The Holiday of Hope
Easter is the holiday of hope. Thanksgiving teaches us to be grateful for what is in our hands. Then Christmas sings us a story of love. But Easter raises her head above the brokenness of this world and cries, “There is yet hope!” It is the holiday for the hurting: the day for those in dark places. Because, you see, Easter gives us a glimpse into the minutes that follow The End. In addition, Easter allows us to turn the page and behold, for just a brief moment, the light that comes after the bleakest of nights. Easter assures us that the pain we now feel will not last and Easter declares that there is a day after The End.
He Has Walked In Our Shoes
For thirty some years Jesus lived on our earth. He became a man. He lived among us; He suffered among us. He took up a story that would crush Him. He knelt before His Father, receiving the bitter cup. He became the Suffering Servant and acquainted Himself with grief. Furthermore, He felt every inch, every facet of the broken heart. Are you weary? He knew exhaustion, also. Are you in pain? He felt it, too. Are you confused? He felt the crushing weight of a fallen world caving in on Him. Like you, He felt rejection. Like you, He was tempted to despair. Like you, He was pressured day after day to doubt. What’s more, like you, He had to relinquish those He loved into a world of injustice, a world of pain.
Linked Through Pain
So, as you look to the life of Christ, do you see your life intertwined with His? For the believer, He is our perfect Elder Brother. We are joined to Him by fellow-heartbreak; tear linking us to tear; sorrow clasping hands with sorrow.
However, this union whereby we are linked through pain bears the fruit of hope in the story of Easter, for the story of Easter includes the Resurrection as well as the end of suffering. It includes the day after The End. On that first Easter morning, Jesus stepped out from the grave. He broke the chains of darkness. He became a sufferer no more. He wept no more. It was then that night was over. Then the very real suffering of Christ came to a very real end. Victory had dawned. Finally, it was the day after The End, and all was well. All would be well forever.
The End of Pain
You see, Easter assures us that The End is coming. The page will turn. The brokenness that surrounds you at this present moment will one day be no more. The nights you pass in lonely agony will not go on forever. Just as your Elder Brother passed from suffering to victory, so too will you. Look around you – look at the things that crush and sting you. Like the raging crowd that gathered at Christ’s crucifixion, these things you see will not last. They will come to an end. Your pain will come to an end. Your fears, your doubts, your exhaustion will not last. Indeed, Easter tells us this. Easter promises this. The day after The End will come. Certainly, for followers of Jesus Christ, pain is not eternal. Joy is. Triumph is. Peace is.
The Promise of Hope
Though on this Easter your life is marred by sorrow, by confusion and by heartbreak, none of these things will last. Just as Christ stood on that Resurrection morning, forever done with pain; so you will one day stand on your resurrection morning, forever done with pain. Easter makes that promise. Easter holds up that banner of hope. Stand firm in your pain. Endure just as your Brother did. See His triumph and wait for yours. Easter proclaims it. He will ensure it. Hope.
“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
If you are seeking support through prayer, please visit our Prayers for You page. In addition, we invite you to allow us to pray for you… for your heartache, for your family, for your future or whatever is pressing down on your soul today.