Easters

Easters. Okay, I know you are thinking this has to be a typo. It’s not. Yes Easters. Sunday is coming, and I hope and pray that you will be up early to celebrate our victory in Christ. So going to church is Easter celebration one. Now for Easter celebration two: the time with your family celebrating Jesus for who he said he was in overcoming death giving us an eternal hope.

As a child Easter was one of the few times we went to church. I would get all dressed up sit through a service which would seem to last for a week, and then get ripped off with a bread crumb and a sip of juice. Wow, I thought it was torture.

However, the best part of Easter was the coming dinner. Was this the special meal to celebrate the egg? Or just the bunny that laid the egg? Wait bunnies do not lay eggs. Maybe this guy Jesus I heard mentioned created the holiday like George Washington’s birthday. I thought it was fun!

What I am trying to get at is what are your kids getting out of Easter? Is it a day of traditions with a little bit of Jesus added in for flavor? Or it is a day that Jesus is completely and absolutely the center piece of the day and every day after?

As parents, we need to ask ourselves if Easter is truly a day we are helping our kids understand the importance of Jesus overcoming death. Are our lives celebrated every day in that victory? I just want to challenge you with something.

Challenge: At the end of Easter Sunday ask your kids what the day was all about, and why you did certain things that day (i.e. church, special meal, etc.). See what they say. Some might be right on, and some kids might surprise you with how far you’ve moved away from the true meaning of Easter.

Centered

When life becomes crazy and our kids are driving us to the brink of insanity, what do we center ourselves on? What is the one thing that brings us back to normal?

For many it is some type of substance abuse: Internet, TV, disconnecting and disengaging from the situation and the family, physically leaving or exploding to the point where everyone else is on pins and needles. Unfortunately in society today, we’ve been taught to escape elsewhere and dive into something that will give us pleasure or a release.

That is a lie perpetrated by an enemy who would love for each one of us to react to these situations in that very way. But there is a solution. At our very finger tips we hold the answer to being centered, but often times we choose to reject it for lack of personal and spiritual maturity.

The answer is Jesus. Yes, Jesus. It is that simple. But often we choose a course of destruction and leave out the one ingredient that would help us be what family and friends need.

 

Early on when I was a new believer, I was exactly like the person described above. I wanted all the pleasures of life and complete control over everything. I had bought into the package the enemy was selling hook, line and sinker.

I was an immature believer and did not realize that Jesus did more than open a place in Heaven for me: He actually wanted to be the center of my life. Jesus wanted invade every part of my life, and I mean every part, including the areas I thought I deserved or earned for myself.

Well as maturity came, the more I relinquished, and the more Jesus became the center of my life. The better I became at dealing with distractions. In the end I drew closer to my wife and kids. When I allowed Jesus to invade my life, I truly understood what it was to be centered in Christ and to know His peace, and I think that is something we are all looking for.

As we strive in our busy and complicated lives, what we can do to place Jesus at the center of it all? Here are some actions I take to stay focused:

• No day can start without prayer and the conscientious inclusion of Jesus in my day
• Reading of His word on a daily basis
• Making the conscience decision to keep Jesus at the forefront of my mind all day long
• Knowing that Jesus is not a tool for an end to a means; moreover, He is my Lord who suffered for me and took a punishment I so deserved
• Give Jesus the credit for my day and not credit myself
• Purposely make Jesus part of all my decisions and seek His counsel
• To verbally say His name everyday out loud (Try it and see- just by saying it can make a difference in your heart)
• Ask the Holy Spirit every day to help me walk the best path to honor my King Jesus

Some of these suggestions may seem really simple, and they are. However, the Gospel is simple, and so is the relationship He wants to have with us. So I leave you with some questions you might need to ask yourself.
 
Am I walking daily with Jesus? Is Jesus added along in my day? Is prayer even a part of my life? Is Jesus getting the time He has earned and deserves in my life? When things get rough, who do I turn to as my center? Am I so sold out for Jesus that I cannot go a day without Him?

Please comment and share what you do to keep Jesus at the center of your life. Love you all.