I'm not generally an idiot. Okay, that's not entirely accurate, but follow me here... This year, as we were dying Easter eggs, i had a couple of first-time thoughts, and i feel a bit, well, dull-witted for not thinking about these things before now.
First, our outside can be full of stains and mistakes, but when Jesus peels away our sins through His ultimate sacrifice for us, He leaves us pure and white inside, almost as if the old, cracked, mottled outside was never there in the first place. Perhaps this is why the dyed eggs have become a recognizable icon and family tradition at Easter? If so, i am obviously one of the last to figure it out, but i have made the connection. Finally.
Second, we spend a ridiculous amount of time working hard to get the external appearance of our eggs to be unique, colorful, and sometimes sparkly, yet it is so temporary! We crack, peel, and toss the external shell to get to the good stuff, and the beautiful decorations are discarded in crumpled, brittle bits and pieces. Do we do this in our lives, as well? Are we so focused on our external appearances that we fail to really understand that this body, this shell that houses our eternal soul, is merely a temporary home? Furthermore, how many of us understand the technique to the perfect hard-boiled egg? With all this attention given to the outside, are we losing sight of what matters: the quality of the food we are left with? How like our lives that is, too! We spend more time on external trappings than on the condition of our hearts and mind and soul.
So, this Easter, while i had quite the epiphany about eggs, i was in constant awareness of the work i have yet to do and the beauty of God's grace. I am still here, breathing and typing up blog posts, so i am obviously not done yet. And until God calls me Home, i will keep stretching, growing, and pressing on toward the goal, so that no act of forgiveness or grace on the part of my Maker will ever go unappreciated. I could never deserve it; but i can acknowledge and appreciate it.
Happy Easter, y'all!
First, our outside can be full of stains and mistakes, but when Jesus peels away our sins through His ultimate sacrifice for us, He leaves us pure and white inside, almost as if the old, cracked, mottled outside was never there in the first place. Perhaps this is why the dyed eggs have become a recognizable icon and family tradition at Easter? If so, i am obviously one of the last to figure it out, but i have made the connection. Finally.
Second, we spend a ridiculous amount of time working hard to get the external appearance of our eggs to be unique, colorful, and sometimes sparkly, yet it is so temporary! We crack, peel, and toss the external shell to get to the good stuff, and the beautiful decorations are discarded in crumpled, brittle bits and pieces. Do we do this in our lives, as well? Are we so focused on our external appearances that we fail to really understand that this body, this shell that houses our eternal soul, is merely a temporary home? Furthermore, how many of us understand the technique to the perfect hard-boiled egg? With all this attention given to the outside, are we losing sight of what matters: the quality of the food we are left with? How like our lives that is, too! We spend more time on external trappings than on the condition of our hearts and mind and soul.
So, this Easter, while i had quite the epiphany about eggs, i was in constant awareness of the work i have yet to do and the beauty of God's grace. I am still here, breathing and typing up blog posts, so i am obviously not done yet. And until God calls me Home, i will keep stretching, growing, and pressing on toward the goal, so that no act of forgiveness or grace on the part of my Maker will ever go unappreciated. I could never deserve it; but i can acknowledge and appreciate it.
Happy Easter, y'all!
That's a great way to associate Easter eggs to the real essence of Easter. Thank you for sharing that. :)
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