What Easter means this year...

I almost laughed when I read what this week's Faith Barista topic was.

What Easter means to you this year?

And sadly, the first thing that comes to mind has nothing to do with Christ.

See this weekend ends 2 things.

My sister will be married on Saturday.

(courtesy of Google Images)

FINALLY!
All the stress, pressure, planning, doing and etc will be finished. 
And my sister will be married.  Sunday evening the family will leave and hopefully my schedule will be back on schedule :o) 
I'm happy for her and all that, and have been praying daily now for stress to cease and for all the final things to come together.  I'm looking forward to being off on Friday and doing all the pre-wedding beauty stuff with her.  But I really look forward to it all being done. 

The other thing that comes to mind is I will finally be able to buy....

(courtesy of Google Images)

SHOES!  again :o)
As a youth group we gave up things for lent.  And my kids made me give up buying shoes.  (No I don't actually have that many shoes, that's Jessica Alba's closet not mine pictured.  But I do think that God has given me a joy for shoes ;o)  ) 

I know I do have a lot of shoes, but let me just state that a lot of my shoes are older. 
It's nice when your feet stopped growing when you were a teenager and so some of my shoes from back then are still in good condition. 

Really though as much as these 2 things excite me, I look forward to Sunday night. 

Once everyone is gone and I'm back home alone in my house, and I can sit and reflect.

Reflect on what the "Holiday" is really all about.  To think about what the difference a week makes.
We talked Sunday about Jesus coming into the city and the people shouting Hosanna and laying the palm branches down. 
How they worshiped and adored him.
And then less then a week later how they hated him.
Killed him.

And how he died.
A horrible, painful death.
One that he went to WILLINGLY.

And then He CONQUERED

CONQUERED SIN
CONQUERED DEATH

ALL FOR US

all for ME (say that to yourself in the first person)

And he would have even if it had only been me.

Talk about some love there. 
This year, that's what Easter means to me more than ever. 
His love, his grace, covering our sins, and all that he went through.
Just because he loves me.
I'm walking more and more in his grace these days as I look to his way of thinking, his way of doing things,  his road that he wants me on. 
One moment that road may be covered in palm branches (ok so none literally), and some moments that road may feel hurtful like the one he journeyed to that hill.  But as he guides and directs my path as I allow him, just like He allowed our Father to guide and direct his own, no matter what type of path the road may be on any given day, if it is His path all will be right in the world.  Because sometimes we need the pain to get to the joy, sometimes there are things we need to go through now to prepare us for tomorrows unseen circumstances that we wouldn't be able to handle or help someone else through if we didn't go through today. 
But no matter the path we don't walk it alone.  He walks with us. 
And he places people along side us all to walk it.  Just like He has placed many of you in my life, even if you aren't in my state, you are in my heart, just like the Holy Spirit. 
And I'm so happy to get to now walk my road with all of you. 

Happy Easter!!!