Every Easter, my mom would do her best to get us a new Easter outfit. It didn’t have to be extravagant or expensive, but it was always new. One year I had a beautiful yellow dress with a white sailor collar; another year I wore a white a blue ensemble. I loved Easter time because I knew I would get something beautiful and something good to wear, so I could look my very best. I even look forward to it now that I have my own kiddos because I get to see them looking sharp in their new outfits- even if it is just for a few hours until my son gets stains on his pants from the chocolate:).

Isn’t that what Easter is about though?

Jesus took all of our sin, all of our old ways with him to the cross where we can see our forgiveness taking place, and those things were buried with him in his death. Then, He miraculously and powerfully resurrected to new life so that we might have complete new life in him and with Him.

The old was dead and buried, the new came became reality.

I’ve always liked the old song that says:

 “Something beautiful, something good,

All my confusion He understood,

All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife,

But He made something

Beautiful if my life.”- Bill Gaither

Something beautiful,

Something good, something new.

Isn’t that what we want on the inside of us too?

Something fresh that springs up from the inside and covers us; something that is noticeable and lovely, and hopeful and inspiring…friend, that is what we’ve been given by our Heavenly Father who loves us so.

Not only have we been made new through the sacrifice that Jesus gave through the brutal death on the cross, but

-We’ve been given a new name: Redeemed, paid for, loved

(Galatians 3:13, 2 Thessalonians 2:16, Ephesians 5:2, 1 John 4:10)

-We’ve been given new life: eternal life with our Father (John 3:16-17)

-We have been given forgiveness for ourselves, and the ability to forgive others (Colossians 1:13-14, 1 John 4:11)

-We have been given a purpose and a hope for our future.

(Jeremiah 29:11)

The list goes on and on…

You see, it’s not just parents who want to give their children something at Easter time. Our Heavenly Father gave and continues to give us new things too.

When we give Him all of the old junk that clutters our life, all the hurts and habits, all the brokenness and disguises, He can make something beautiful of our lives.

May the rest of your Holy Week be full of the reminder that you have been given new life,

May it well up deep inside you and radiate out from you,

May your new become visible from the inside out,

And May you experience the beauty in and through His process.

peace-liz