Stories are an integral part of our lives. From a young age, we are surrounded by tales that shape how we understand and interact with the world. The best children’s stories capture the imagination and captivate young hearts, leaving a lasting impact that can echo through the years. However, as we grow older, many of these stories become distant memories cherished with nostalgia but no longer a central part of our lives. We outgrow those myths that we once happily read time and time again. We leave them behind with our childish ways.
Those are the stories we grow out. Perhaps we look with amusement upon children, who in their joyful naivety, can enjoy the fairytales that we now find too simplistic and irrelevant. Apart from the fact they are merely fictional stories, we outgrow them because those narratives cannot help us with the complexities and challenges in the real world. As adults, we face the harsh realities of life in a broken world—suffering, pain, anxiety, and grief. Our childhood hopes and dreams become just that – dreams that are best quickly forgotten before they become a distraction.
Easter is the real, true story of the Son of God
The events of Easter, when Jesus died and rose again, stand apart from all those other stories we read. In the darkness of this world, the fictional tales of youth hold no power. Whereas, in the context of the pain and suffering of this world, the story of Easter shines all the brighter, offering hope amidst despair. The historical events of the cross show us that God is not pleased with the darkness, and he will wield his power to overcome it.
Rather than a growing awareness of the suffering of this world being a reason to forget the work of Jesus, Easter should become even more precious to us as we grow and mature year after year. The more we see the brokenness of this world, the more incredible it is that the Son of God has overcome it! We look to Easter with greater eagerness and excitement because it is the true story of Jesus conquering death and securing the hope of eternal life for us. Here is the promise of broken things made new. Of sorrow turned to joy. Of being reunited with precious saints, we have loved and lost. Of being brought back into the presence of the God of life who made us and who loves us.
In the familiarity of Easter, let us again marvel with great wonder at the victory of the empty tomb. Easter is the real, true story of the Son of God, who has defeated death and who has risen to new and everlasting life. In Jesus, we have a resounding reminder that even in our most sorrowful moments, there is the true and certain hope that the power and life of Almighty God overpower the darkness and death of this world. May the brokenhearted rejoice in the good news of the Lord.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
