Happy Easter

I love Easter. What a glorious celebration of Christ's rising! I am amazed at all He went through for the human race. I watched The Passion of The Christ for the first time since it first came out. I remember seeing it in theaters being horrified and humbled and realizing that this depiction of Christ's death really happened. Watching it again has really solified it in my minds eye. The Passion brings to life the words in Scripture.

Jesus truly suffered for us. The Bible states that Jesus was in an unrecognizable state after he was flogged and beaten. What literally astounds me is that He went through all of this for me. For us. For the human race. How great must His love be for us, that He would submit to being beaten severely, publicly humiliated, laughed at, and be killed to take our sins away. I do not mouth these platitudes without conviction. It sounds cliche, When I remember what Easter is all about, I am so humbled by my shortcomings and grateful that Christ is my Savior.

There was a great Resurrection service at my church today, again, reminded me of how truly blessed I am. There were testimonies from specific people, of how Christ had saved them from addiction and healed them from cancer, how a bad past does not mean you cannot live for the future. One man who spoke really touched my heart. Two years ago he and his wife were expecting their first child. About the middle of her pregnancy, she went to the doctor for some abnormal, debilitating pain. Turns out, she had cancer. They waited a few months, then did an emergency c-section in order to start her on chemotherapy. While the baby was in the hospital for an extended amount of time, she started her chemo with great sucess and was allowed to go home with her baby after a few months. 6 months later, the cancer returned agressively and they learned that it had spread to her spine and to her brain. She went home to be with the Lord sometime last year. Her husband freely admitted that he did not understand why it had happened, and he was still struggling with his faith, but, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt where his wife was, and the peace that has been granted him comes from God, because Christ has risen for both of them. He was pretty emotional, and even admitted that he could not wait to join her. His faith is tremendous, and I can only imagine what pain he has been through.

What puts the Passion and Resurrection of Christ in perspective is knowing that everything that I go through, He has been through. He has known pain and suffering, both physical and emotional. He has known joy and hunger. He has been tempted to sin, to choose the wrong path, He too has struggled with His humanity. He was fully human, and fully God, a paradox that can be difficult to understand.

Hallelujuah! Christos Anesti!

Some Easter photo favorites:

Cute and precocious niece Lexi

sweet baby Bella

The Mr :)