Easter 2011

The cross. I have them all around my house for good reasons. I never want to forget what Jesus did for me so long ago.

I think about what it must have been like, carrying the weight of it down the dusty road on the way to Golgotha. I imagine how sharp the thorns were that they drove into his scalp. I envision the embarrassment he must have endured being naked raised above the crowd, his flesh marred beyond human recognition. I can hear the crowd mocking him, the soldiers casting lots at his feet.

The Son of God asking for our salvation... even as he suffered under the weight of our sin. He loved me that much.

God the Father, looking down on his ONLY Son, hearing him plead, knowing his suffering. Unable to look on him as he bore our sin. He knowingly sent him down to Earth to die for us. To die for murderers and thieves, to die for liars and terrorists. To die for children and women and men. All whom He loves equally. I cannot fathom this kind of love.

One of the first thoughts I had after having BWK was about this kind of love. I looked down at this precious baby I loved so much and thought to myself, "God sent his only little boy to die for me." The baby my husband and I had waited so long for. The baby that we dreamed about. I looked down at my son and tried to imagine knowing that I had delivered him only to send him to die for someone else. Someone who could just as easily deny his precious gift. I could not fathom it. I remember crying out to God in gratitude. I have always been grateful of His sacrifice, but it wasn't until I held my own son that I could even comprehend the magnitude of what He did for me. I am so grateful that Jesus died for me, and I rejoice that the grave could not hold him. Jesus is alive!

"Then the angel spoke to the women. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was laying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples he has been raised from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember, I have told you.""
Matthew 28: 5-7