Everday Easter

           "Hmmm so I wonder what Kaitlyn is gonna talk about next? I mean I can imagine that she is going to talk about Easter next week because I mean, it IS Easter Sunday. So that should be a nice little lesson on the Easter story but no major lessons to learn." Well if that was your thoughts exactly then...well...you were right. But did you know I was gonna talk about Easter today too? I think that when we know there is a holiday coming we get out the egg wreath, flowers, spring colors, and the Easter flags to plaster around our homes for the holiday. Do you kind of get the feeling that holidays really have just become a tradition rather than a celebration? What I mean by that is, we all know when the holidays are coming so we go over to our parents or grandparents house at a certain time to sit in a certain chair to eat a certain family meal. Yeah in the back of our minds we know that Easter is Jesus holiday, I mean the man rose from the dead for crying out loud! But my point here is we are traditionalizing holidays that deserved to be not only looked at as a good day but one to live out. Below I have listed common symbols of the Easter holiday. Now I'm sure your thinking okay that shows tradition right there! Well yes you are right but I don't want you to just read them and understand them I want you to apply them to your life. And yes they can be applied to your 21st century life! Doing this gets you ready for Easter and it sticks in our mind when we apply it to our individual lives. This ultimately allows us to keep up these habits beyond the holiday.

#1. First up we have the most popular icon which is the egg representing "new life". The new life of not only Jesus but also of us and others. But we might not always think this when we are cooking them to make them capable of becoming a fun family tradition of dying them. And I am not one for legends but did you know that it was said that Mary gave eggs to the Roman soldiers in hopes that they wouldn't kill Jesus and she ended up crying on the eggs over her son's death which made the eggs turn in color. What I wanted to let you get out of that is that we hope for something good inside of everything (in this case the egg, and Mary hoped that the soldiers had good in them as well). But what we see on the outside really determines if we know that know matter what, good comes out in due time. Another place you might see eggs is scattered all through a yard for little kids to run after for what is only inside of them. I mean that is really what we want after all out if an egg..is the inside of it. We can decorate them as much as we can but we don't use the outside to benefit us we use the inside that was so carefully grown to better our health.

#2. Is the most famous symbols for religion when it comes to Easter... the cross and the crucifix. The cross reminds Christians of the death of Jesus Christ and how he rose from his grave. The cross is one symbol that carries out its meaning during every part of the year because of how important it is. Now a crucifix is the same thing as a cross but it has a figure of Jesus on the cross to show the sacrifice he gave. You can carry out this symbol by doing things other than wearing a cross necklace or placing a cross in your car mirror. You can recognize the sacrifices that God has given and apply them to your life. Make sure the cross isn't a symbol that mourn but one that you can rejoice over for everything that God has done.

#3. Rabbits and chicks are to show the birth of new life on earth. Of course a rabbit is key for this holiday because of the "Easter Bunny" which they are also known for there fast breeding rate. And we need to be quick to multiply like that (not meaning we need to have thousands of babies...no) we need to look at leading others and sharing the story of Easter beyond the actual day of Easter.

#4. The last symbol is not a traditional symbol but one that is used every single Easter. Which is white flowers and new bright colored clothes. They both represent purity and cleansing. Just think about that. It might not seem too important like the other ones but it does play a role in Easter so it does contribute to the puzzle.

          My whole point of this lesson is for you to become aware of the teachings and traditions of the Easter holiday. I want you to not think about Easter itself but what it is about so when you hear the Easter story from me and your church or even at your family table you will really understand it. Take every single one of these symbols and tailor them so that they apply to your life. If you need help on this comment below or feel free to email me. If you put time and effort into it you can apply every single symbol that is in a holiday to your life. Don't make a holiday any different from a regular day. Make the regular days like the holiday because that is when we lift God up the most is it not? And that is always when we are at our happiest is it not?


Word of the Day: "The ear that listens to life-giving reproof with dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence."
                                                             ~Proverbs 15:31-32