THE MORAL OF THE STORY:Celebrate the true meaning of Easter

“If you knew that there was One greater than yourself, who knows you better than you know yourself, and loves you better than you can love yourself: One who gathered into himself all great and good things and causes, blending in his beauty all the enduring color of life, who could turn your dreams into visions, and make real the things you hoped were true: and if that One had done one unmistakable thing to prove, even at the price of blood — his own blood — that you could come to him, would you not fall at his feet with the treasure of your years, your powers, your love? And is there not One such?”— A.E. Whitham

When we go on a scenic road trip and aren’t in a hurry, I thoroughly enjoy the drive. Of course, I look forward to the ultimate destination, and it is always in the back of my mind like a reward, but knowing I have plenty of time to get there and knowing that I will in fact get there when the time is right, helps me enjoy the journey at hand. In fact, often the adventures along the way add to and make me appreciate the final arrival all the more.

For instance, I remember a group ski trip when we were in college. There were three cars full of us, riding in a caravan to our lodgings in the mountains. The first two cars were big cars, and the third was smallerbut had four-wheel drive. We weren’t told that we needed chains, and we had no problems, until the last short segment. The first car hit a slick spot and slid off the road into a ditch. Everybody was fine, and they climbed into the car I was in, which was the second car. Our driver began teasing the first car’s driver as we made our way past the ditched car, and within moments we, too, slid and went off the road as well. A big truck pulled over to help before long, and we girls piled into the third car and finished the drive without incident, leaving the men to solve the dilemma. That was just one of many fun memories we recounted once we were finally sitting around a cozy fire and laughed about for years to come. The actual skiing at our final destination was just one of many highlights.

This life is certainly an adventure, filled with wonderful people, beautiful scenery and great discoveries. There are also unplanned and difficult detours, and times when we spin out. But this life is not my final destination; this is but a taste of a never-ending feast of heaven with God.

Easter is certainly a time of fun and festivities, but the real message is one of love, sin, sacrifice, death, resurrection, forgiveness, hope, life and eternity. Enjoy the day, but embrace the meaning.

He is risen. He is risen, indeed!

And you can quote me on that.