Let grace, mercy, and peace be with us in truth and love from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, Son of the Father! 2 John 1:3
How perfect to focus on God’s grace as Easter is approaching. It’s the easiest time of year to be aware of God’s grace in that His son gave his life to give us that grace. It is a gift that we don’t deserve….better yet, we can’t ever do anything good enough to deserve it. Man, that takes off the pressure! I mean, have you ever wondered “how good is good enough”? If Mother Theresa set the standard, we are all doomed. But God knew we would never measure up…He even knew Mother Theresa’s deep dark secrets and mistakes. So, He came up with a way to bridge the gap from here to Heaven. He even made it personal…His own Son. Jesus gave us His life asking nothing in return except belief that it happened.
He was beaten and murdered because it is what we deserved. When I acted like a wild child in college, I should have been publicly humiliated and stoned. That is what happened to people who sinned like that before Jesus’ death. But now we have grace. I can learn from my mistakes and have another chance to be the woman that God created me to be. That’s what grace is…a second chance. Or a third, or a fourth.
He is alive! He has risen! Don’t let these terms slip by as another Easter catch phrase. Jesus really did this, and you only have to believe it to be forgiven and saved from the torture that He endured. I tell Parker that Jesus got in trouble for all of our no no’s so we don’t have to get in really big trouble for them. I know I have gotten pretty deep here, but I don’t want to risk that any of our readers don’t get the big picture. Easter is so much fun with kids…the baskets, the egg hunts, the excitement. I hope you enjoy every second of it, but let Jesus be at the heart of your celebration. Help your kids extend grace to each other as they hunt eggs. Let His amazing love be on the tip of your tongue all this week and the next as you prepare to observe the most miraculous act of grace that has ever taken place.
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Heather - thank you for your very comprehensive explanation of grace. I feel that grace is often hard to explain, especially to children. I have not talked to Owen about grace, but you have provided such a great explanation to share with our children. Speaking of Easter, our Easter celebration was really nice this year. We always celebrate the day by going to church as a family. Easter mass is often fulfilling in the sense that we have completed 40 days of some type of "penance." The weather made us feel so alive this year - as it's usually cold and rainy or better yet snowing. This year it was beautiful and the kids played outside, enjoying all of God's blessings... the fresh air, flowers, etc. Borrowing a line from my favorite song on Easter, "Jesus Christ has risen today, Alleluia."
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