ourselves to think on really is. Sometimes we simply need to quote scriptures (like the one you referenced) to remind ourselves who God is and who we are in Christ.
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