More Than Chocolate Bunnies

I love Easter. It has nothing to do with hollow chocolate bunnies or egg hunts although I like both of these traditions. It has everything to do with the resurrection of Jesus. This realization came to me when I was 12 years old.

I was walking through the school halls before class one morning and heard music coming from the cafeteria. I ventured in to find a crowd of people listening to a band: “There’s a shortage on fuel oil, and there’s a shortage on gas. There’s a shortage on wood and there’s a shortage on glass.” (It was the ’70s after all.) They continued, “But, I know of one thing there’s no shortage of; there’s no shortage on God’s mercy. There’s no shortage on God’s love.” It was a Christian band, singing about God! I had never heard music like this.

That night I attended an outreach concert at a local church where the same band was playing and also sharing their testimonies. It was there I first heard and realized that Jesus had actually risen from the dead. He had died to pay the penalty for our sins, making a way for us to be forgiven and reconciled to God, but He was now alive. Since He had risen, conquering death, He was obviously Lord of all. He had suffered death because He wanted to have a relationship with any who would trust in Him as Savior and Lord.

It was clear to me that I desperately needed Him to be my Savior, and I deeply wanted Him to be my Lord. I cried, surrendering my life to Jesus. Finally, Easter made sense! It is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Because He arose from the grave, I now experience new life and ongoing relationship with Him! He desires to be part of every aspect of every day of my life. To this day, I marvel at and share the joy of Jesus’ resurrection.