Ps. 119:102-104
MONDAY
This week I'm meditating on Easter, suddenly seeing the gospel story everywhere. The springtime season reminds me constantly of Christ's death and resurrection, his sacrifice that bought my salvation. The ordinary moments of life are thick with spiritual resemblance. Nothing is by accident and these hints of the gospel are not invented but discovered.
Flower shoots sprout from cold earth, piercing dead leaves on their journey toward the sun. Easter, too, is new life. Someone becoming unburied, pushing out of the ground, refusing to rot. Life springs from death, defeating death forever.
TUESDAY
It's time to clean, to open windows, to sweep and scrub and polish, to get down on hands and knees and clean to the very edges. Easter also brings a clean start. The eternal King becomes an eternal Servant, washing feet and washing souls. He makes the dirtiest things sparkling clean, more effective than any bleach.
WEDNESDAY
Fifteen days until the taxes are due and I'm finally forcing myself to dive into the sea of paperwork. Easter, praise the Lord, is a settled account. An enormous burden, lifted. Debts are paid and nothing more is owed. And the refund check is bigger than you could have possibly imagined.
THURSDAY
Our bathroom project is nearing the end. Soon the waiting will be behind us, completion achieved. Easter, too, is a finished project. The pieces of a huge, much-prophesied puzzle fall into place one by one, coming faster and faster as the end nears. Everything that had been promised happens at long last. And then, finally, it is finished.
FRIDAY
For the past 437 days, the days since Henry was born, every moment of every day has revolved around my son. Nothing avoids being affected by his existence. In a far more important way, Easter is also about a Son. Nothing in the history of the world escapes the ramifications of his existence, of his death and what his death bought. On Good Friday, he refused to save himself so that he could instead save us. The joy my son brings me is nothing in comparison to the joy that Son can give.
SATURDAY
I love candy, but I love Easter candy most of all. And not just because it's shaped like bunnies and comes in pastel colors. Easter candy reflects what Easter means: because of Christ, life is not just simple sustenance. It's piled high with delicacies. Not only is my sin removed, but in its place are poured hundreds of daily gifts, sweets undeserved but given for the encouragement of my soul.
SUNDAY
We spent the day with our family. Brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, dinner and candy and card games and egg hunts and new toys. It's a slice of heaven to share a day with the people we treasure most, celebrating the occasion that secures us eternal life. Easter is about a family much larger than our Mountz clan. Because of the cross and the empty tomb, we are welcomed into a family that spans centuries and continents. We're looking forward to meeting spiritual cousins from China and Canada, from 1266 and 1932. Not only this, but we will meet our Brother, the one whose sacrifice gives us the right to call God "Father," the one who invented families and calls us to put our earthly ones second to Him. The satisfaction of a loving family hints at the sweet perfection we will one day feel in the presence of the whole family of faith as, together, we worship the One who defeated death for our sake on Easter morning.
Grateful this week for:
responsible students
ice cubes
baby hands in garden dirt
blonde hair
evening of gardening
peanut butter cookies
second cup of coffee
gmail chat
light rain
sunny afternoon
crossed baby ankles
chirping birds
bedtime peekaboo
finding a missing sock in the clean sheets
stories with Ellie
sleeping in
breezes
finishing touches in the new bathroom
baby ibuprofen
egg hunt
the empty tomb
Your words speak truth and thanksgiving in such a delightful way. This blog has been one of those sweets poured out to encourage my soul. Thank you.
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