Because He lives!

Who gets the horrible blogger award???  ME ME ME!!

I am sorry, but life is CRAZY...good crazy, stressful crazy, busy crazy...and its not just wedding plans...it's work and tennis (I wanted to sign up but now thats two nights of my week every week) and figuring out where we will live and Dave interviewing and getting ready to graduate and packing up my house and celebrating weddings and babies.

Life is good --- full of GOOD busyness, but I must admit, it will be nice for life to slow down in a few months.

I realized this weekend that I was so busy,  I did not talk about Easter.  You all know I love advent -- partly because we have a whole month to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord.  But, easter, equally, if not more, important, only has one scheduled week (unless of course, you celebrate lent)  I need to spend more time than one week preparing.  I should work on this.  But, if I talk about singleness, dating, share articles, etc and FAIL to share with y'all about the Resurection of my Lord, then I am failing. So, even though its late, I wanted to talk about EASTER.

This Easter, more than any in recent history, really resonated with me.  (sidenote: I am not at all suggesting that Easter's goodness rests on my fickle awareness and emotions, Easter is always glorious and amazing, but this year, I really realized it!)  Just like waiting has caused me to really be aware during advent, loss has caused me to be so grateful for Easter.  I lost a good friend this year (which I am so blessed that this is the first time in 29 years that I lost a friend).  Chris loved Jesus....and because the tomb was empty, Chris was with his Lord this Easter -- and we will see Chris again.  What hope that brings!

My family also experianced so much other loss this year -- the loss that comes from living in a fallen world where things fall apart and hearts are broken and wounds are created; the kind of loss that won't be understood, forgotten or completely healed in this lifetime. But, one day, we will live in Eternity with our Savior and every sad and painful thing will come untrue.  Only through the grave and empty tomb could ANY of this pain we feel in a broken world be redeemed and healed.  And each day we can get up and keep living and keep worshiping and keep trying because our Savior died, lives and reigns.  He conquered death. He conquered sin.  Victory is ours, even though we did not win it!

Another friend and I were texting Sunday morning about how we are glad Chris is with Jesus this Easter and we are grateful that Easter means we will see him again! And my friend texted: Everyday is Easter for Chris....and everyday should be Easter for us too. AMEN. Why do I not live like everyday is Easter?  I want to be able to live with an awareness that the battle has been fought and won and death and sin will not win!  If I lived that way, maybe I would have more forgiveness and grace, more patience, more hope. 

"Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.  Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future and life is worth the living just because He lives."