Note: I realize that my readers come from all different backgrounds and many do not celebrate the Resurrection Day. However, I am choosing to share this openly because it is such an integral part of who I am. It is not my intention to disrespect anyone. If you are interested in learning more about the resurrection please click here.
Today was Easter Sunday, my favorite holiday. Sadly, Easter has been a bittersweet day for me these last several years, just like my birthday. I spent most Easters stuck in bed. The one time I tried to attend church I got so overstimulated that I had to leave in the middle of the service.
Today was probably the strangest Resurrection Day we’ve ever had so far but thankfully, not the saddest. There was definitely grief that we could not celebrate this glorious day with the rest of God’s people, but we still found our own way to celebrate.
We drove in to Sandstone Bluff and climbed up on the rocks. Then we read the John 19-21 aloud together. The words hit me hard this time. Maybe because it was my first time hearing it since regaining my cognitive functioning. I could actually track with the words and understand their meaning.
Perhaps it was also because my own experience of deep suffering has allowed me to feel just a fraction of Christ’s pain. It has certainly opened my eyes to see just how astounding a God who suffered willingly for us really is.
Maybe it was because all the hope for this broken body and life hinges on this one great moment in history. Without the Resurrection there is no certainty of healing. Without the Resurrection there is no hope for a thriving earth. Without the Resurrection there is no answer for those who are suffering.
Yet, I believe that Christ rose victorious over death! Not metaphorically but quite literally. And because God himself burst into human history, we have hope. Hope for a new body and a new world. Hope for freedom from sickness and pain.
The Resurrection means that the deep longing in our hearts for a world without death or disease will be answered. All the things that are destroying our bodies and our planet will be done away with, once and for all. Every last inch of creation will be restored.
After we finished reading we sang some songs together. It was so moving to once again be able to worship Jesus through singing. It helped this lonely soul to remember that she is still a part of the church, just like the persecuted believers who sit in prison are still a part of the church. As we sang, we joined our voices to the millions of voices around the world who were also praising God for the Resurrection — a resurrection we will one day share.
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14 Comments
So true! I loved this post!
April 18, 2017 at 8:27 pm(A YWWer who is so grateful for all you and your husband are doing).
Aww… Thank you so much Lizbeth!
April 21, 2017 at 9:07 amThis was so beautifully written Ana! You made me cry, in a good way! My thoughts and prayers are with you!
April 18, 2017 at 10:03 pmBlessings,
A Devoted Reader
Aww… This means a lot. Thank you!
April 21, 2017 at 9:07 amAna, this post was so sweet!! And if all the prayers of so many work the miracle we are all praying for, then next year at Easter you will be fellowshiping with others in church, surrounded by a cloud of witnesses that have prayed so faithfully for you and saw the miracle the Lord performed. In the meantime, thank you for sharing the truth that no matter what we are going through there is still beauty and many things to be thankful for. Through you I’ve stopped whining regularly and thanked God for each day!! So I thank you for your testimony!!! Still praying for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 19, 2017 at 6:30 amThanks so much Chris! This is such a sweet comment!
April 21, 2017 at 9:08 amAna, I’m so encouraged by this post! It’s so great that in the middle of all your health issues, you could focus on the light and hope of the resurrection. You, I’m sure, have a great understanding of the effect of sin on this world that manifests itself in illness, and yet have the sweet perspective and knowledge that this short life is not all that there is!
I love this song, and how it talks about all the benefits we have in Christ because of his resurrection! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tssNsfwWckQ
April 19, 2017 at 12:17 pmAww… I’m so glad it encouraged you Alyssa! You encouraged me. 😊
April 21, 2017 at 9:09 amThank you so much for sharing. The hope of healing, and beyond that of healing and no sickness in Heaven where we can spend eternity is a hope that I’ve held on to, but I didn’t even think about that part of it specifically this Easter! 🙂 Thank you so much for the reminder!
April 19, 2017 at 2:38 pmYou’re welcome, Sara! Thanks for commenting! 💚
April 21, 2017 at 9:10 amBeautiful words, Ana! John 19 is very special to me, because it was the chapter in my first Bible that I read as a 9 year old, and afterwards prayed to accept Jesus into my heart as my Savior. Some things in the Bible feel like a story from a history book, a bit too detached to connect with. Never the resurrection. Reading John 19 still feels like it really is, reading the death of a friend. My best Friend. I know it’s not the end, because He rose again, and lives in Heaven, where He has prepared an eternal home for me. Still, it’s hard to imagine what Jesus suffered for me, for my sin. Just as Jesus suffered all, for the joy to come, I need to remind myself all suffering is for a little while on earth, and there is no pain or tears or sin or death in Heaven. It’s still hard in the Gethsemane gardens and cross-bearing times of my life, but it’s worth it for the empty tombs and mountain tops. Joy does come in the morning! The trouble is overcast mornings. That’s when I have to remind myself: the sun always shines above the clouds. God and His promises never change, even when everything else does. That’s how He gives me peace and joy, and grace for every new day. I pray God gives you he same and more abundantly, Ana.
April 21, 2017 at 2:10 amAmen! Thank you for taking the time to write this out Ruth. I so agree with you! Well said!
April 21, 2017 at 9:16 amThanks for sharing this beautiful account. This journey is definitely a hard one but we can be confident that our Lord is with us every step of the way. God bless you and your husband. I hope and pray you get better each day that passes. Wish I could hit the road and avoid the pollution of city living but with kids it is impossible.
May 2, 2017 at 8:16 pmThis is so beautiful.
July 1, 2017 at 3:17 pm