Transitions - May Spire

"Post – Resurrection Reflections"

We all know that "life is a journey." It's a journey filled with challenges, a journey filled with opportunities for growth and discovery. We also know that, too often, we do not see life this way. Too often we see our life as something to be endured, tolerated, "gotten through". We don’t like living this way. So, we are moved by stories and quotes that remind us that there is so much more to life when we see it as a journey.

This hope-filled possibility is one of the messages found in the Easter Story. While it may not be the way we traditionally think of Easter, I believe we do ourselves a great disservice by not including this message in the Easter story. Transformation, our changing, is possible because God makes all things new.  The very nature of grace invites us to see things differently as we let go of our old ways of seeing and doing. The challenges we confront, the struggles we overcome, the day to day tasks that we must complete, all offer us an opportunity to see ourselves and what we do in new ways. This is not to say that every moment is filled with happiness; nor am I suggesting that we are to deny the feelings of sadness and despair that often accompany the lows, fears and sorrows of life. In fact, I believe we are to embrace those feelings, for in so doing we discover that with faith and hope we can be stronger and more resilient.

Carlos Castenada once said, "Death is an advisor looking over our shoulder showing us how to live." I believe what he meant is that being confronted by illness and death can cause us to question our priorities and values. I don't deny that this is true. At the same time I believe that, as "children of the resurrection", the promise of new life can and does offer us the same opportunity. The difference is we don't have to wait for the scare of a tragedy. All we need to do is hear the opportunity that comes in and through Easter--the opportunity to embrace the journey that life offers each of us every day.

We know that the nature of God's love is such that each day we are offered the opportunity to do things differently, to be more loving, gracious, honest, open, receptive, caring and hope-filled, as God offers us times and places to be more forgiving of others and ourselves. The message of Easter is: these opportunities are not going to stop. They will keep coming. We also know we can wait and waste these opportunities if we so desire; that is always our choice. Too often I hear stories of regret; stories of people who have waited until "death becomes the advisor", the stimulus, the great motivator. So my question to each of us is, "why wait?" Easter tells us we don’t have to.

I wish you the blessings of new life as your continue to journey through this Easter Season.

Peace,
Eric