“On Easter Day, the veil between time and eternity thins to gossamer.”
Douglas Thornton
Easter Day is so full of joy and promise–of promises filled and yet to be realized–and a glimpse to life everlasting. We have gone through a long period of Lent, pondering the sufferings of Christ and his ultimate death so that we could live. Easter Day dawns, and as the sun rises on the horizon, the rays illuminate the glory of God’s kingdom and tease us with the hint of eternal life. Our excitement is barely contained as we pour into church, praising God for our salvation, made possible through the death of his only son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Eternity. Our minds can’t possibly grasp that concept. But the thoughts of being surrounded by God’s love, without pain, without sin, without evil present–just to be present in God’s sweet and enduring love–makes me long for that day when I finally do meet my Savior face-to-face. As the famous Christian song says “I can only imagine…”
Daily, we are bombarded with the current state of affairs in the world. Wars, famine, natural disasters, abortions, unemployment, domestic violence, divorces, lies, cheating, illnesses–the list goes on and on. Some of these affect us personally, and others do not, but they all affect us at some level. Sometimes, it’s hard to offset the pain with the joy, the anguish with the peace, the evil with the good, and thus we lose sight of the God’s promise that HE is in control, and that His glory can come out of suffering. Sometimes, we feel all alone in the depths of our despair and suffering, as though God as abandoned us. And that is when, according to St. Augustine, we must remember that “. . . He departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is Here.” So, we must never lose sight of the fact that even when we do feel alone, He is still ever-present in our hearts, in our souls, right next to us in our grief and pain.
Never has this become more evident to me over the past year of my life. It was several days after Easter last year that my oldest daughter left home under painful circumstances. This year, I have had to learn so many painful lessons about myself, about my situation, and how to find God in all of this pain. In the quiet times where I’ve allowed God into my heart, I was able to experience the calmness, the love, the peace, which will be present forevermore when I live with God eternally. God has pulled me through this year, has used my suffering for His glory, and has made me so grateful for His love and the precious gift of His son.
I wish all of you a very blessed Easter season.
©2009, Valerie Wolff