Easter

Sometimes, I feel like Easter doesn't get the celebration that it so deserves. As with any "religious" holiday, our country finds ways to tone down the real meaning of the holiday, only to escalate the commercialization of it. Easter is no exception. I did a Google search for "Easter" images. The first image that came up was the one above, and there were probably 10 other photos in the first 10 pages (there are 19,400,000 images total) that depicted the religious aspect of this holiday. All of the others were Easter bunnies, eggs, candy, etc. Now, I know I'm just as guilty of this as anyone - don't worry, I'm not perfect!

However, this year, I've been thinking more and more about the Easter story. While the birth of Jesus and Christmas is a very important part in the story of his life, in my opinion, his death on the cross and resurrection is much more important and it is truly the foundation that our faith should be built on. As I've pondered the events of this time in Christ's life, I'm just floored by the sacrifice God made, just for us, by putting his son to death on the cross. I'm not a mother yet, but I can't imagine sacrificing my child, so that others could benefit. And, all God wants us to do is accept that gift - he is giving it to us for FREE! When Jesus died on the cross, he said "..It is finished", meaning that his death on the cross was the end of the Old Law. The only thing we have to do to have a relationship with God and Jesus, is repent of our sins and accept Christ as our savior. That is all!! Then, it should be our goal to tell other's about this gift and further God's kingdom here on Earth. We don't HAVE to do it, but why wouldn't you want to?

Anyways, I'm saying all of this mainly because I wanted to take some time and to really reflect on why we are celebrating this holiday and what it really means. Yes, I have bought my Easter eggs and Easter candy and I have given Easter presents to my nieces and I plan to cook a big meal on Sunday and celebrate with my family, but I also want to really focus on Easter and Christ's death and the sacrifice that was made, just for us.

I hope you all have a very Happy Easter!!