Am I an Easter Child?

I ponder falling deeply in love, more than before, with my Jesus. Opening God’s Word to the Gospels and Acts to read the life of resurrection with Jesus brings me repeatedly to words such as cleanse, heal, anoint, deliver. Jesus did these things over and over again. Resurrection in Him gives me powers unknown other than through Christ Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus called me to wait for the Holy Spirit. He came. He lives within me.

As Easter nears, I question my being an Easter person (per Ann Voskamp). Oh, I am. I was once lost but have been found, was dead and now live in Christ. Hallelujah!

Walking with Him yet in this world can make staying the course as an Easter person, as a Christian true to Christ, not easy. When I am around those who know NOT Jesus as their LORD and Savoir, I struggle at times when I allow them to try to change me to be more like them, the world, rather than allow Christ to continually mold me into His Image. I was once of this world and do not want to return to those ways. I try to let others know my limitations, things I do not want to do, words I do not use, things that are no longer appropriate for me. I want to let them know ME, the me that is His. I am His. I am an Easter child. I have been baptized with Christ and now I live. I live this day for Him. I ask His forgiveness when I do not open up and share Whose I am and why I am the way I am. I want to share my spiritual heart as He surely wants me to. I do not live wholly for Him before others sometimes and I am ashamed. I am not ashamed of Him nor the Gospel, but am ashamed of myself. What happens? I sink into a hole and cannot get out. The world begins to engulf me. I feel like I am drowning. I do not call for His help. I should. I must! I am sorry, my LORD. Forgive me. You know I am Your Easter child. Hold me and make me whole. Let me start again.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

Living the resurrected life does begin again… can begin again. Thank You, LORD. Living the resurrected life calls for dependence, for waiting on the Holy Spirit. Living the resurrected life is forgiveness, forever knowing that I am His. I want never to forget this. Living the resurrected life is prayer, kneeful, faceful praying. Living the resurrected life is searching, pondering, loving the Truth. Living the resurrected life is emerging from the shelter of the cocoon, not holding tight within it. It is spreading my wings into the world, but not being of this world, taking flight as the resurrected Easter child I have been created to be. I am to be His, to grow, to be molded into the beauty of the LORD. The world has no influence upon me if and when I walk with Him. And I stand tall, turn to Him, knowing that I do let Him down, knowing that He forgives and loves me.

As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the Word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave the same gift to them as He gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” Acts 11:15-18

I am praising You, LORD. Hallelujah! You forgive me when I am not worthy. You love me who does not deserve Your love. You are God and I love You with my whole heart. You are the Holy One of Israel Who bought the Israelites from captivity and gave them Promised Land. You are the Blessed Savior Who has brought me out of the captive world to be Your child, Your child who looks forward to spending Eternity with You. Oh, I am honored and unworthy at the same time. Oh, how grateful I am to You. I am an Easter child. I pray in the Holy Name of Jesus. Amen.