Personal Resurrection

Help me, Lord, my God; save me in your kindness.  Psalm 109:26

 As I contemplate the joy and amazement of this Easter season my thoughts just get lost in the “wow” of it all.  How did a stone that big just get moved over?  How did the Apostles feel when they saw Jesus again?  How must Thomas have felt when Jesus loved him enough to let him touch his wounds so he would be convinced?  How must Mary have felt to hold her sons face in her hands and look lovingly into his eyes again?  The list of questions goes on and on and all I come away with is … “wow – I can’t even imagine!”

I think we forget through Jesus’ resurrection we also received a resurrection.  He paid the enormous cost for all of our sins.  It’s not often in life someone does ALL the hard, horrible, painful work for us and we simply reap the benefit but it happened one Easter long ago.  That Easter lives on to this day and as Christians, we’re still basking in the blessings of the resurrection.  As I’ve been contemplating the “Wow” of the resurrection, I’ve made a list of things I need a resurrection from.  They will take a lot of work and maybe some sacrifice and perhaps even a fair dose of suffering but if I want to share in the joy of Jesus’ resurrection I figure I’ve got a little work of my own to do.  And I suppose my greatest  hope is to be more in love with him and more connected to him and even more filled with Easter joy!  Here’s my list…

*I need to be resurrected from selfishness!  A wise woman I know recently said that complaining is the greatest form of selfishness because the reason we whine and complain is to let others know something happened to us that wasn’t convenient or pleasant and we want attention for it.  I didn’t want to believe her but the more I think about it the more “right” I realize she really is! Lord, help me realize the world isn’t obligated to ensure my comfort and happiness.

*I need to be resurrected from narrow-mindedness!  I’ve got to remember I don’t know what I don’t know!  I see a tiny sliver of the situation but if I had the chance to see the whole thing I would realize how narrow my perspective can truly be!  That needs to be my first thought and not my last.

*I need to be resurrected from indulgence! I approach the comforts of this world with my hands poised to reach out and take rather than with hands lifted to thank and share.  I often want the first, prime choice things for myself instead of being satisfied with the crumbs or the crusts.  I approach things and feel the need to grab them up in case they won’t be there later instead of trusting that I will always have exactly what I need exactly when I need it. (You would think by now that I would realize there will not be a world-wide shortage of chocolate chip cookies or mashed potatoes!) My indulgence can border on greed more often than I’d like to admit! Lord remind me all I need is You!

*I need to be resurrected from doubt!  My blessings outweigh my struggles by a hundred-fold but I seem to forget that daily!  Jesus, heal me of my unbelief…yes I do think those words were put specifically in the New Testament for me!!!!

Jesus didn’t rise by himself; it was through the power of His Heavenly Father.  I need to remember that He is my Father too and if I but call on His name and trust in His infinite wisdom, power and love I too will experience a resurrection from all the things on my list.  Why do I make it so hard…I call upon His name, I suffer through the process of change a bit all the while remembering He’s got me in the palm of His hand and I will rise above it and be closer to Him.  Seems simple enough…guess I better get to work on my resurrection!

A Seed To Plant:  What are some of the things you need a resurrection from?  As you make your list, read the resurrection story slowly and carefully and allow yourself to be swept away in the “Wow” of the story!

Blessings on your day!

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