good news

It’s that time of year again: chocolate (+ peanut butter n’ chocolate) eggs, colorful plastic eggs teeming with jelly beans, days so sunny that we gladly rock our sunglasses, the bubbling excitement of summer right around the corner…

Spring is a wonderful time.

After the icy winter, complete with “frozen fractals all aaarround”, we survived and made it through and, dare I say it, thrived.

Yes, even in the midst of the snowstorms --- all the exams and stress and homework and heartache --- we were carried through and are finally in spring.

I like this metaphor of winter and spring to describe the times in our lives when we feel so beat down and broken. Winter is like this life: there is beauty in the glistening snow, joy in the laughter of children sledding down a hill, love in the eyes of family members on Christmas morning. But there are also harsh realities: the bitter cold, the death of flowers, the long, dark nights. So, too, is it with life. There is happiness and heartache in every part of our lives.

And yet, these challenges and tribulations strengthen us, shaping our character and forging fortitude in our hearts, minds, and souls. Who would we be without all the experiences we’ve had in our lives --- the good, the bad, the embarrassing (lol).

Now that it’s spring, I appreciate spring so much more after having gone through a tough winter. Continuing my analogy (bear with me haha), I love spring because it gives us a glimpse of heaven. Sunny days, flowers blooming, a gentle wind breezing by. And so much more than my mind could ever imagine. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

This world is broken, many crevices filled with darkness - poverty, modern day slavery, illness, death, hunger, pain, depression, war, and everything in between. Expect suffering, because this world became corrupted by sin.

But Jesus declared, “In this world you will have troubles, but have courage! I have overcome the world” John 16:33

There is a light, not only at the end of the tunnel, but here, right now, being offered to you.

The Shepherd. Redeemer. The Beginning and the End. The great I AM. Father. Brother. Friend. Savior. The Light of the World.

Jesus.

As we remember an event that historically happened 2000 years ago but was planned by a merciful and loving hand from the very beginning, let us open our hearts and welcome a passionate and forgiving love into our hearts.

This life is a gift. Breathe in, breathe out -- that breath you just took is a gift from Someone who loves you so much that He would come down to earth in the most humblest way. He was born in a cold and muddy stable just so you could be offered a seat at heaven’s table. All you need to do is repent and believe. Recognize that you're not perfect: we all sin and fall short and are prone to temptations. That's why we need someone to save us from our sinful selves. Someone to rescue us from death.

Here's some good news.

 

Believe with your heart, soul, mind, and strength that God loves you so much that He would die for you and rise from the dead for you, just so you could have an eternal spring.

You are loved. You are cherished. You are wanted.

You are wonderfully made because of Who made you.

Return to Him.