I hope you all had a great Easter!

Easter always gets me feeling the deepest emotions. Wherever you may stand in your belief and/or practice towards God, and whether or not you believe in religion or the church, I hope yesterday you were able to take a moment to reflect on this solid truth: Jesus died on the cross and resurrected on the third day. He is our one unshakable hope.

The message at church yesterday was such a beautiful reminder that Jesus is our Good Shepherd. At the end of the service when the choir sang my eyes filled with tears. It’s so hard not to feel moved when I think of what Jesus endured – such a horrific, painful and humiliating death on the cross so that he could save each one of us. That image and his undeniable love for us always brings about some powerful emotions in me.

I have often tried to imagine what that must have felt like at the time for his followers, for those that got to hear directly from his lips his message of love and hope and to then bear witness to his crucifixion and death. To wake up the following morning after knowing he was gone. I try and imagine what that depth of sadness must’ve felt like and it puts tears in my eyes. What did hope look like for his followers? How dark and heavy that day must’ve felt for them. And then to find his tomb empty on the third day and to know that he was risen.

Wow. That is so powerful.

I think too often it’s easy to take for granted what we have readily available daily at our hands, such as access to resources, family, friends, and habits that provide comfort. The same can be said of when we fail to take time in our day with God to reflect on Jesus’ life and what he went through for us. We can easily take all that sacrifice, love and hope for granted. We can be led to believe His presence isn’t with us, when in fact he is present during our darkest hours and it is because of him that we are lead to rest in green pastures.

I pray that whatever season you find yourself in, that you can feel Jesus’ love for you. That even in your darkest hours, you feel comfort in the knowledge that he is your Good Shepherd and he will not abandon you. He is there to protect you from evil and lead you to safety if you’ll just follow him and allow him to guide you. Jesus never said life would be easy, he in fact made it clear that it would be hard, and he also reminds us that he is the light that you should follow and that will get you through the darkness.

I am by no means scholarly when it comes to the Bible. I am a beginner and know in my heart I have much room to grow in my knowledge. What I do know and feel though is that I believe he died and resurrected. He is my one unshakable hope; my faith and trust that from darkness comes light lies fully in my belief in Jesus and in God.