This is the Great Life that God has Given Us.

As I read my wife's post about Maggie and her first Easter (which you can read at http://miamidolfans.blogspot.com/) I noticed something that made me really think. Toward the conclusion of her post, Melissa said that, "this is the great life that God has given us."

As I read this I could not help but think about Easter. Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is through this great miracle that we were given the gift of eternal life. Life...a gift from God. But, it is important to note that she said it was a "great" life. This is the point in which I realized that we have been residing in Easter for the past six months.

Often times in referring to those who are grieving, we speak of what day they are experiencing. They could be experiencing the pain and loss of Good Friday, the wilderness that is Saturday, or they could be experiencing the hope that is found on Easter Sunday. As we celebrate Lent and Easter, we walk a journey in this way. This year I feel as though we, meaning Melissa and I, simply skipped Good Friday and Saturday and proceeded right to Easter. Allow me to explain.

It all started on September 5th, 2007. It was this evening that Melissa informed me that she was having contractions that were five minutes apart. For those of you who do not know...this means that you are close to the point of going to the hospital. We left that evening to go to Central Baptist and would return a couple of days later, never to return to life as we knew it before.

We came home with the most beautiful, happy, precious little girl in the world. The level of pride that we have in Magdalene and all that she has done since then is tremendous. I cannot begin to tell you how much she has taught us about God...and how much we love her. She is the single greatest thing that has ever happened to us. She has done nothing but strengthen our marriage and our family. God definately blessed us with this child and through her...we have experienced Easter.

On February 24th, I had my commissioning interviews with the Board of Ordained Ministry. It was a nerve-racking experience that created much stress and doubt in my mind. I was worried as the North Indiana Conference has had more pastors than they have had appointments. When I returned home that evening, I recieved a call informing me that I had indeed been approved for commissioning. This means that Melissa can stay at home while I serve as a pastor of a local church because an appointment is guaranteed for those who are commissioned. God blessed us in this news and through this...we have experienced Easter.

Approximately one month later, I recieved a phone call from my DS. I was told it was extremely early to find out...but nonetheless...I was informed that the Bishop had appointed me to a local church as the lead pastor. Needless to say, we were thrilled. Finally, we could see what we have been striving toward for quite some time now. God has blessed us with an appointment and through this...we have experienced Easter.

All of these things made it difficult to really place myself into a "Lenten" state of mind. The reality is that we have been in Easter for quite some time now. And...I am not entirely sure that I will ever be able to really experience Lent like I used to. Each day I have the wonderful opportunity to hug and kiss Magdalene. And each time that she looks at me and smiles from ear to ear when I come home...or for that matter...simply enter the room, I experience Easter all over again. In that I see hope...I see love...I see Christ.

But...I guess I have to remember...we live on this side of the resurrection. We are celebrating the Easter joy continuously. Do we have to really experience Lent in a particular way? I don't think so. Because, in the midst of Lent we understand what Christ did for us. We observe the dark day of Good Friday and the wilderness of Saturday. However, unlike those who stood near the cross like Mary Magdalene...we know what is to come. There is hope...there is joy...there a peace in knowing that we are loved.

So, I guess, each time God blesses us with something like an appointment or the beautiful smile of a little girl...we can always rest in knowing that, "this is the great life that God has given us."