But the greatest part about this time of year is seeing everything else come back to life. Spring is the season of life. No more dreary days, no more boring same old, same old. Rather there is a new pep in your step and there seems to be a drive to go do something, or in other words to go LIVE rather than sit and do nothing except watch the next episode of your favorite TV show on Hulu. But what did we do to deserve such a nice start to spring, or even receive the amazingness that spring brings with it. We don't deserve it, and we know it, so we go about our lives happy, filled with joy and loving those around us.
The funny part of all of this is that this script has already been written (minus classes and watching Hulu) by God when Jesus came to Earth to save us. Listening to two sermons this past week about how we have been given this free gift and that is why Easter is so amazing and so special to all of us that have come to know Jesus, got me thinking. All we are, before Jesus, are people full of sin and no direction in life. I think we can all agree that we see people have a worldly direction all the time, the people with the 30 Million dollar houses, the people that have a different car for everyday of the week. Im not saying all of them don't know Jesus, some do, but for those who don't, what are they doing that is making an impact in eternity?
It hit me on Sunday that I deserve nothing! I don't deserve the love from my friends and family, I do not deserve to be graduating and have a job lined up while there are countless people out there with no job. Heck I didn't deserve the opportunity of attending college, let alone a good one. The list could go on and on for the rest of time of things that I don't/didn't deserve. But the amazing thing is that I have been given these things because of the love that it given to me every day that I wake up by God! But the love that he shows me through all of this doesn't even touch the love that Jesus showed to us by sacrificing himself on the cross, so that we may be able to receive eternal life, the way it should have been, a life with God. But God also knew that unless there was some kind of sacrifice, we would never be right with God, therefore we would never be able to experience him the way he made us to. So he came to Earth, in the form of man, knowing that he would one day take all the punishment from the past, the present, and the future! And at that moment, it was done, the battle had been won and we had been given the best gift of all, LIFE! True life, life that would know no pain, no suffering, no end! I can't imagine the amount of pain that Jesus was feeling walking up that mountain. I think of how badly I feel when I commit one sin, but to take on all the sin, of all time, and take punishment of all sin, after knowing no sin for your entire life had to be some of the worst pain ever. Also to know that he had the power to take himself off of that cross and prove to everyone watching who he really was, but Jesus stayed there and died for us, for you, for me. Thats love.
This past week has really made me think of what I have, what I do, and what I receive that I don't deserve. Realizing that stuff is good, but then using what has been given to us is what really make our lives here on this Earth matter. So what are you going to do? Are you going to realize what you have but continue to live in winter, or are you going to spread the feeling of life to others and make the decision to live in SPRING!
Happy Easter and God Bless,
-Anthony
