April. I nearly wanted to cry out, "Unbelievable!" when I heard myself say the name of the month - unbelievable only because it has snuck up on me rather unexpectedly. In the busyness of everyday life it seemed to me that the New Year had "just" started!
April is usually a month associated with exciting happenings - change of season, holidays, and more importantly, the celebration of Easter. For those of us that have observed Lent, the reality of Easter is indeed imprinted on our minds. All believers know that this celebration has nothing to do with bunnies, chocolates or even eggs, no matter how much we may like all of these!
The hype surrounding this time is constantly fuelled by the media, manufacturers and retailers, all in the name of a 'quick buck' with no regard to the spiritual side of the matter. For those of us who love the Lord, things look a whole lot different. This made me think a little about how our children experience this time around Easter, and how important it is for us to teach them the right message. Those delectable Easter eggs (and yes, I do like chocolate) were displayed in my local supermarket in January already!
Darlene Schacht wrote on Facebook, "If we don't teach our children who God is, someone else will teach them everything He's not." Now, it is precisely the Easter Experience - the death and resurrection of Christ - that encapsulates the essence of who God is! This is a loving God who gave His most precious Son as an atoning offering for an evil and wicked creation. If our children grow up knowing this truth, no amount of glitz and glam around a chocolate bunny will ever let them forget this incredible Love! And it will be this Love that sustains and guides them, and allow them to be significant influencers in the lives of others.
A chicken lays an egg, a bunny hops around, and chocolates are really nice to eat; but that is just that. More importantly, God loved the world and gave his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again ( John 3:16 MSG).
And with that, may I wish you and your family a glorious Easter, full of worship and celebration where God is glorified in song and dance, food and laughter, togetherness and relationship, and where the message in your home is: Christ is alive!
