He is risen indeed!

Easter. Praise the Lord for it!
Praise the Lord for Good Friday. For multiple reasons..first and foremost His submission unto death, willingly..for the joy set before Him- for us, for ME! Also for no classes. Praise the Lord that friends come home.
Praise the Lord for Easter.. That He rose again qualifying Himself as LORD and allowing us to be sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

In times past, Easter has been without question my favorite holiday. I use to always tell people that it was the only holiday that people couldn't ruin for me. That remains true to this day.
Christmas is entirely commercialized and I despise Santa Clause with all that is within me. Valentine's Day..I relish in other's happiness, I really do. But shouldn't we be intentional about showing our love in word and in deed all year long? 4th of July is awesome. I love fireworks. But it's only worth celebrating here in the states where I hope I won't be forever. Halloween is stupid. Thanksgiving is gluttonous and breeds unthankfulness most times.

But Easter, the ridiculous bunny..the search for eggs. the commercialization and hype of pastels and fresh flowers- it pails in comparison to the work completed on the cross by Jesus. It trembles at the thought of ACCESS to the Father..it is foolishness in light of His glorious resurrection and deliverance from sin.
Easter is an anniversary of the greatest day for all mankind. The day God's plan for redemption became available to us!
Since I live at a school that is a church, I was baffled at trying to get out of the parking lot this morning with the oogles of people swarming the church in their preppy get up. Then I drove thirty minutes to get to my church to find it too, swarmed by people, hundreds and hundreds. I parked like some seven blocks from the church and walked in my adorable bright blue flats just in time to hear the pastor begin unloading on the joy of salvation that didn't always equate to comfortability and personal happiness but how it pleased the Father to crush His Son that we might be reconciled to our Creator. Amen. Thank You Jesus for doing that for me!

I had some time to reflect on this great work and that weight it carries in my life. "In His fullness is grace upon grace"...that about nails it. What hit me the most today was thankfulness that the Lord made a way, and has carried me through in His grace upon grace. It is really HIS doing. The other thing Easter provides is a great opportunity for evaluation of where you've been and where you're going. At my college-age, it's even easier because Easter draws everyone from "where I've been" back home and obviously, I am living with the people who are contributing to "where I'm at".. and it leaves me questioning "where am I going?" Not like, in an eternal sense..that has been settled and is irrevocalbe. but seeing my old friends, where they are at, hearing where they view themselves going, listening to them retell their own stories and their "glory days" or the opposite- however you'd like to view high school is a shocker. People who once professed Christ openly are living in blatant sin. People who held dear their education have discontinued it. People who saw themselves as musicians are in the military. People who were anti-college are graduating in a year. People who were lost are now found.
People who were once my like-minded equals are strangers! People I thought I'd never warm up to are accountability partners and pen pals and encouragers.
Outside of the realness of Easter, the redemptive work of the Beloved Son of God, there is no certainty. Besides Jesus, there are none faithful. Apart from Christ I am nothing.
The weight of Easter is just this: I am worth something because Christ considered me worth it. I am significant because of His cross and His empty tomb.

So, while I look forward to the Easter where I have my own godly family and we dress cute and all my kids match in their pastels and we have godly traditions of our own, I understand that tomorrow isn't promised. A family of my own is no guarantee. Nor is even next Easter.
BUT the boundless love of Messiah is directed at me and His Spirit, and hope of salvation is assured. And that is more than enough in every way.