Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and I am so excited!
Yes, we are a typical American family, in that we give special baskets to our children with a few fun goodies in it, and enjoy dying eggs together. This year was particularly fun for me, because J-Man is at the age where he enjoys doing these types of fun activities. In fact, tomorrow morning will be his FIRST time waking up to hunt for his Easter candy and eggs before church!
This year, my folks came up to spend some time with the grandkids (we all know that once kids arrive, nobody comes to see the parents…I kid, I kid. My parents love me and my Mountain Man) 😉
As you can see, the Nugget could care less about dying eggs this year. But such sweet memories for my J-Man.
It takes lots of concentration, to ensure no eggs are dropped and no dye is spilled. He pretty much stuck to his favorite color *blue* for all of his eggs.
He’s so proud of his eggs and said he wants to eat them all! Good luck with that, buddy.
That’s a lot of eggs…and one happy little boy. He makes my heart swell.
But all of these fun traditions and memory making moments are not why I am so excited to celebrate Easter. Honestly, I could care less about all that stuff. But we do it for the kids. Ok, and a little for the parents, too.
No…this is not why I love Easter. I love Easter because it is the day that my Savior rose from the grave, after giving up HIS life for ME. I’m just in awe of that. Jesus loved me, and you, and my kids, and the neighbor down the street, and the stranger next to you on the plane, and the man in prison, and yes, Donald Trump, and even Judas…the man who betrayed Jesus…SO much, that He died. DIED. For all of us. So that one day, we might spend eternity with him and his Father, in Heaven. How amazing is that?! To know that my sins were PAID IN FULL, when Jesus took his last breath on this earth, is so incredible, so amazing, and so emotionally humbling. This holiday always brings out my super emotional side (as if I’m not already a crier under normal circumstances), because I am reminded of just how unworthy I am to receive such a magnificent outpouring of love. And yet, he gave it and gives it, freely. To all who seek him, and seek to have a relationship with him. Wow. If that doesn’t give you chills, I don’t know what will.
So this year, as you go about your fun and colorful family traditions of egg dying, Easter egg hunts, and family gatherings, I implore you to take some time to reflect on what Jesus did for you. Teach your children that Easter is more than just a fuzzy bunny who leaves candy and eggs for them to find. Teach them about the ONE who loves them SO much, and what he did for THEM. You may think your kids are too young to understand, or too young to talk about someone dying on a cross for them. But I promise, you will be surprised at just how intuitive they can be. J-Man knows the story and as we talk about it, he gets sad when we talk about Jesus dying on the cross. But when I ask him what happened 3 days later, he jumps up and yells with excitement, “Jesus rose up and is alive again!! Yeah! That’s awesome!!” We can learn something from our kids…this is a holiday to get excited about! And yes, it is AWESOME!
