Don't worry, there's a bunny.

What is Easter to you? Another holiday to gorge on sweets? Receive gifts? Go on an egg hunt?  Spend time with relatives?

This is a link to the Google Image search of “Easter.” Google Easter Images

How is there a picture of Robert Pattinson next to a rainbow but not a single image of Jesus Christ?

To a Christian, this day is not just another holiday. This is THE holiday.  And I would like to take a moment just to remember what this day really means.

Easter as FORETOLD by Jesus:

“See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Matthew 20:18-19

This is the day that Jesus rose from the grave. And not only did He conquer death, He sacrificed his life for us so that we might have a chance for eternity in Heaven.

What if we all spent Easter remembering THIS story, not the one with a bunny and eggs?

What if we remembered it more than once a year?

What if we were all as selfless as He was?

What if we all lived out what we preached?

Imagine THAT world.

Lately, this message has really struck home for me, and I looked into ways that I can make a difference. This June I will be travelling to Romania with Hope 4 Kids International. For centuries the gypsy minority in this country has battled against discrimination, poverty and illiteracy. Only 1 in 10 can read or write and 85% live below subsistence levels. There is no running water or sanitation in their homes and with parents unable to work, the poverty levels are 3 times greater than the national average. For the last 5 decades the community has not had the option to send children to a literacy program, leaving them little alternative but to beg, partake in crime or even prostitution. While there we will be bringing medical supplies to hospitals, care packages to orphanages, and help the needy people of the nation with construction and renovation projects.

This trip will be the opportunity to show God’s love in action. Pray that we take full advantage of this, and that we are able to make as much of a difference in them as I am sure they will make in us.

Happy Easter everyone.