Tip of My Iceberg

For many, Easter is a time of egg hunts, chocolate, and Peeps, those questionable marshmallowy shapes loved by some and disliked by others. When the hearts of youngsters turn to sweets, chicks, bunnies, and baskets.

Many view Easter as that holiday that heralds the end of school approaching, spring has finally come, and summer and warmer temperatures aren’t far behind.

When Mason and Nolan participated in a recent Easter egg hunt, it was all about the candy. They were in the two to four-year-old age group, and the eggs were a tiny bit of a challenge, but not too much of one to discourage the littles.

Isley and Talia, in their final year of hunting, had a greater challenge. The nine to twelve-year-olds had to work harder for what they got. But they also met with sweet success.

Nobody walked away empty handed. Or empty basketed.

The search for Easter eggs reflects a search so many of us are on for more meaning and substance in life. It’s easy to settle for chocolates and jelly beans. Those are the easiest things to get in a world full of whatever we want. Talking about candy doesn’t bother anyone or ruffle spiritual/religious feathers. Sugar may not be suitable for teeth, but nobody will dismiss you for it or distance themselves from you.

When one speaks of searching for the meaning of life, for answers that aren’t as easily pleasing to the masses, an interest in knowing God can often feel daunting. What will others think of me if I want answers for who God is?

Easter is the ultimate answer to that question. From the beginning of creation, when Adam and Eve were ushered out of Eden for turning their backs on a close relationship with God, people have tried to figure out how to relate to God. They came up with religion–rules, traditions, and practices that ultimately tried to make people worthy of His love.

We’re all trying to find our way back to God. However that looks.

God is perfect, and since we are not, anything we attempt will fall short of being enough. We can try our best and still not become perfect. God chose to intercede for us by sending Jesus, who chose to pay the ultimate sacrifice for us.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:16-17

God doesn’t play hide and seek with us. He hasn’t made knowing Him difficult–it takes faith. Believing that the gift of salvation in Jesus is ours if we only ask.

Life with Jesus isn’t relying on a crutch nor a list of do’s and don’t’s. It’s a relationship with a loving Savior who chooses to know us in the worst of our mess and still gives the best of who He is for us.

The benefits are way better than chocolates and jelly beans.