If your family is in crisis, you may not feel like holidays are for you. After all, celebrations seem fake and traditions remind your hurting heart of better days while seeming quite pointless in your current situation. But I want you to know that even if you don’t color eggs, sing in a church choir, or make a special meal, this Easter is for you.
Christ’s Resurrection Makes a Difference
As hopeless as your situation may be, the Resurrection makes a difference. There. Is. Hope. We worship a God who can raise the dead! He can do absolutely anything, including change your teen’s heart or redeem an absolutely impossible situation! Not only does He have the ability, but He seems to actually specialize in such hard cases.
Maybe you’ve heard the Easter story for so long that it’s gotten old, and it no longer amazes you, but seriously, think about it: God can raise the dead. And in a sense, He does just that whenever He transforms dead-in-sin unbelievers into alive-in-Christ believers (Romans 6:11). Maybe you say it would take a miracle, and maybe you’re right. But the Easter story is more than a story; it’s a reminder that miracles are God’s business. And He’s not done yet.
Our Resurrection Makes a Difference
Not only does the Easter story remind us that God does miraculous things, but it’s a reminder that the sorrows and disappointments of this life are temporary. Yes, they seem overwhelming right now. And yes, they may have far-reaching consequences that never end, this side of eternity. But eventually, they will. All tears will someday be wiped from our eyes.
The story of Christ’s resurrection backs up God’s promise that we will someday be with Him in Heaven. Even without knowing details of how it would happen, the Old Testament believers listed in Hebrews 11 were able to persevere through difficulties, only because they had the hope of “a heavenly country.” No matter how long your earthly winter may last, it will someday be over. Spring will come. Easter will come. What a beautiful promise from a loving God!
Your Worship Makes a Difference
While Easter traditions like coloring eggs or filling baskets aren’t all that important, some traditions are. The tradition of gathering with other imperfect, hurting believers to offer God the praise that He deserves might take a special kind of bravery for you this year. When you defy the pain and darkness of this season by praising Him through the tears, you display His glory. You remind others that the same dark powers that wouldn’t keep Christ in the grave won’t keep you from celebrating the fact that God is still on the throne. You’ll be telling everyone that you realize that the pain and hardships you’re experiencing won’t last forever; your God and all that is good will outlast it all.
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