“Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
John 19:28-30
This is quite possibly the lowest point in all of the New Testament, if not the whole Bible. It certainly looks like it, at any rate. These were Jesus’ final words, His last breath that He took while hanging on a tree like a common criminal. This was the Savior everyone had been waiting for. This was the One everything had been leading up to. And He was dead.
It seemed that things couldn’t get any worse, and the truth is, they didn’t. Things didn’t necessarily get better right away, either, though. At least not for the believers. Jesus’ body was taken down and preserved, and He was sealed away in a tomb for three days. That was when the light began to shine through. Many of us know the story; Jesus didn’t stay in the tomb. He didn’t remain dead. Our Savior rose from the grave to new life, not only atoning for our sin through His death, but defeating death itself in His resurrection. This is the entire foundation of the Christian faith, and yet it wouldn’t have been possible without the cross. Without the blood and scorn, and the utter injustice and hopelessness that was felt that day, we’d never experience the miraculous life that we see today. Often, this is how God works. The lowest lows lead to the highest highs. He uses sinful people and painful circumstances to bring His people to exactly where He wants them to be, and we can be sure that, “. . . In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
We go through scary and painful things every day. These issues aren’t as dramatic or world-changing as Christ’s death, but they often follow the same pattern on a much smaller scale. Whenever you’re tempted to feel discouraged or hopeless, just remember the cross. God always has a plan. Sometimes it hurts to get there, but the end result will always be worth it.
The clouds came apart
Like a star split;
A cosmic explosion
Pulls the curtains back
And opens the world.
Rock hard cold is gone,
If only for a day.
A sweet trickle fills the sky,
Chasing the dark away.
A warm wind kisses my cheek,
Full of bittersweet memory.
When I found the melody of our summer
Amid cold and frigid winter.
A new dream unlocked inside of me,
An anticipation,
The culmination of
Everything I love,
A wonder for life.
I was ready to learn to fly
The day my wings began to grow,
Unfolding under winter snow,
Verses floating in my mind,
Magic I could almost find.
Puzzle pieces fall together
In this preview for warmer weather.
Life is not just memory,
But present joy,
The joy to breathe,
Every moment getting higher.
Passion burns in me like fire.
I still remember broken nights,
But on and on and on I’ll fight,
If only for the days like this,
When cold holds off,
When warm resists,
When highs and lows of adrenalin
Leave me in the place I’m in.
When you smell something, nerves send that information to the brain. After continually smelling the same thing for a while, though, the nerves stop sending messages because the brain already knows about the smell.
I lived in a not great part of the city until I was nine years old. I always loved the crocuses that grew in our front yard, but I was also used to them coming up every spring. They smelled so sweet and fresh. The tiny balls in the most wonderful shade of deep purplish blue that made up the tapered tops of the flowers were so beautiful.
When I was nine and we moved out, I was sad to leave, but the flowers were no part of my concern. Now I'm grateful to live in a safe place with friendly neighbors and woods behind the house; however, while my yard and the woods have plenty of flowers, I haven't found any crocuses.
I miss the crocuses, even if I didn't always acknowledge them.
Today I am grateful for my younger sister. It wasn't a great day and I got really grumpy and generally not fun to be around but she still wanted to play outside with me.
Today I am grateful for America, my country. I finished my history book for school today and I learned about Americans commemorating how our country started by celebrating the fourth of July. Throughout history, when any number of awful things were going on, people continued to celebrate our country. It really made me think about what America is. Why celebrate it? America was built on freedom. God created this beautiful land and placed on it people who He allowed to build a country where we can be free to say and believe whatever we believe is right. Now with the quarantine it may feel like our freedom is restricted, but we are still free to believe. I am thankful that my country gives me this right.
Today I am grateful for my Mom. We did our morning yoga as usual but this time my younger brother, Mason, did it with us. I was mad because it's sort of a special thing just for Mom and I, but she was calm and fair and kept me in good enough humor to enjoy yoga even if I did wish it was just the two of us. Later I did get some one on one time with Mom, though it was only at the grocery store. At the checkout she bought me a new flavor of chapstick (just don't tell any of my siblings). We also rented the movie of Little Women and something for the younger kids to watch. Mom read the book when she was around my age and she loved it and was excited for me to read it last year. I loved it just as much. So with our mutual love of the story we cuddled up to watch the movie after dinner. I am thankful for the wonderful time that I got to spend with my Mom today.
Today I am grateful for spring. It's been pretty cold out the last few days, but today wasn't bad. I did some art outside and watched three birds as they loudly squabbled and flapped their wings in a nearby tree. Later I took a walk at the edge of the woods and admired the many flowers preparing to open up any day now. I was cold when I got back from a bike ride with my brother, but it was so good to be outside! I am so thankful spring is here; I don't know what I'd do if it wasn't.
Today I am grateful for God. I could go on for hours with the reasons but I haven't got the time for that so I'll leave it at this: What could I be more thankful for than the One who made everything that is good?
Why do we celebrate Easter? Obviously to honor some random bunny who hides colorful eggs full of chocolate. Makes sense, right? Ok, so that story is pretty random. If you aren’t a fan of creepy bunnies (how does he hide said eggs? Weird.), you might say that the holiday is about spring, growth, and new life. This is a lot closer to the truth, anyway. For Christians, Easter is a day to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection after dying on a cross for our sins. I want to share how I depicted that important message in my painting.
What you probably noticed first in my picture was the cloud near the center with a red outline of a heart on it. Most hearts we see are red. Why? Well, I don’t know if this is a real reason, but it clicked for me: blood is also red, and blood can represent sacrifice. Hearts of course mean love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 says this about love: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” The best kind of love is sacrifice. Jesus loved us so much, despite our sins, that He gave His blood for us. He sacrificed
himself so that He could die for our sin in our place. That’s real love. John 15:13 puts it clearly, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” I used the first cloud to represent that.
The second cloud, near the corner, is wrapped in some sort of ribbon. This is supposed to be like the wrappings Jesus was buried in. They are wrapped around the cloud because, well, they aren’t on Him anymore! Jesus was more powerful than the grave. He rose again! We read in John 28:6, “He is not here; he has risen!” In verse 12 of that same chapter, “Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.”
Finally, there is the sun in the other bottom corner. You may be thinking I just really like to paint sunsets. Well, I do, but that’s not all. It can be a sunrise, too. Thinking of it that way, it represents a new hope for a fresh start. Because of what Jesus did for us, we can have new life. To quote 1 Peter 1:3, the verse Dad used in his sermon this morning, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Maybe that’s why we celebrate the resurrection in spring. The sun also represents the Son, as in Jesus, the Son of God. He rose from the dead to give us light in this dark world. It represents the Son’s ascension to heaven, as well. Finally, if you look at it like a sunset, it could represent the end of the world. It will be beautiful for those who are saved with heaven waiting on the other side. Psalm 16:11 says this: “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” We only have that because of what Christ did for us, and because of His power.
So that’s what Easter is about, not sugar rush or oversized bunnies. It’s about new beginnings because of Jesus’ sacrificial love for us and His power over the grave. It’s about the joy we have in heaven someday, and about Jesus waiting for us there now. The words that really stuck with me from Dad’s sermon this morning are “living hope.” That’s what we celebrate today. As Easter comes to a close, let’s try to remember that every day throughout the year. I’ll leave you with this verse: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”—Isaiah 53:5
A few days ago I was painting with watercolors. I got very upset when some brown paint dripped onto the best part, which was a pink flower patch in the bottom right corner. After I calmed down, though, I was able to salvage the picture by blending the brown in with more pink and green paint. It actually turned out better than it looked before. See the picture above.
How does this relate to anything at all? Well, God can make good things come out of mistakes or bad things in life, just like even more beauty came out of the mistake in my painting. Let's see how.
First, we need to understand that God has the power to make good come out of bad things. He has this power because He can control all things. Verse 35 of Daniel 4 says, "All the people of the earth are nothing compared to
Him[God]. He does as He pleases among the angels of heaven and the people of the earth. No one can stop Him or say to Him, 'What do You mean by doing these things?'" This is basically saying that God is more powerful than anyone or anything else, He does whatever He wants (and since He is perfect and all-knowing, this is a very good thing), and nobody can stop or question Him. Isaiah 46:10 says something similar: "Only I[God] can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish."
Now we know that God can make good out of bad, but we need to know if He does. While God does sometimes bring just judgement on people, Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes everything to work out for those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." This means that Christians don't have to worry! If we truly love God and want whatever He wants for us, everything will eventually come together to help us in some way, be it obvious or unexpected.
Though it may not seem like it, God always has a purpose that will ultimately benefit believers. I am not saying that if we believe in God we'll get all the possessions we want and our lives will immediately be perfect, not at all! All I'm saying is that God is on our side and He knows what's best for us in the long run and how to make it happen, even if it makes no sense to us at the time.
I entered through the magical archway,
Its light flowers beckoning with fanciful beauty.
The woods, they call me from afar
With sharp, tingly scents of green
And sweet, clear scales of birdsong.
I am swallowed by the canopy of greenery
With the sun slanting through.
The dappled light is dancing
In the light and lovely breeze.
I long to uncover secrets,
To find enchanted kingdoms
Just beyond that next hump.
Butterflies pass me light as air
And it seems that all is possible.
I strive to find the hidden paradise,
Always just out of reach.
The cool water,
So thick and fresh,
Wraps around my ankles in a rush.
All is peaceful
Beneath the vibrant canopy
Of green leaves
As the smooth flow
Massages my legs.
Lazy droplets collect on my skin;
I don’t even bother to shake them away.
All I can hear
Is the soothing call
Of the creek,
My pencil on the paper,
And a bird’s chirps of joy
For this moment.
Monday.
I eagerly await the end of this week,
The start of May.
Maybe I'll take a stroll in the creek,
But will it be to celebrate
Or to ease my disappointment?
To know this I cannot wait.
Did they like the entry I sent?
Tuesday.
The ground is a magical carpet
Of a flowery array.
Only a few have not bloomed yet;
Most have opened up their glorious petals
To show what makes them so lovely
And when the right time calls
I will bloom, too. Just wait and see.
Wednesday.
I have smiled all night in bed
And also all day.
My art has been accepted!
I have new confidence
That my writing could be, too.
My excitement is immense;
How to contain it, I have no clue.
Thursday.
I bickered with my little sister
In a childish way.
She offended me about a picture.
I came at her with my paintbrush.
I failed to keep my anger in
But next time, into rage I will not rush.
When we fail, second chances let us win.
Friday.
I did not do it this time
But it's okay.
I'll keep on using rhythm and rhyme
To honor God, the One who made me
And gave me the talent and passion.
I will always be loved by Him, you see.
He is here, no matter what may happen.
On a perfect spring day I step out the back door
And it’s far more exciting than my brother’s high score.
I can’t take his video game talk anymore.
I am hit by all the wonder at once.
Beautiful things to behold by the bunch!
My breath is swept away in a kind punch.
The warm air wraps around me in a light loving hug.
The sweet smell of lilac attracts me and many a bug.
I hear moss soak up water at the pace of a slug.
What shall I do with a day like today?
Live. Just live in the most joyful way.
Forget and forgive the snow as I say…
“Thanks to our Creator, God,
For He is so very good!”