I don't know why...but I have noticed that several people are "on edge" lately. Stressed. Confused. Angry. Bitter. I was on facebook the other day and I was absolutely amazed with the number of status updates that read something to the effect of so-and-so's life is "complicated" or so-and-so is feeling "confused." Don't get me wrong, there are days that I'm right there with "so-and-so" but it's as if everyone is feeling that way nowadays. Is there something in the air or what?!
As I was at work the other day, a guy came in and for whatever reason immediately began to tell me what a bad day he was having. He's going through a divorce, had to break down a door to get into his own home (which is why he was at my work) and as he was loading his broken door into the car he tore a section of the interior of the vehicle, which doesn't even belong to him. Then he literally placed his head on my desk as if his life was over. And in many ways, he truly feels that way.
"When life hands you lemons, make lemonade."
"What doesn't kill you simply makes you stronger."
I've even caught myself muttering those cliches. It's funny, (well, not really) that when times are tough we seem to neglect to heed to the most important advice that (in my opinion) has ever been given.
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
John 16:33 NIV
I love Easter...more than any other holiday of the year. Growing up, it was all about the basket of candy and the egg hunts. I remember sitting in church and staring at the display of Easter Lilies that lined the altar, knowing that amidst the mass of them, there was one placed specifically in remembrance of my grandpa Bowman. I love the smell of lilies to this day and I think a lot of it has to do with that single memory. Every year our family dressed up on Easter Sunday, usually in matching attire (some years a bit more "tacky" than others...God bless my mother!) and my dad would always have a corsage for both my mom and I. We never missed an Easter sunrise service and the entire day was spent as a family. We all seem to have our own "traditions" now, but regardless of that, Easter is, has always been, and will always be about the resurrection of Christ. Period.
When life gets hard and frustrating, confusing and complicated, unfair and illogical, it's best to remember that there was One who suffered much more than any one of us could ever imagine. And not only that....with all that He endured, He promises that we will never be alone, that He will never leave us, and He beckons us to release our burdens, our struggles and anxieties to Him.
Talk about "illogical"!
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."...
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Hebrews 12:2-6, 11 NIV
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