What are you finding? Probably whatever you are looking for!

It’s the week leading up to Easter.  Only a few days before Good Friday.  That also means the Easter Egg Hunt at Rose Drive Friends Church is almost here (someone suggested it might be more aptly referred to as the Easter Egg Harvest – not a lot of “hunting” going on – plenty of eggs for every kid)!  Check out this 60-second video below to get an idea of what I’m talking about.

I want to share with you some personal reflections today... some of where my heart has been recently. 

I have the privilege of seeing a lot of people’s pain and hurt, not counting my own.  If I’m not careful, that can be the extent of my focus. Unmet expectations, dashed hopes, and unrelenting brokenness.  It hurts me when I see people not getting along and not trusting – in the church, in families, in marriages... anyplace.  I know some marriages that have exploded.  Some health issues that are daunting.  Some financial issues that seem overwhelming.  It is especially painful when I know that people on both sides of an unresolved conflict claim to know and love the Lord.  I am grieved when I see people I know and love who are grieving.  I know that unless we live until the Second Coming of Christ, everyone we know will die someday.  That means there is a lot of grief going around (or that will come around). 

I can see a lot of heartache.  Maybe you can, too.  But that isn’t the end of the story...  and that’s especially good to remember as we approach Good Friday and Easter. 

Like Easter Eggs, we often find what we are looking for.

Even when it seemed like all was lost – Christ being crucified – God was working out His plan of redemption.  And Jesus knew it.  He was brutalized but not a victim.  The people around the scene at the crucifixion didn’t see it.  It looked like Jesus was defeated.  But Jesus said “it is finished” not “I am finished.”  No one seemed to notice.  He was not down and out, even though that is what everyone else saw in those moments.  The reality was, there was another story to see.  And that is true for your life, too.

No matter how dark things appear, there is hope when Christ gets involved.  He did not stop working out His plan at Golgotha.  He is trustworthy and fully capable of bringing restoration, healing, and wholeness to a life, a marriage, a family, a relationship, to anyone – and I’ve seen all of that, too.  There are miracles all around me, from people stepping up to serve who not that long ago didn’t know Christ at all, to marriages restored, to God’s provision financially in so many areas for individuals, families, and for our church.

 

The King of Kings didn’t abdicate His throne on the cross. 

Jesus was still in charge at the crucifixion, even when it didn’t look like it.  The resurrection confirmed it.  That’s still true today.  In every situation of your life, God is still sovereign and trustworthy.  Even when it doesn’t look like it at that moment. 

This week, look for Christ in the middle of your conflicts. Look for ways to represent the Lord in your relationships and circumstances.  Bring hope to someone by inviting them to go to church with you this weekend!  And watch and see what the Lord will do!