Have you ever felt liberated by someone’s words or actions towards you, or when you turn on your radio the songs just speaks straight to your heart, or through some random strangers that you encounter or it could be some stories that someone shared with you during that time, or you might have that unspeakable joy over little things, or when you woke up to the beautiful sunrise that you overlook at your window, it just captivated your heart that you could not take your eyes of it. Has it ever occurred to you that it’s not just a coincidence, but God is speaking to us at this favorable time? A time when you felt it was so difficult to go through, a time when you felt you had no one but was so lost, a time when you felt so restless and hopeless, a time when you felt so sick and you thought there is no longer hope, a time when you were betrayed and abandoned by your close friends, a time where you teared but you could not explained, but somehow rather He just know we needed to be comforted and to be lifted up.
What if all these are part of His plan to put you in that situation so that He could mold you up to be the person He wants you to be? 1 Corinthians 10: 13 “No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.”
As I was reflecting, coming close to Easter, what He really wants of us as we were invited to join Him from His triumphal entry to Jerusalem from Palm Sunday right through His passion on the Cross in Golgotha and finally on His victorious resurrection on Easter Sunday. It was a bittersweet roller coaster ride, with mixed emotions. It’s a reality He is teaching us today of the world we are living now. There will be some days you will be cheered by people, there will be days you will be betrayed by someone close to you, there will be days where you will be stripped off to nothing, there will be days you will fall and being kicked and spat on and there will be days when we fall we still rise up. But most importantly He is inviting us and offering his hands out when he sat on the colt to Jerusalem “Let’s ride on this colt together, I shall be with you riding with you”. No matter how hard the situation is He will be there carrying us around with His colt to bring us through. One of the last words before He died on the cross to the repentant thief was “You shall be with me in paradise”. This same message is for all of us. Do we still want to live in the past and be trapped in that tomb? Do we want to ride on the colt with Him and rise up with Him? Do we really feel His love when He died for us on the cross? Do you want to hear Him and feel liberated?
So let us not be so fixated about what is toiling within ourselves but fixed our eyes on Him for “He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4. We had been called to be an example of Christ suffering, to be one with Him so that we could share His love to those we encounter. Will end this with a quote by St Clare of Asisi “If you Suffer with Him, you will reign with Him. If you cry with Him, you will have joy with Him”
Let us rejoice with our Risen Christ this Easter! Death could not hold Him! Have a Blessed Easter!
Let’s us pray:
Dear Lord, Your grace is sufficient for us. You are the same two thousand years ago, today and forever. We pray that we will strive to be with you in paradise as what You had promise to the repentant thief. We just want to be rooted to your word and be liberated so that we too could share your love and your promise to those that we encounter. Let it be our daily encounter to rejoice with You in every situation we are in, as stated on 1 Peter 4:13 “But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory”. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.