He is Risen {focus}

Sunday’s Reading: Matthew 28:1-14, Mark 16:1-14, Luke 24:1-48, John 20:1-22

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He is not here, for He is risen, as He said.

Matthew 28:6

Remembering this … 

I stirred, half-asleep, and found Dutch at my side. Of course he was at my side, he’d been up all night long for some reason, coming in our room, missing us, asking to snuggle, unable to sleep. I don’t remember letting him in but he was there, and I was frustrated. And irritated. And agitated. And exhausted. But he was wide awake. I hadn’t even slid my feet out of bed and my heart felt overwhelmed: Lord, it’s EASTER. I want to celebrate and I’m already frustrated. Please help me. I know I’m being selfish, please help! I lay there a few more moments and saw exactly how I felt: Like my heart was this big heavy boulder, and I had a leash around it and was dragging it along. I was trying trying trying to be joyful, and for some reason my heart would just not keep up. It’s EASTER, for crying out loud! Come on heart, rejoice!

By 7am Heidi was up and my morning was gone. Both kids were not feeling well and church was at 8:30. Both kids cried their way through the morning.  Are you KIDDING, Lord? It’s EASTER. I just want to wake up and celebrate YOU, not drag around these crying kids. No time to shower, no time to wash my greasy hair, I lead my children out the door crying. Happy Easter.

I keep praying, keep asking God to give us joy. We pray together in the car.  We get to church late, it’s ok. Church is great. God moves. Yes, Lord! I see all the people, rejoice, take part. Secretly I wish that I could stay there all day at church, wish someone would take my kids and not give them back until about 7pm that night. Someone says they feel for all the volunteers who have to be there at church all day. A thought runs through my mind, “I’d rather be here at church all day than at home serving my crying sick whining kids.” Then of course I feel guilty for feeling that… Lord give me joy in parenting. The sacred mundane is haunting me. Lord, help me embrace the sacred mundane. Help!

I get the kids, and five minutes later we have the most ultimate melt-down I have ever experienced. The details don’t matter, but suffice it to say that Dutch got upset about something and literally threw himself on the floor screaming like a wild animal. I’ve never seen him do anything like this. I had to drag him, physically, into the bathroom while dozens of people watched, Heidi slung over my shoulder with a wild kicking maniac boy on my arm. Happy Easter. I hid myself in the bathroom until Jeff and his mom could  come help me. Yes, we took care of getting to the root of the problem and disciplining Dutch appropriately, but by the time we got home I had determined this was just about the worst parenting day we’ve had on record and I still had Easter dinner for nine people later that afternoon. Thank goodness my mother-in-law was here who was a huge help.

After everything was ready for Easter dinner, I snuck upstairs for a moment of silence. I had wanted to do something special for each place setting, so I pulled out little cards and began to write scriptures.

This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Ps. 118:24

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You! Is. 26:3

The LORD gives His people strength. The LORD blesses them with peace. Ps. 29:11

If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Rom. 8:31

With God everything is possible. Matt 19:26

Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.Matt. 11:28

Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh the joys of those who trust in Him. Ps. 34:8

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Ps. 46:1

No matter what happens, always be thankful. 1 Thess. 5:18

For the happy heart, life is a continual feast. Prov. 15:15

And the resurrection came.

How could I read these life-changing Words of God and not have a heart change? God was graciously resurrecting my heart, resurrecting my day, my attitude, my focus–one sacred word at a time. So much ugliness I’d struggled with all morning (all week, really), all cleansed out by the beautiful water of His Word.

Over dinner we each read our verses and then each answered a question written on the back of our card, sharing unique facets of the goodness of God in our lives.

God’s power was resurrected in our hearts.

We laughed and cried over the goodness of God. What he’s done in my mom’s body, in Jeremy’s life, in Debra’s life.  We shook our heads in awe at His power. We spoke of His goodness and beauty. We stood amazed at His resurrection power at work every day in our lives.

Resurrected, He resurrects.

He resurrects marriages, dreams, lives. He resurrects areas of our hearts that were dead because of sin or pain or loss.  He resurrects us from besetting sins that threaten to render us useless.  He resurrects every single day. So we sat around and spoke of His power, little ways He demonstrates His sovereignty, from Debra and my meeting at the writers’ conference, to the amazing and immediate answer to pray my mom experienced just this morning.

Resurrected, He resurrects.

That’s what He does. All the time. Everyday. Everything He touches comes to life.  Things that are dead bear fruit because of His living water.

Like the wheat grass centerpiece on our Easter table. The grain of wheat dies, is watered, then springs up in life.

How thankful am I to not only experience the glory of an Easter worship service, but to experience the glory of a resurrected day? Of a day that was filled with my own selfish resentment that was resurrected into a day of joy and hope.

Resurrected, He resurrects. That’s our God.

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Today, I pray we have no expectations except that Christ is Risen and we are the undeserving recipients of extravagant grace. So just in case something goes “wrong” today … He is risen indeed! Thanks for reading…