The Church Mouse
“I Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
(Joshua 1:9)
I always have lots of thing to do to get ready for Easter. Every year I would say to myself on Ash Wednesday this year is going to be different. I am going to slow down. I would make plans to take time to really enjoy the holiday for what it was meant to be.
I was going to forgo all the elaborate decorations, the big mess of coloring eggs, the mega spending on clothing that would only be worn one time, and the meal would be simple. (Yea! Right!)
Or the endless practicing of music and plays to be used on Easter morning at church. This stuff was not going to take over my life this year!
Every year something would happened and I was right back in the same rut!
It was always something like this: “it’s the last year the kids will be young enough to go to the Easter Party at Church, so I must color eggs and buy chocolate bunnies.
Or they have grown so much over the winter that we have to have new outfits! We have to have this huge meal and invite everyone, because you never know who might be missing next year. There was always a reason.” (But these reasons were excuses.)
Then it happened! Something that I had no control over! This event changed my whole life.
I could not stop what was happening. I could only stand by and try to figure out what I was going to do next.
It was Saturday night before Easter and someone very close to me died!
Looking back I now wonder how I managed to even function.
But the world moved forward. The old saying “time waits for no one!” is true. Time does not stop for even the dead.
All of the elaborate Easter plans I had, of church, music, colored eggs, chocolates, food and clothes flew right out the window. And much to my dismay and surprise these events happened and without me there.
One of the things that I do remember in the blur of things. One of my close friends said to me was. “Think of the Easter they had!” That was one of the comforts I held on to very tightly for the next few weeks when things got emotionally distressing for me.
“Think of the Easter they had!”
In holding on to that phrase, I have come to realize that Easter is not music, chocolates, colored eggs, bunnies, nor is it new clothes. In fact it is not even a church service. It goes on with whether we attend church or not.
Easter is an event within the human heart.
Easter happens when a person reaches out and accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Now I just have to remember to recall this when I start stressing about all the “things” I presume to think I need to have or do to celebrate Easter. So relax and let God be in control.
“Think of the Easter we can have!”
Prayer—Father help us to remember that you are in control. Help us to focus on the important things of our life and that is to love you. Help us to have Easter in our hearts and minds at all times. Amen.
the Church Mouse
Work hard, Pray harder!
