Do You Believe

 

Happy Easter!  Such a beautiful day filled with joy and happiness.  Families gather, eggs are dyed, feasts are prepared, and Easter garb is adorned.  As much as I look forward to all of that with Easter, the true joy comes from our Lord and Savior rising from the grave.  Oh, to be there with the women on that Easter morning.  I always picture myself standing next to Mary saying, “Do you believe this?  Where did He go?”

Do you believe this?  Having belief in something is powerful.  It can be defined as having “a conviction of the truth.”  That is quite commanding.  I am certain that there are many things in this world that we may have a belief in.  The phrase, “Do you believe this?” can sometimes be used in a state of sarcasm.  Today though, on this day when Jesus was no longer in the tomb, we have to ask ourselves, “Do you believe this?”

That was the question that Jesus posed to Martha when He came to see Mary and Martha at the death of their brother Lazarus.  Do you believe that I, Jesus, am the resurrection and the life.  Do you believe in me, Jesus, and that I am the Son of God.  Do you believe that because you believe in me, you will live.  Do you believe that because you believe in me, that although you will die, you will truly never die.  Do you believe this?

I pray that not only on this Halleluiah Easter morning, but every day throughout the year, that you believe this!  I pray that you believe Jesus is the resurrection.  I pray that you believe you will see Jesus in paradise.  I pray that you believe you will have an everlasting life.  I pray that you believe this!  Friends, our life begins here on Earth, being made perfect in Jesus’ eyes.   Our life continues in heaven, with us seeing the perfect Jesus.  Do believe this every day!  May you enjoy a blessed Easter in the name of our Savior.

Resurrected Savior, thank you for asking us to believe!  We Do Believe!  We live with the knowledge that we will one day see you, face to face.  Thank you, Beautiful Savior. Amen!

Beginning of the Beginning

 

The beginning of the beginning!  Seems a bit odd to think that something that is starting will end with something starting again.  Yet, this journey of Holy Week is exactly that.  We have spent the season of Lent walking through reflection of Colossians 3:12. We self-reflected on the words of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience – where we have fallen short and how we can look to our Jesus for the perfect example of those words.  Now it is time to move from that journey to the one that saves our lives.

There are many seasons within the Christian faith that I truly cherish.  The one that holds closest to my heart is Holy Week.  I have always seen it as a week of emotional turmoil.  The joy of today, Palm Sunday, where our Lord receives the praises he so richly deserves.  The somberness of the upper room on Maundy Thursday and the Last Supper.  The devastation as our Lord was whipped, beaten, and died for my transgressions.  And the elation of Easter with the rising of our Savior!

The beginning of this journey, and all of the emotions, does not take us to an end.  It does not take us to the final destination.  In fact, this wonderful Holy Week journey takes us to a beginning – the beginning of our eternal life.  Most journeys find us starting out on a trek and getting to our destination.  If that were the case, our destination should find each of us on the cross, not Jesus.  Our sins should lead us to a life that does not deserve to live.  Our Jesus would not stand for that!

His love is so great, so large, that He did not want our journey to end that way.  He took our place on that cross and rose from the depths of hell so that we can live again, begin a new life with Him in paradise.  Friends, that is good news to sing praises for!  The beginning of Jesus’ journey leads us to the beginning of our eternal journey.  As we walk through Holy Week, may we experience all the emotion, and remember the emotions our Jesus has for us.  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the beginning of our beginning!

Dearest Jesus, as we remember the journey you experienced during Holy Week, may we never forget the love you showed to us then and show to us today.  Hosanna in the Highest!

Upward Patience

Today will mark the completion of our Lenten journey of Colossians 3:12. We end with patience. This is one that perhaps I struggle with the most.  Defined, patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate a delay, trouble or suffering without getting angry or upset.

When things do not go to the plan, I can find myself getting irritated.  My mind starts spiraling on what will need to change.  My heart may race a little faster.  The same thing happens when I am not patient with another person.  A person may not be speaking fast enough, and I start finishing their sentences.  One may be sharing their thoughts, and I know what the answer is, but they are not getting there fast enough.   I may not often express my lack of patience verbally, but I am pretty certain it is visualized through my body language. 

The result of the situations where I do not have patience?  Everything ends up fine!  My lack of patience gains nothing in the end.  I have learned much by reflecting on these situations throughout my life and it is an area where strides have been made but work still needs to be done.

I have found there is truly only ONE thing that helps me in these situations, asking for Jesus’ help.  Before going into a meeting, an event, or a discussion, I will lean on my Lord for help.  I find myself reaching out along the way, whether it is walking down the hallway or in the midst of preparing for the event.  I lift my thoughts to Jesus and ask Him to be with me, provide me patience, give me open ears and an open mind to be present, knowing that in the end He will be there to walk me through any trials that may result.

This has not been an easy journey for me.  Yet, when I lift my thoughts to Jesus, my heart is steadier, and my mind is more restful.  When I do that, it all becomes easier to manage.  When I have simple faith that Jesus is with me, I am a better person in those moments. 

These last few weeks have had us reflecting on the traits that Jesus wants us to have to be the best version of ourselves, the best version of what Jesus wants in our lives.  I pray that it has been fulfilling for you and that as we walk into Holy Week next week, we do so with reflection, repentance, and hope.

Dearest Jesus, help us to focus our attention to you in situations where we need patience.  May we gain acceptance of the situations without getting upset and know that YOU are in control.  Amen!