The Greatest Act of Love
What does Easter mean to you? Is it about the time you spend with you family? Maybe when you were younger it was about the Easter Bunny and the easter egg hunts (although at 16 I still love a good easter egg hunt! haha!). Anyway, I think when we think of Easter we all have our favorite moments and traditions that come to mind. One of my favorite things about Easter was always when we would get together with my Mom's side of the family. My grandfather would hide a ton of eggs in the backyard and all of us would take our Home Depot sized buckets out into the backyard and scramble to find eggs! Each egg was worth a dollar, so you wanted to get as many as possible! I remember one year they gave out gift cards for certain eggs, and I ended up getting a Macaroni Grill gift card. I thought I had hit the jack pot, even though I had never been to Macaroni Grill!! Sadly, as we have all gotten busier and older, the tradition has yet to stay intact. Anyway, I feel like that will always be one of my favorite Easter memories because we were able to have fun and just be family as we celebrated Easter. When I think of Easter family is what always comes to mind because for as long as I can remember my Easters have been spent around my family.
However, as I have gotten older I have discovered that Easter is not just about my family, my family's traditional Easter egg hunt, or the yummy chocolate bunnies and treats that would get put in my Easter basket. Easter is about the Greatest Act of Love that our world has ever experienced-Jesus' death on the cross and His Resurrection. John 15:13 states, "Greater love had no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." Jesus showed the ultimate act of love when He laid down His life for us. He paid it all. He loves us so much that He was willing to die a terrible death for us no matter how much pain it would cost Him. Because that is one thing about Jesus, He never puts Himself first. Yes, He knew it would be painful and treacherous, but He put His faith and life in the hands of God knowing that this was what He was meant to do. Jesus proclaimed, "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done" (Matthew 26:42). Jesus took all the sin of this world and died for you and me, so that we all may have eternal life. Is that not amazing? Every drop of blood, whip, tear, and sweat was for us. Jesus set everything aside and put His complete self on that cross for us. He hung there thirsty, starved, and tired as He was mocked and pointed at. Although the amazing thing about Jesus is that He did not let any of that affect Him. He just simply said: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do"(Luke 23:24). Jesus prayed for those who mocked and laughed at Him, is that not incredible?
Although, thankfully, we are able to celebrate and remember more than just the pain and death of Jesus on Easter. We are also able to rejoice in His Resurrection! Through His Resurrection Jesus opened the doors to eternal life for us! He made it possible for us all to be united with Him in Heaven one day. I feel that this fact is what makes Easter so special. We are reminded that we will one day get to experience eternal life with Christ where there will be no pain and hardship. We will only feel love and happiness as He welcomes us into His open arms, which is why we celebrate! We celebrate the everlasting love Christ has for us through his passion, death, and Resurrection. Like I said before, He paid it all just for us. There is no battle that we could ever endure that could come close to what Jesus endured. He already conquered it all at the cross, so there is no need for us to live in fear and pain. We can now live in peace knowing that Christ overcame it all. He showed us the Greatest Act of Love, and for that we should forever be praising and thanking Him!
Happy Easter!
Have a great week and stay faithful, friends!
Much love always,
Gracie
P.S.--These are a few Easter songs sung by Claire Crosby that I think are so beautiful and sweet! This little girl is incredibly adorable and talented! She definitely shares the love she has for Jesus through her music, and it is so precious! The last one is my favorite! I just wanted to make sure that I shared them all with you! :)
Easter 2016 (Claire @ 3 years old):
Easter 2017 (Claire @ 4 years old):
Easter 2018 (Claire @ 5 years old):
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