Engage

Those who grew up in the 80’s can’t forget this gem of a PSA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk9XY8Nrs0A

While the war on drugs continues to rage on, another battle happens almost every day in traffic jams, breakrooms, and around dinner tables: the battle within the brain as it deals with stress. According to the American Psychological Association, the stress situation in America is “chronic.” That’s putting it mildly. Many would say modern-day Americans are the most collectively stressed-out population in history.

The Lord has allowed me to be a mother for 44 years. Knowing how so many struggle with infertility, I am truly grateful. And, my heart’s desire from the first day was that I would be a godly mother, passing along a love for the Lord and His Word to my children. That would be my legacy that they would remember when I go to be with Jesus.

So, as I was reading through 2 Chronicles recently, I got to chapter 21 and read this: “He passed away, to no one’s regret.” (2 Chronicles 21:4) What a sad epitaph!

Often the worst day of the year for an infertile woman is Mother’s Day. On this holiday, going to a house of worship can feel more like going to the house of mourning.

Silence, like the practices of Sabbath and slowing, offers an exit ramp to get out of the fast lane - a chance to press pause, take deep breath-break, renew, restore, be still and get quiet.

Does it bother you when you watch a new movie about Jesus’ life (or, even an old one) and the movie just falls flat when it comes to the resurrection appearances of Jesus? Sometimes, they are skipped altogether, other times portrayed as some kind of “voice heard only” type of thing. With all the phenomenal capability of Hollywood special effects, it seems that filmmakers could do (and would want to do) a fantastic job of portraying Jesus in his resurrected body and his real interactions with all those real people (500+) for 40 days (1 Cor. 15:3-8).

Come on. This culture is wild about the supernatural, sci-fi and fantasy fiction. Yet, the resurrection of Jesus is the greatest real supernatural event in human history. God raised his Son from the dead and gave him a new physical body that would never die again. Different from his friend Lazarus (John 11:38-44) who would experience death once again. So, why do we as a culture have difficulty believing that Jesus’ dead body was resurrected into an immortal but completely physical body that walked, talked, ate, drank, and could be touched as any human body could do? I think it is because we don’t really understand the true meaning of the resurrection and why Jesus had to rise from the dead.

Do you know why Jesus had to rise from the dead? Wasn’t the cross enough? Why is the physical bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ essential to our faith? Couldn’t it have been some spiritual thing instead?

On this particular Easter morning, I woke up with a sinking feeling in my stomach. As I prepared to drive our nice minivan, to our nice church in our nice clothes I couldn't help but think about the global plight of our brothers and sisters in Christ. I prayed that morning—a prayer that God didn't seem to answer. An unholy foreshadowing of the events to follow crossed my mind and I whispered a faint prayer against attacks. I grabbed for my bright green scarf and threw on my yellow earrings for a pop of color and asked God to save his people from death and persecution on Easter Sunday.

When someone dies, we struggle with the “why”. Why didn’t God answer our prayers? Why didn’t God answer the prayers of everyone else? Why was this life cut short? As Easter approaches and we solemnly remember the Last Supper and the gruesome events that unfolded, the “why” questions of the disciples are laid bare.

What difference does the resurrection make—in our lives? It's the most important event in all of human history. Where's the "so what" for today?

I meditated on this question for weeks, eventually creating a list too long for this blog post. So let me share my favorites.

All pain and suffering will be redeemed and resolved.

Racial injustice. Color blindness. White privilege. Reparations. Christian unity. Woke up. Systemic racism. 

A few years ago these were terms that I as a white woman knew little about and rarely even considered, much less understood. I grew up in the Jim Crow South surrounded by people who looked just like me. Although Brown vs. The Board of Education had demanded an end to school segregation years before, the reality was that my schools were as segregated as ever until high school. My parents were strong Christians who had been taught that white people were superior. But I noticed the inconsistency of their faith and actions and wondered.