The Ultimate Dichotomy: Easter

When I began this blog I had on my mind to talk and think about the dichotomies of life.  The good and the bad mingled, the darkness to light, the pain in the midst of joy and new life...these are the things that make life what it is: in all it's fullness... bittersweet chocolate.  So my last post, I thought was about what God would do in my mother in laws life, through my helping her and caring for her.  How lofty of me... when in fact it was my attitude that He wanted to address. That was probably obvious to all of you but I'm a little slow sometimes when it comes to myself.

So there I sat in church this Easter... tears streaming down my cheeks.  (I am pretty sure I cried the entire service!)  Why the tears?  For this Easter, I was utterly aware of the wretchedness of myself.  There I sat struggling with the same sins I have struggled with before:  jealousy, fear, consumed with my own needs, my own desires, my own dreams, my longings for "community"  Yet, no matter what I seem to say at that moment to the Lord, I was utterly aware that I was wretched and the tears were of anger and remorse and shame.  Yet, the dichotomy exists because this very state is the best place for me to be before His cross on Easter Sunday.  Me in all my wretchedness, Him in all His perfection. Both suffering yet, He in his perfection, paid the price for me.  He suffered, said goodbye to friends and family, ached with pain, struggled on that cross... so that I could have new life.  The most amazing news of Easter is that He too gained new life.  He reached complete perfection when He conquered death itself.  When He rose from that grave, His death was not in vain, His death overcame, conquered and triumphed all in one day!

His death = New Life
His suffering = Wholeness
His sacrifice = gain

What a sweet exchange!  What an amazing dichotomy!  Do I deserve it?  NO!  But what an amazing truth that the God who made this amazing universe, lowered Himself to be human so that He could truly befriend me and understand my struggles, and then die that death that really I deserve.  It is not fair.  It does not seem just.  Yet the dichotomy of that death brings life, brings freedom in the midst of bondage, brings sweetness in the face of loss, brings joy mingled with tears, brings praise in the midst of pain!  It allows us to let our hair down and be who He intended us to be.  Maybe for the first time.  Maybe for the millionth time.

But in all it's goodness what He did was complete.  "It is Finished!"

So what does this mean for  me?....what does this mean for you?  It means that free for the offering is a life that is free of bondage, free of shame, free of guilt, free of sin!  All I have to do is believe and all you have to do is believe.  That simple... Will you?  Will I?  Believe?

"Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!"