Yesterday was Easter Sunday, so it seems fitting that I should say something about the biggest event in the history of the world (namely, the resurrection of Christ from the dead).
I went to church yesterday (which wasn’t so out of the ordinary for a Sunday morning), but, of course, there were a few things out of the ordinary. For instance, my new white dress with the plum flowers and the matching shimmery purple shoes…the doughnuts…the special music…the extra guests…
However, shortly after the beginning of this special Easter service, I found my thoughts refocused as I lost myself in a little passage being read about Mary’s visit to the tomb on that resurrection morning so long ago. Mary, arriving early at the tomb, was shocked and saddened to discover that it was empty. Judging from what she could see, she reached a logical conclusion that Jesus’ enemies had stolen His body and hidden it. She began to weep for the dead body of the Christ she loved so much. Her heart was filled with sorrow at the conclusion she reached judging from what she saw from her surroundings. But the truth of the matter was that the very thing which she was sorrowing over was actually the very thing that would bring her and the rest of the world the greatest reason for hope and joy. It was the grandest miracle and the greatest event in history that has forever changed the world and brought hope to all mankind. Her heart was filled with sorrow, when it should have been filled with joy.
I was feeling just a little convicted as I heard these words. How many times, like Mary, do I jump to conclusions about how terrible things are when I focus only on my surroundings and my circumstances from my very human standpoint? I need to look past the surface appearances and try to see the bigger picture, the grander scheme of things. If I don’t, I so easily misinterpret the circumstances and respond in my very human manner, falling prey to discouragement, despair, sorrow and desperation. I can choose to look at my circumstances only through human eyes, or I can choose to seek God when faced with difficult things to get His perspective on them. What I believe about my circumstances will not change the facts. Just as Mary’s believing that the Lord’s enemies had stolen His body away did not change the fact that He had actually risen from the dead. The hope of eternal life was still there, an undeniable fact of life (literally and figuratively speaking), but she would never experience the joy of it, if she chose only to believe her own logical conclusion based upon what the circumstances seemed to say. If I never learn to see past the surface appearances of things, I could live my life in sorrow at the bleak picture I see, when I actually should be full of joy. For who knows but that the very reasons that I am weeping may actually be the greatest blessings in my life?
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