Easter Has Not Forgotten You!

Easter came at an alarming rate this year. I wasn't quite ready for it. Of course, I love certain traditions like getting the Honey Baked Ham for a family celebration and gathering an Easter basket for my hubby filled with nutritional classy jelly beans and non-caloric Nestle Crunch eggs. I can't help but hit Trader Joes around this time for a beautiful budding purple Hyacinths that knock me over with yummy smells penetrating throughout the house.  When I really have some extra time, I like to blow out the yolk and white of eggs, color them and decorate them with  the art of quilling. That's when I really have time on my hands. Yes, I love Easter, but somehow it snuck up on me.

 

Even if Easter snuck up on me this year, Easter has not forgotten me. It hasn't forgotten you either. I'm so grateful for the death and resurrection of Jesus. To think that Jesus wanted me so much that He would march to the cross and literally take on the cruelest of deaths, so that I might live. He wanted me that much???!!! Wow. I sometimes have to wrap my little mind around that magnificent truth. I also have to believe that truth! You see, as a child, I was unwanted. Living in foster homes was my early existence until I was adopted into a loving home. The idea of someone dying for me? Wow, it's way too much to fathom. But, that's Jesus. He died for me and He died for you. For a cost… a huge cost.

 

As wonderful as yesterday was, I'm back to my routine today. Work projects due. A lawn to mow. Calls to make. Errands to run. Just a few hours away from a glorious Easter celebration and I'm back to this huge to-do list. I bet you are too. Life has its way of moving so fast we can't stop and really appreciate the enormity of what just happened. I do not want to let the joy and celebration of Easter settle into the routine of today.

 

Easter should have a powerful effect on our Monday. Easter should change our Tuesday, our Wednesday, our Thursday, our Friday, our Saturday and our Sunday. Easter should re-orient our thinking and transform the way we live. You and I are wanted and loved by God Himself! Sadly, we can read these words and it can mean very little to us. We can skip over Easter like it's just one more day on the calendar. It's not just about a tasty Honey Baked ham or an Easter egg hunt. Easter, if we truly understand it, should give us a spring in our step like never before!

 

Today can be the beginning of a new awakening in your life. You don't have to live in a spiritual rut. Yes, many of us do, but we don't have to. So many people don't get the messy "Christian" part of Easter, so we avoid it at all costs. It's just easier, right? What if you really believe what the Bible said about Jesus and His life, death and resurrection on this earth? What if you really believed that you are wanted and loved by Jesus Christ? It would radically affect everything about you.

 

This Monday is a new day. The empty tomb is the reminder that we have hope, a spiritual hope. Not in more stuff or success as we know it. But true hope. Hope that will last forever. Because of Easter, nothing should be the same again.

 

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." 1 John 3:16

 

Read all of Matthew 28 in a Bible. What did you learn about what took place after Easter?

 

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

One Week to Live

What if today you were given the news that you had one week to live? How would you make the most of your week? What would you want to do with your time? Whom would you prefer to spend your waning days with? What would you tell them? How would it feel to watch the time clock ticking down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until your death? What emotions would surface? I know, it sounds a bit morbid to think on these questions, but go ahead and consider it with me.

 

This morning, I was asking myself those same questions. I had been thinking a lot about Passion Week and in particular, how Jesus spent his last week on earth. As I read the Scriptures, it occurred to me that Jesus knew that he had one week to live. During his last week on earth, he wasn't doing extravagant things like hot air ballooning over Jerusalem or having a picnic with friends on the beaches of the Dead Sea. Every day and each moment of Jesus' last week on this earth was purposeful and well planned. It wasn't at all about Him.

 

What is Passion Week all about? It is called Passion Week because in that time, Jesus demonstrated His passion for people by the suffering He went through on our behalf. Let me give you just a taste of Jesus' busy week. Holy Week began with Jesus' Triumphant entry into Jerusalem. (Matthew 21: 1-11) On Monday, he wept over Jerusalem and cleansed the temple for the second time in his ministry. On Tuesday, many religious leaders had one goal: to get rid of Jesus. Wednesday was seen as the silent day, as Jesus prepared for what awaited him, while Judas conspired to betray him. Thursday was Jesus' last meal with His disciples prior to his arrest and crucifixion. He gave his followers symbols of remembrance of His body and his blood sacrifice and prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Luke 22:19, Luke 22:54-23:25) He also shared with the disciples a principle to live by, that the greatest are those that serve others, not expecting to be served. (Luke 22:26) On Friday, Jesus was crucified on Golgatha. (Luke 23:46) On Saturday, we remember the time Jesus spent in the tomb. (Matthew 27:66) The Resurrection of Jesus (Sunday) ends Passion Week with Jesus Christ rising from the dead. (Matthew 28:1-10) We celebrate Easter!

 

How easy it is to start this week like we start any other week. Our priority can easily become our personal to do lists, March madness, and preparations for Easter dinner. Passion Week was so purposeful because Jesus lived a purposeful life. He lived His life for His Father alone and consulted Him about everything. Jesus, Son of God, needed God! Do we? 

 

Take time this week to reflect on the great events of Passion Week. Read through the passages of scripture given. Allow the verses to wash over you and renew your spirit. Take in the greatness of our God and His great love for all peoples by His wonderful plan. Consider how your life should change as a result of comprehending Passion Week. This week is set apart as a special time to anticipate the great celebration of Easter. As we prepare during the week and really allow ourselves to feel the weight of Christ's walk to the cross, it makes Easter all the more special. Happy Easter!

 

"A man who was completely innocent offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act." Mahatma Ghandi

 

"For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God." 1 Peter 1:18-19

 

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

Lessons from Zootopia

Last Saturday, my husband and I made an impromptu decision to head to the movie theatre to see the new release of Zootopia. We happily enjoyed our afternoon with a packed out house of kiddos with their parents in tow.

 

The story? Judy Hopps is a bunny who grows up on a carrot farm with uptight parents. Judy, who embodies kindness and compassion, springs into action when a bully turns aggressive in the local school yard. Judy then decides to leave the city to become a cop. Judy graduates from cop school and is ready to prove herself. Discouraged by her first assignment, giving parking tickets, she works hard to climb the ladder. Her big break comes when she is assigned the case of some missing mammals in Zootopia. She teams up with Nick Wilde, a fox, and is given only 48 hours to solve the case.

Favorite scene hands down….Officer Hopps and Nick enter the DMV, only to find all the employees are sloths. Picture the bunny and fox leaning over the counter trying to give information QUICKLY to Flash, the sloth. Everyone in the DMV is in SLOW MOTION. Crazy Nick, the fox, only makes things worse by telling the sloth a joke. Flash proceeds to tell his workmate the joke…. in slow motion, of course. All the while, Officer Hopps is going CRAZY!

 

I can be just like Officer Hopps. I like to do everything fast. Get it done. Whether it's getting ready in the morning or doing errands, I like to GET IT DONE. And when I have to slow down or wait? Not always easy. Dallas Willard writes "Hurry is an attitude. It's not necessarily the same thing as speed- it's trusting in your speed. It comes from pride and trying to do too much. Good things do not come from being in a hurry! We need to ruthlessly eliminate hurry!" Wow. Great words. Ruthlessly eliminate hurry. Easier said than done.

How about you? When do you find hurry taking over in your life? A very quick deadline like Officer Hopps? Late for an appointment and rushing to get there? Trying to do too much in a short amount of time? Often, when we're this busy, our true colors come out. Impatience. Anger. Pride. Control. Rage. We don't leave a great impression. James Spiegel writes "to be patient is to endure discomfort without complaint." I want to be more like that.

Why is patience so difficult for you and I? Perhaps our pride gets in the way too often. This virtue of patience is something to aspire to. I hope someday that I could go into the make-believe DMV employed by sloths and just be content with their slow pace. Even laugh a bit. That would be growth for me.

How do you grow in patience? Ask God for help in becoming a more patient person. As you are given opportunities to practice patience, train to become more patient in the moment. Stop the need for speed. Take a few deep breaths. Be thankful for the moment. Just relax. My husband helps in this area! Now that we've seen the movie, he often stops and asks me a question in super slow motion…."Nancy……What….. Do…... You….. Call….. A…...Three.....Humped…..Camel?"

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galations 5:22-23

"The times we find ourselves having to wait on others may be the perfect opportunities to train ourselves to wait on the Lord." Joni Eareckson Tada

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

Be Like Belinda!

A few weeks ago, I had the enviable task of stopping by LabCorp to get some blood work drawn. I made sure to get there first thing in the morning only to find the office packed with all those fasting from food. I bet they wanted to eat their Wheaties sooner rather than later! Great. I didn't plan for the fasters; just wanted to get blood drawn and high tail it out of there. Not sure how long I waited, but I was definitely feeling impatient and irritated at the host of people ahead of me.

 

Finally! I was ecstatic to hear my name called and "get" to go back to the "chair". I was greeted by Belinda, who was so kind, gentle and personable. Even her conversation with me was upbeat. I quickly forgot about my inconvenience and the prick into my hard-to-find vein and sincerely enjoyed my conversation with Belinda. As I walked out of LabCorp that day, it occurred to me how that one brief encounter with someone bright and cheerful actually changed the course of my day. As I drove off, I felt like God was challenging me to be more like Belinda.

 

A few days ago, I "got" to return to LabCorp to get some more blood work drawn. Belinda was at the desk and remembered me. I decided to share with her how she had made a difference in my day on my first visit. I told her I was so ticked off that morning having to wait, but once I got to the "chair" and in her presence, things got better. I told her…"Belinda, you probably had no clue what an impact you had on me that day. I want to tell you how your upbeat spirit really helped break through my negative attitude." She was blown away. She said "No one has ever told me something like that before…."

 

My experience at LabCorp challenged me to be different. I learned through Belinda that you can affect someone positively in a very short amount of time. If I have five or ten minutes with someone, how can I make a difference in their day? Will I look for ways to encourage or just talk ad nauseam about myself? Can those precious moments with someone I may never see again have lasting effects in their life? How often do we turn a blind eye to the very people God puts in our midst because we're way too busy? Do we honor those around us with the love that Christ would have for all people? Finally, how often do we tell others what a difference they made in our day? People long to be encouraged and valued for who they are and what they do.

Ask God today to make every encounter with every person matter. Become a student of loving people well. Engage with others, listen and look for ways to encourage people. Get outside yourself and prefer others ahead of yourself. Choose to honor others different than you, rather than pick apart their beliefs and ways. Go ahead and make a difference in someone's life today. Be like Belinda.

 

"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:10

 

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.