An Unexpected Easter Lesson

I think one of the worst things about being a parent is watching your child suffer with the stomach bug.   I christen it the roach of all illness/bugs.  (And if you know me at all, you know I despise roaches.)  The sights, smells, and sounds turn my stomach, but that’s not the worst part.   The worst part is watching your child heave uncontrollably.  It is hearing her cries of “Its not fair” or “Please no” or “I’m so sorry” as if its her fault.  The worst part is being helpless to do anything but hold her hair, clean her off, and talk soothingly. You can’t fix it.  You can’t heal her.  You can't take it away. Your child who you love with all your heart is hurting.  She is scared.  She is in pain. And you are helpless.  Time seems to slow to a crawl in those moments.  

Last night was like that.  My husband and I tag teamed as our daughter fell sick.   Her eyes broke my heart, the twinkle was gone replaced instead with anguish. Sleep was elusive. As I lay beside her feeling her body shiver, listening to her toss and turn, I prayed for peace and strength and healing.  I As I lay there, not sleeping my mind wandered to many things.   I began to think of the week ahead, Easter, and I began to reflect.  And in the awfulness of that moment, there was a tiny glimpse into the heart of God. 

You see there was a night long ago in this Holy Week, where the Father watched as his child suffered.  He was not immune to the sights, smells, and sounds of his child’s anguish.  I’m sure they all turned his stomach.  He heard his child’s cries, he saw his eyes.  His Holy heart broke I know. The comparison only goes so far.  For while I struggled with my daughter suffering with a small stomach bug, the Father watched the Son of God suffer with brutal beatings, taunting, and the incredible anguish of being nailed to a cross.   Yes, the temporary suffering of my sweet child with a small earthly inconvenience doesn’t even begin to  compare  to the brutal suffering inflicted on His Child,  but I think that on this earth in this week, God is using it to open my eyes to the depth of his love.

For as I was helpless to end my child’s suffering, He was not.  At any moment He could have stepped in.  He could have ended the indescribable scene of brutality, the smell of dirt, blood, sweat,  the cries of anguish, the  unimaginable pain, yet he didn’t.  He couldn’t even hold his Son,  He had to turn his back.   My Mother heart, struggles to understand this.   How I would want to end my child’s suffering big or small with just a word.  Those that were offering my child vinegar, spitting on her, or pounding the nails into the flesh, those I would have wiped out.  I can’t fathom watching idly as this happened if I could have stopped it. 

Oh, how deeply grateful I am that I am not God.  For his Holy strength and self control, are the very reason that I am able to sit here and write this.  You see I am why His child suffered. You are why His Child suffered.   Though we did not physically hold the hammer, or push the crown of thorns upon his brow, it was us.  It was our pride,  sin,  selfishness that wounded him. Our sin that was spat upon him. And yet He loved me.  He loved you.  It was this love that kept him there, not the nails.  It was love that kept God from intervening. He knew the only way that you or I could truly live was through this pain.  He loved us so much, he wanted us to have life.  A life that could only come from the Son of God’s pain, heartache, and death.

So this Monday before Easter I am grateful. Yes, I am deeply grateful that my children seem to be returning to health, but its more than that.  I am grateful not that my child suffered, but that the Lord used my child's suffering to give me even the smallest insight into the depth of the Father’s love. I am grateful that He understands my mother heart, but that He was Merciful and Gracious enough to not stop the crucifixion.  I am grateful that the Lord loved me enough to withstand His child’s suffering.  I am grateful that because of his indescribable love, I am His.  I am grateful that he picked me up out of the muck and mire.  I am grateful that death was not the end.  I am grateful that Sunday came.  I am grateful that he lives that we may now live. I am grateful that He didn’t just save me, He continues his sanctifying work in me.  I am grateful that he whispers to me in the everyday  moments of life, teaching me of His extraordinary love and holiness.   Are you grateful this Easter? 

Celebrating Easter

Thought as I follow up to my previous post, I would share some things I have found to help in celebrating this Easter.
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Love to the Uttermost-  A free E-book from Desiring God.  I enjoyed reading the free advent book that Desiring God offered during the advent season


An Easter Garden- Fell in love with this idea, just found it too late.  My week has started with the stomach bug invading our house, so we may not get to this, but I love it!  

More Easter Activities- this is a great list of  several activities from one of my favorite sites, Confessions of a Homeschooler.


Resurrection Rolls  This is a tradition of our family.  We do them Christmas morning as well.  The girls are already looking forward to them. We actually grew up doing them, but this blog gives a pretty good detailed description of how.

All Around Easter Our Church an interactive Easter experience for families on Maundy Thursday.  It is a neat time of reflection and hands on activities on what this week is all about.

And if you are looking for a new song, here is one from Psallos. 

I've also heard some beautiful ideas from friends in the past week.  One dear lady who I look up to talked of how she used lambs more than bunnies and talked about Jesus being the Lamb of God.  
Another friend, talked about how they "eat candy Easter morning to remind them of the sweetness of grace"  

What ways do you celebrate this Holy Week?

A Tisket A Tasket, Am Easter Basket

I love Spring!  It's such a beautiful reminder of how God makes all things new!    I love the flowers, the bright colors that seem to pop up everywhere -in gardens and stores.  I love pulling out the flipflops and finally having an excuse to get a much needed pedicure. After months of brown landscapes, grey skies, and stir crazy kids, spring is a balm to my winter weary soul. Spring brings new life, spring brings fun and excitement.  Spring brings Easter.

Tonight I had the privilege of reading to my middle daughter before bed. (Jesus Storybook Bible-- I can't sing the praises of this Bible enough!  Even if you don't have kids I encourage you to read this and be reminded how every story truly does whisper his name) E is in that exciting stage of really discovering and showing interest in Jesus.  She selected the story A Dark Night in the Garden. And much to her delight I'm sure, I couldn't stop with just that one.  We went on to read The Sun Stops Shining.  "You see, they didn't understand.  IT wasn't the nails that kept Jesus there.  It was love."  Does that not give you chills, yet at the same time warm you to your very core??   I finished reading the story with tears in my eyes and knew we couldn't stop there - God didn't stop there.  So we read God's Wonderful Surprise  And I just imagine Mary's joy as she runs to tell of all that she saw and heard at the EMPTY tomb that first Resurrection Sunday. Personally, I think spring is the perfect time to celebrate Easter.  When God made all things new through the death and resurrection of His Son.  He is Risen!

Ok, so let me get to the point of this post. And please, please read this next part with grace...

Every year I am overwhelmed by God's love and grace when it comes to springtime and most of all Easter.  But every year I get this nagging feeling when it comes to part of Spring.  Easter Baskets.  I know what you are thinking.  What could I possibly have against bright colors, pretty baskets, sugary candy or thoughtful gifts?   Every year since becoming a mother I have struggled with this.  And every year since becoming a mother I have filled an Easter basket for my children.  After all, I love giving them gifts, and isn't that what everybody is supposed to do at Easter?  But here we are preparing for that time of year once again and I still find myself uneasy and asking myself the same questions:.  "How does a basket filled with candy or gifts begin to compare for the reason of Easter? And is that what I want my kids to associate with Easter? To look forward to on Easter?  Where is the teachable moment for my child in the Easter Basket?  Where is Jesus in the Easter Basket?"
  
Knowing myself as I do, there is a good chance I'm over-thinking this.  But I'm curious.  I want to ask you about your traditions- whether you relate as a parent or a child, the giver or the givee(?).  What do you do with Easter, especially the basket?  And why?   Feel free to answer shorter or longer, anonymously or with your name in all CAPS, but please answer respectfully either way.  I do not think that there is a clear right or wrong.  I just would love to know how others have dealt with this or if at all.  It is a blessing to listen and learn from others. So I thank you in advance for reading this with grace and responding in love.

Blessings.

And just as an aside,because I know there are other traditions that go with Easter, we do participate in Easter Egg Hunts - to me they are simply a fun family tradition that we often share with dear friends in spring (and they generally aren't held on Easter).  We also dress up for Easter - the girls usually wear an Easter dress, and it's usually new or new to them (even if only because they've outgrown the years before), and we do make the connection that as we wear new clothes only Jesus makes us new inside.

Update:  So the other day my precious daughter put her sometimes too legalistic Momma in her place.  Out running errands, I cautiously broached the subject with her.  I enjoy talking about things with her.  She is a wise 6 year old.  She looks at me and says "Its Grace Momma.  We don't deserve an Easter Basket just like we don't deserve Jesus dying on the cross for us."    So this Easter Season we will gather small tokens of love and place them in an Easter Grace Basket, and at some point we will give them to our daughters and rejoice for the Grace that he has bestowed upon us.

I'm still curious, how do you celebrate Easter?  Are the certain ways that you make Christ the center of your Easter Celebration? 

Five Minute Friday: Ordinary

Its Five Minute Friday again!

The Game:  Spend 5 minutes writing on a given word. Publish, Share and Link up to others and see what they came up with.

The Host:  Lisa Jo Baker, Tales from a Gypsy Mama  If you've never checked out her site, I encourage you to do so. Its an incredible place of authenticity and truth.

The Word of the Day: Ordinary

My Disclaimer:  I struggled with today's post!  The thoughts that swirled in my mind didn't come out very easily.  And finding 5 uninterrupted minutes has been much harder than it should be today....but that's just an 'ordinary' day around here. :)
 

Ordinary 

Ordinary is in the eye of the beholder.   And when one looks through the lens of the gospel, is there really such a thing as ordinary?

She was an ordinary girl with an ordinary pregnancy birthed the King.

His 2 hands, ordinary and worn from the work of a carpenter, were pierced for our transgressions.

It was an ordinary tomb, with an ordinary rock, that was rolled away to reveal an ordinary empty room.  

This living room painted an ordinary beige has held laughter and love within its walls.  On its stained carpets have I have sat with girls and sought His face through his Word and prayer.

My days full of ordinary tasks of laundry, cooking, cleaning, parenting are days full of moments for teaching, for seeing his glory, his faithfulness.

Because of the Gospel all the ordinary is simply extraordinary in Him.