Today is the Day that Mattered

Spring is on us, my garden is in full swing and I am ready for the kids to be out of school, for hot summer nights and even hotter summer days.

Today is Esther.

Today is the day that matters.

If Jesus Christ, the Son of the virgin Mary, born to a carpenter in Nazareth; if He had not risen from the dead today then all He claimed to be would have been false, all He walked this earth living would have been a lie and what I believe would simply not be.

I grew up in a family of traditions.

A family of love.

Each holiday we gathered to eat, laugh and enjoy one another.

We never had any family quarrels, I never heard my aunts and uncles speak harshly of one another; and beside my 9 cousins and I getting yelled at for playing in the laundry chute, my family never yelled.

As an adult I wanted that for my kids.

But life doesn't always pan out the way I plan.

My kids live far away from their cousins of the same age and the cousins they have here are a great deal younger than them. Add in the fact that we have 2 drug addict siblings in the immediate area and family holidays are slowing becoming a burden and not the joyous time I remembered as a child.

I get asked a lot the question of "how are things at your house?", the question comes to me as if the person asking feels sorry for me, as if life should suck because I have my teenage son, his wife and their daughter living with me.

Well it doesn't.

I mean some days it does, when I look at the reality of the situation and look at things in terms of my perspective and my dream and my view I begin to panic.

But today.

Today is the day that made it all well with my soul.

Today is the day that Jesus conquered death so I can look at my granddaughter and rejoice.

So I can look at my daughter-in-law and love.

I can talk with my sister in law with grace and friendship.

I can look at a hurtful drug addict with my heart breaking and full of compassion.

I can show up at family gatherings and smile, truly smile.

Yes, today is the day that made it all available to me.

It is because God sent His one and only Son Jesus to this earth that I can even begin to smile at my life; or the even the people in it;

it is because of this loved poured out that day on the cross, that empty tomb three days later that make it possible for me to even begin to try to love these people around me.

Begin to love this life.

So today I rejoice that the tomb was empty, that death was overcome.

Yes today as the holiday looks nothing like I'd like it to I can rejoice because it was the vision reality of that original day that matters.

So I encourage you to look at those in your life a little different.

Instead of what you want to think and say and feel, think about the sacrifice on the cross that day and maybe you'll have a change of heart.

Hallelujah and I love each of you who takes the time to read my rambling words.