“For He is Risen, As He Said…”

Happy Easter!

We traveled with a joyful sorrow through Lent, and here we are on the other side…on the side of tidied hearts and kept promises and reinvigorated faith. I know that sometimes it is so easy to lack enthusiasm for Lent, but as I sit here on Easter Monday, I am thoroughly grateful for it and for the grace I was given as I struggled through it. I’m grateful for the increased discipline it put in my life in very specific areas within my family life, and for the hard work of trying to fight against poorly formed inclinations of different kinds. Yes, I am actually grateful for the work! I find myself this morning not thinking “oh good, today I am not restricted anymore from my Lenten work” (well…aside from forgoing a daily treat maybe!), but instead continued to catch myself a few times from, say, voicing something that should not have been said anyway…Lent or not. These are teenie tiny glimpses of progress for me, and I am hopeful that I can continue to grow in some of the ways I started 40 plus days ago.

Most importantly though, I am basking in kept promises. Not those that I made several weeks ago (which I struggled with clumsily and may unfortunately break at some point through my weakness)…but of God’s. He is always, always, always faithful, and always, always, always does what He says he will do. Isn’t that amazing? Send us a savior, to rescue us? He did so, in His perfect timing. Raised Him from the dead after three days? He did so, just as He said…though it was shocking and almost unbelievable. He is always a God who keeps His promises.

With so much shifting around us in our lives, our families, our communities, and in our world, what a joy this is: a kept promise. Even more so that it is one so big, that of our salvation!