Happy Easter

For the first time in 33 years, my Easter will look very differently this year. Lyn and I spent thirty-two Easters together, and of course most of them with my children, and extended family as well. Everyone I have spoken with talks about the “firsts”—the first year, the first anniversary, the first birthday, and the first holidays. In blog #11, Grieving Through Anniversaries and Milestones, I wrote, “For those left on this side of sunshine, seemingly everything is marked by an anniversary.”

For Lyn, Easter was the most important day of the year. I wrote in blog #13 that Thanksgiving was one of our favorite holidays. However, for Lyn, Easter stood far above her birthday, and even Mother’s Day. Easter was the day that gave her eternal hope! Lyn would say, without Easter, there is no eternal hope.

Please, don’t get me wrong, she loved waking up on Easter morning and seeing our kids search for the Easter baskets that the, “Easter Bunny,” would hide the night before (or occasionally just moments before the kids woke up 😊). Lyn put much effort into the Easter meal. She loved hosting Easter and seeing the cousins search for Easter eggs. Easter was a day of fun, food, and family. However, for Lyn it was much more than just fun.

Lyn loved Easter for all the things I just listed, but her main reason for loving Easter was that it was her eternal hope. In 2018 and 2019, she had a much deeper appreciation for life, and Easter served as a reminder of the eternal hope she had if God would call her home for all eternity.

When Lyn and I talked about doing a blog together, I first brought the idea to her, and she was so excited. The reason for the excitement was that she had the exact same idea. We talked about content, and what we wanted it to accomplish. One thing we both agreed upon was that we didn’t want the blog to get “preachy”. If people wanted a sermon, they could go to church. If you have read any of my previous posts, you will see that it was our desire to highlight the hope we had during our journey. It is the life + hope that Lyn wanted highlighted.

So, the greatest hope Lyn had in her life was her relationship with God. In looking through some of Lyn’s journal, she had a few entries that crystalize how she wanted to live. I do not know if they were all original thoughts, or if she wrote down reflections from a personal devotional book. What matters is that these were important enough for her to record, and for her to be able to reflect upon to help her live out the type of life she wanted to exhibit.  

Lyn wrote, “We all have our difficulties. And it is in them that allows our lights to shine for God.”

Lyn wanted to have a life that shined for God. So, while Lyn may have been physically ill, she was very healthy spiritually. Lyn had a vibrant and shining relationship with God that stood out to all that she encountered.

Why was living a life that shined for God important to her? Lyn wrote the following in her journal:

“…that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work.” (1 Colossians 1:9-10).

Bearing fruit meant there would be evidence that she was a Christian. What good is a fruit tree that does not actually bear fruit? What good is a person that claims to be a Christian, but there is zero evidence of doing what God desires? For Lyn, it was very clear how God wanted her to live—to bear fruit and to, “…please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work.”

However, the question is, “why was this important to Lyn?” It was important to her because of Easter. Like I said, she loved the fun of Easter. She loved wearing the matching Easter dresses to church with my daughter. Lyn loved all the fun associated with Easter. However, she loved her Jesus on Easter most of all.

Good Friday is when we remember the brutal and torturous death of Jesus. Jesus died, and was the sacrifice for all the world. This is why churches celebrate Easter! Lyn believed in the Bible, and specifically that salvation came through the risen Savior.

A verse that was important to her belief was John 1:12: “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”

So, for Lyn, Easter was the greatest day of eternal hope. This isn’t a fictional story. For Lyn (and other Christians), Easter is the day in which Jesus offered the opportunity for those who believe and accepted him the right to become children of God—for all eternity. HOPE!

This Easter will be much different for me. As we are all practicing, “social distancing,” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I will be isolated at home, and will watch our pastor preach a sermon from my kitchen table. There will not be a robust Easter meal. There will not be any Easter egg hunt. There will not even be a gathering of our family.

However, what I do have is hope. I have the same hope that Lyn had in her life. While this Easter will be different, the one thing that will still remain true and unchanged, is that Easter still has the same meaning for all that believe and accept Him.

God bless you this Easter as you celebrate in different ways.