Eggs + Nests.

Every year, we spend a night during Easter week coloring Easter eggs. I love to see the kids create their masterpieces....OK, so I love to color eggs myself, too! This year, we also made some nests to put our masterpieces into. We spent part of the week studying different kids of nests (eagles' nests, owls' nests, etc.), and learning how birds collect materials to build their nests. As for our nests, we used self-drying clay as the base and poked various-sized sticks into the base. They made a lovely, rustic little home for our Easter eggs.

I've been preparing my heart today for tomorrow, as we commemorate what Jesus Christ did in sacrificing His perfect life for us on the cross. It always seems that I intend to spend many days preparing my heart, but it always seems so inadequate when we come right down to the vast depth of the sacrifice made. We will spend tomorrow reading the story of Calvary, talking about the pain and scorn Jesus endured, and wondering what it would have been like to witness His death. I'm fairly certain that if I had been in that crowd at Calvary that day, I would not have been able to look. I often wonder if I would have had the bravery to stand up for him......or if I would have defended him and tried to talk the soldiers out of what they were doing.....or if I would have given in to the social pressure and joined in the chant of "crucify Him."

Thankfully, on that cross, I died with Jesus (and you did, too). What I mean is.....the old sinful self died, and we were given the chance for newness of life, eternal life. So tomorrow, I will be thinking about what He did and reflecting on the idea that when He hung there and died, I hung with Him. All of my sins, past present and future, and my selfishness and all the ways I fell so far short.....He died so that that would all be conquered forever.....and so that I could be free to live how I was created to live. To worship and glorify Him for eternity.

Yes, when He died, you did, too. Your old self died, and He made the way for you to be born again into newness of life, richer and more abundant that we can ever imagine.

What does Good Friday mean to you?