I love Easter. I always have. But somewhere along the way, Easter became . . . well, stressful.
It probably started when, as a new mom, I decided to make an Easter outfit for my firstborn son. Several Easters later, I had three boys and no time to sew anything for anybody. Yep, that’s when Easter officially went on steroids and devolved into the following run-on sentence:
Dyeing Easter eggs, shopping for Easter clothes, making Easter baskets, planning the Easter menu, shopping for Easter groceries, attending Easter services, coming home and cooking the Easter meal, cleaning up the Easter dishes and, finally, hiding Easter eggs for endless egg hunts. That’s what Easter looked like in that season of my life.
Fast forward 25 years, and today my nest is empty. Easter should be stress-free with tons of time to soak in all of the spiritual significance of this high and holy season, right?
Sadly, no.
After 58 years of living, this I (finally) know: giving God priority is an ongoing challenge in every season of life.
Because Easter is just around the corner, I have two questions for you:
- What challenges are you experiencing as you seek to celebrate Easter and give God priority?
- Would you be willing to carve out 15 minutes and 26 seconds to prepare your heart for Easter before Easter?
I don’t know how you answered the first question. But if you answered yes to the second one, I have two fantastic tools to help you prepare your heart for Easter especially if you’re stressed out.
The first tool is a dramatized reading of the Easter story from Mark 15-16 from Faith Comes By Hearing. It’s 9 minutes and 6 seconds long. As you listen, prepare your heart for Easter by visualizing the story and worshiping the One who died and rose again for you.
The second tool is one of my all-time favorite Easter songs (an oldie but a super goodie): I’ve Just Seen Jesus sung by Sandi Patty and Larnelle Harris. It’s 6 minutes and 20 seconds long. As you watch it, raise your hands, sing along, shout, weep grateful tears, or all of the above.
Easter’s coming, sister. Prepare your heart and discover one more thing this 58-year-old woman knows:
You don’t have to wait for Resurrection Day to celebrate the resurrection.