Resurrection. Changes. Everything.
There is an insane weight to many of our lives.
Men and women are looking for hope and answers. Couples need fresh perspective. Kids are trying to make sense out of a broken childhood. Teenagers and young adults are doing quick things with more long-term consequences that they see in the short-term. Families are trying to figure out tension that they've pinned on one person, right or wrong. Households need to find their financial footing (again, and again).
It always feels this way, doesn't it?
That's why I'm especially intrigued that Jesus kept the scars from His crucifixion even after He rose. They represent the most horrible evil, and yet are embedded into the most breathtaking good. He didn't want to ignore the harsh reality, but He also couldn't ignore the miraculous transformation.
Resurrection. Changes. Everything.
Yes, doubt can loom. You're in good company if you have it. Even when Jesus rose from the grave, the Bible honestly records the struggle of the disciples trying to take it all in.
"And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him: but some doubted." (Matthew 28:17)
The idea that a risen, scarred Jesus stood before them was was inconceivable for the first disciples, just as it some days it feels impossible for many of us to grasp today... in our lives, in our circumstances.
And yet it happened. And it still can happen. And it is still happening.
Resurrection. Changes. Everything.
This weekend I watched people in our Easter services at Riverside Church tell their own story of transformation. I was also able to be with them behind-the-scenes as each prepared themselves to step forth and share the ache of one side of their story, before flipping it to share the victory of the other side. Each is a real example of Jesus at work, and each is also an example of Him not being done working.
Resurrection. Changes. Everything.
Wherever you're at today in this process, of doubt to decision... feeling conquered or conquering... know that you are loved and pursued by a Savior who didn't just die on a Cross so you can feel your sin on Him, but a Savior who also came back so you can feel His victory on you.
Resurrection. Changes. Everything.
#HeIsRisen #Easter #Resurrection
