Easter Morning Art Print
Buying the Print
An art print hangs over my kitchen table. I bought it years ago with the gift certificate given to me by parents who generously honored me as I finished my last year of teaching preschool. It is a daily reminder of their love and thoughtfulness.
The print caught my eye when I shopped in a home store at the mall. I asked the clerks about it and they said it was called, “Easter Sunday Morning.” I plunked down my gift certificate and bought it on the spot.
Midwestern Easter
In the picture, there is a young girl wearing a brightly colored spring dress underneath a winter coat. Snowflakes float around her as she feeds farm animals. I saw myself and my husband in the picture. The girl has brown hair just like me. The animals are the same ones that my husband’s parents bought for their hobby farm when he was young. The print reflected us and I loved it.
My husband and I grew up in the Midwest where Easter Sunday could be a day of bright sunshine or a snowstorm. Or it could be a little of both. Even when snow fell after the tulips and daffodils came up, we knew that warmer days were coming and the snow would quickly melt. There was hope for pleasant days ahead.
Our Need for Hope
The print resonates with me in ways that go beyond my Midwestern heritage. It reminds me of the hope of Easter while living in the reality and uncertainty of our todays. We stand in confidence that because Jesus rose from the dead, the dark and stormy days we may live in today are not our future. Brighter days are eternally ahead.
Heaven can seem far away when we know there may be decades before we meet Jesus face to face. Life in this sinful world can try to rob us of hope. We know that good is coming, but the wait for it can seem long.
Hope carries with it an idea of sunshine. We need a little light when life seems dark. We think if there were changes in our circumstances or relationships, then we will experience a break from the darkness. Yet sometimes the change doesn’t quickly come. How then can we have hope?
Standing in Truth
As people who belong to Jesus, we see with the eyes of faith. We can look beyond the immediate reality and stand in truth, claiming its promises, even when we don’t know when and if change will come. Our hope ultimately is not in the change, but in God Himself. And we stand in confidence that He is always at work, often behind the scenes. He is never passive. He is attentive to us. He hears our cries and answers in His perfect time.
When we weary of the wait for change, we can speak aloud the truth of God’s faithfulness and presence. We can say, “God, you promised that your goodness and mercy would follow me all the days of my life. It is true. I remember your goodness and mercy.” We then meditate on the many ways God has lavished us with His good gifts. Focusing on God’s grace and kindness lifts the darkness and allows us to see the beauty of His light. Hope returns.
We will continue to experience the heaviness of this life. Sin creates destruction, but it doesn’t write the end of the story. Jesus took the sin of the world upon Him at the cross, then rose from the dead three days later. He broke the power of sin and death, giving us the gift of eternal life in Him. His resurrection is our true hope.
I Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Photo by Georg Eiermann on Unsplash
___________________________________________________________________________________
Questions to ponder: How has God’s goodness and mercy followed you in your life? What pictures come to mind as you think of the concept of hope?
Want to Stay Connected? Join the Email List!