Easter, a new beginning!

Easter is all about Jesus! It is about the miracle of a new beginning. The more I walk with Jesus, the more I find out how wonderful he is.

The season of Easter is an ideal time to reflect on the goodness of God, His mercy and grace, past and present.  It’s a time to ponder, a time to consider the message behind Easter – of God coming in the flesh, in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. He lived and walked with men, died a horrendous death  and rose back to life on the third day. I remember seeing the movie “The Passions of Christ.” It was a terrible experience. I was shocked, shattered and felt saddened at the anger and hatred that the people had for Jesus. The prophet Isaiah in 53:4-5, says this about Jesus:

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows... But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."

My conversion to becoming a born-again Christian happened almost twenty two years ago now. Without Christ's divine interventions, there was no way that I could meet God's perfect standards. (I am still a work-in-progress). Here’s a paraphrase version of something I read about forgiveness: ” …I stood before God in my sinful tattered clothes, with my heart tangled up with anger and rebellion, and my shoes worn out and muddy from all my past failures.” With where I was in life, that's exactly what I would have looked like, as I stood before God asking for forgiveness!

The reality of forgiveness started where I was on the day of my conversion, not where I wanted to be, or where I wished I was. The Golden Rule of the Bible is "...in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you" (Matthew 7:12).  Forgiving others plays a big role in relationships.  At conversion, my relationship with God was restored, but I had other relationships to be renewed too, and these included family, friends and indeed my enemies.

As Christians, we know that forgiving someone and being forgiven by someone may not automatically take away the hurt or deny the past injury. Neither does forgiveness ignore the possibility and need for repentance. There must be a willingness to take the initiative in dealing with any barriers, that are in the way of restoring the relationships as based on what Jesus has done. In my daily walk with God, I have to keep reminding myself to forgive others just as Jesus did for me. Admittedly, I do not find this easy so I have been working at it for as long as I've been a born again Christian.

I am forgiven

My journey with Jesus has been a huge learning experience.  The road wasn't always smooth. There were mountains of difficulties to overcome; dark valleys and storms to get through. I can say from experience, that no amount of counseling, no amount of therapy, and no amount of medicine, could give my circumstances a quick fix.  I needed a whole lot more than what all these things can offer.  The more I walk with Jesus, the more I know Him and the more I realize how much I need Him.

The following scriptures is an expression of my praise, gratitude and thanksgiving to God! 

“My soul doth magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour..." (Luke 1:46).

“You turned my wailing into dancing, you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. That my heart will sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever” (Psalm 30:1-2).

Prayer:

"Dear Heavenly Father, I pray this Easter season be a time of new beginnings for everyone. May it resurrects new life, new meaning and new purpose into our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen"!