A time to reflect the pain and ridicule that Jesus endured those last days. The wicked and cruel beating. He took it. Not for any gain himself, but for us. You and me. He withstood such cruel and inhuman punishment for crimes He did not commit. So that we could receive forgiveness and have an intimate relationship with God. So that we could have a connection and a communication with our Heavenly Father. Yes, the Lord who created this world with just a breath wants to communicate with each one of us! He wants to have a relationship with you and me! He wants to share in the details of our lives, both good and bad! That still amazes me.
Easter. A time to consider how God was willing to let His Son come to earth as a human being knowing the pain and strife he would endure. I held my son last night pondering this very thought. Having just experienced shingles with baby Kaleab ~ a very painful virus that had him crying and shrieking in pain ~ made my heart HURT. ACHE, really. I cried because there was nothing I could do to ease my son's pain. Nothing I could do to help him find comfort. Nothing. But I could hold him. Sing to him. Whisper love to him. And hide my mama tears from him. Tears I shed because of such a helpless feeling. My son was in agony and I could do nothing but hold him, cuddle him and love him.
God knew what His own son, Jesus Christ, would be facing in his life. God had to watch Jesus endure the pain of ridicule. The sorrow of being spit on, mistreated and condemned. God had to watch his own son be beaten nearly to death. Only to then watch Christ's torture carry on as he carried his heavy cross up the hill of Calvary. Only to then be nailed to the cross. NAILED! Yes, nails HAMMERED into his feet and palms! Left to hang until his death.
And God could not stop this inhumane treatment of Christ. God knew what had to be done on our behalf. Christ needed to take upon himself the burden of all sins committed and yet to be committed. God couldn't reach down and cradle Jesus. He couldn't wipe away Christ's tears. He couldn't hold Jesus in His arms and whisper His love and empathy. Instead, God had to let his son endure. To the point where Jesus even wondered if God had abandoned him.
I called it torture to watch Kaleab go through shingles, while he wailed in my arms. I call it torture to have my older son, Sami, halfway around the world without me. Unable to hold him, hug him, assure him of my love. Yet, I can rest in the comfort of knowing that he is being well cared for. Even loved by some of our friends in Ethiopia.
As I pondering Easter this year, I realize I don't know the beginning of true torture. The kind of torture either Christ endured himself, or God endured as his father.
Wow.
I was listening to Air One yesterday, and heard another perspective of Easter. Good Friday. The day of crucifixion. Have you ever thought of the thief at his side that asked Jesus to remember him in heaven?
Jesus promptly assured that thief of his salvation. He promised the thief that he would be welcomed into heaven. He was saved. Just like that. Just because he asked to be. Not because he said a prayer of perfect words. Not because he attended a certain church a particular number of times. And certainly not because he was an impeccable citizen {he was a thief, after all}.
He was saved just because he asked Jesus to remember him in heaven.
That simple.
That easy.
The gift of salvation is beyond our human comprehension. Salvation assures us of our going to heaven when we die, yes. And what a priceless gift this is! But there is so much more beyond salvation. God wants so much more for us not just in heaven, but here on earth as well. All beginning with forgiveness and relationship with Him. Our ever-loving Heavenly Father. Relationship and communication (talking to and "hearing" from) the Creator of the Universe.
Can you fathom such a thing? I "hear" God guide me daily and yet I still find it so humbling that He would care about the details of my life.
And so, this Easter, as I love and mother our two beautiful and amazing sons, Sami (from afar ~ as he is still in Ethiopia) and Kaleab (who is home), I THANK GOD for the miracle of Easter. I Thank Him for loving every one of us enough to allow his own son to endure so much agony. For you and for me. I Thank Him for making it so easy for us to be forgiven, saved, and in relationship with Him.
And I am still Thanking Him for guiding Jeff and me to Ethiopia. For bringing us our beautiful boys. A miracle come to fruition because of this loving relationship we share with God, that allows us to experience His divine guidance in the details of our lives.
And boy, are HIS details ever better than ANYTHING Jeff or I could have ever imagined for ourselves!
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