It’s easy to let this day fly by like any other. After all, I have to get Easter eggs ready to hide, small Easter gifts to set by the table, an Easter meal to purchase and prepare to grill. After all, and I say this with all humility, I am quite the grill master.
And then of course there’s kids to wrangle, fun to be had, a vacuum to push, dishes to do – an impressive to-do list that never ends with a big family.
But this morning, I want to pause. Stop. Breathe for just a few. I want to place myself there, with my Jesus, on the worst day of his eternal existence. When he trudged to the hill where he would die, bloodied and beaten, “for the joy set before him.”
I remember the day I realized I might be part of that joy.
You are too.
You saying yes, choosing to believe, holding on to your faith, pushing through hard times, enduring when people scoff. You – worshipping in your pjs, singing in your car, praying in your bed, kneeling in your closet. You – serving when you’re worn out, loving when you’re dry, seeing a need and meeting it because you are compelled beyond yourself. You – moving forward to healing, pushing out of addiction, choosing hope in despair.
You. Me. On our best days and our worst days.
I believe our faces flashed through his mind – the way our noses crinkle, our smiles deepen, our eyes shine when we are free. I believe we were “the joy set before him” that gave him courage and strength to take the next step, to go to that cross.
Today is not just any other day.
Today we see, we remember, we let our hearts melt over the incredible sacrifice our Jesus made so that we could live. A sacrifice steeped in love and spilling over with hope. For you. For me.
Thank you, Jesus.