Twas the day after Easter and my house looks like a bomb went off. There is plastic Easter grass and candy wrappers everywhere and I’m exhausted. Even my dog looks wiped out as she lays happily slabbed out amongst said candy wrappers at my feet. This weekend was full of activity, which we love. We spent time running around, at playdates, and getting everything together (including our toenail polish :) for the holiday’s festivities and I can barely get the sweet smell of chocolate out of my head. Or my mouth.
Side note: There seems to be a very real gravitational pull from chocolate to my mouth. Maybe you suffer from this too. Don’t fight it. Gravity is a law of nature and far be it from me to break the law. Obey the law. Don’t be a criminal. I have now sufficiently rationalized your chocolate consumption and you may devour in peace. You’re welcome.
The kids are back at school this morning and my house is so quiet. It’s such a stark contrast from the last few days. And just like the day after Christmas, I can’t help but wonder did I miss it? I mean sure, I spent all weekend at church. We have four Easter services and our family happily served at all of them. I was surrounded by the message of Easter. But did I miss it? Did I really take the time to fully absorb the meaning of the day?
Jesus was resurrected from the grave.
I’ve heard those words over and over that they almost don’t seem that spectacular anymore. Jesus was resurrected from the grave. Yes, I know.
But imagine if we said that about a lost loved one. Grandpa was resurrected from the grave. He died about 12 years ago, but has been resurrected from the grave and is now here with us walking around and talking to us, making his same terrible jokes and playing ping pong on our table downstairs. Just typing those words brings tears to my eyes. We would think that’s pretty amazing wouldn’t we? And yet when I hear the words Jesus was resurrected from the grave…no tears. At least not on most days anyway. I have allowed the amazing to become mundane. Maybe you’ve done that too? You know the words, you know what it means, but you’ve lost the wonder and amazement of it.
I get it. Holidays are so full of activity and friends and family and food that we often forget to stop and feel the wonder of it; to absorb the gravity of it all. Jesus was resurrected from the grave. Are there any more powerful words that have ever been strung together? The implications are huge. We now have a way to heaven. We now no longer get what we deserve, but instead we get grace. And here’s the best part, you didn't miss it. You can’t miss it! The gift of salvation that is now offered to us because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross isn't just available on Easter, but is free to us every day. We can feel the wonder and excitement of it all every. single. day. Life isn't lived on the mountain top; it’s lived in the peaks and valleys in between. The mountaintops are amazing- don’t get me wrong, but they’re brief. We aren't sustained by the mountaintop experiences. We’re sustained by how we live our lives in the in-between. And I don’t know about you, but I could use a little amazing in my mundane.
I didn’t miss it.
The fullness of the meaning of Easter doesn't diminish just because it’s a day later. In fact, I’m finding a certain sweetness in pondering all this in the quiet of the “after”. It’s in the quiet that I see and hear more clearly, and like Mary I find myself treasuring up all these things and pondering them in my heart (Luke 2:19). I am so thankful for Christmas when Jesus was born, and Good Friday when he went to the cross, and Easter when he was resurrected from the grave, but I am also so thankful that he is here with me every day in between. Realizing that gives me just as much cause to celebrate. It brings amazing to my mundane.
And with that, I guess I should invite Jesus into my mundane, take my new attitude and appreciation and go address this “house bomb” issue…and if I happen to find some chocolate in the process I will be a law abiding citizen.
Till next time…
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