Face to Face

Easter comes every year.   A beautiful reminder of the reason for the hope that we have in Christ.    I look forward to it every year for so many reasons, but this year, there was something so extra precious about it.    In the last few weeks my husband and I lost two friends.   Both tragic and unexpected.   Both young and seemingly healthy.   Both people who to the best of our knowledge, unbelievers.     I have struggled to come to terms with these losses because unlike a believers passing, there is little to feel but sadness.    I have been praying wholeheartedly that the Lord would draw near to the families and use these circumstances to somehow bring hope.    But I can't even imagine the pain without the joy of knowing my loved one is in the arms of the Father.    And that reminder for me, has made the Easter season that much sweeter.   It is the crux of it.    We have this hope!   We have the answer to the question of eternal life.  And on top of that, we are loved.   So loved that this very weekend we celebrate, not for chocolate bunnies or Easter baskets, we celebrate the ultimate gift.   The ultimate sacrifice.   The ultimate breaking of the great chain of death.     That God with such great love, would choose to give His only Son, and Jesus His son would choose to faithfully obey His Father, and be the sacrifice we needed.     John 14:29-31 says 

29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

“Come now; let us leave.

These verses remind us that it was a choice.   God chose to send His son, and Jesus chose obedience unto death for us.   

This week as I dwell on the impact of this truth, I can't help but be reminded of the importance of sharing this good news.    I don't know weather or not our friends had been exposed to the truth and chose to reject it, or maybe at some point accepted and walked away.   Maybe there was a time when they truly excepted the Lord and are in heaven now....we will not know until our time comes.     But it made me think.    The apostles spread the Gospel worldwide without Facebook, Instagram, the internet, or any other form of connection.  They went out and preached the truth and people heard and believed.    They did not shy away from rejection or persecution but went out and spoke truth face to face.  And while the tools we have access to are great and can be used for so much good....are we hiding behind the ease of a perfectly phrased sentence, or timely image we share on special occasions instead of the vulnerability and raw nature of a real conversation?    It is so much easier to plan and prepare what you want to share.  Has this become how we witness?    I find myself sometimes realizing that I use my social media accounts as a bit of an excuse at times.   Like buying a salad to justify my fresh fries....a salad is great but does not undo the calories I consume in the french fries.     A post cannot do what a conversation can do.     Memes have there place, and they might even inspire, encourage, and uplift.   But true ministry happens when we get out of our comfort zones and spend time with people.   The truth is so much more powerful coming from the lips of a believer.  Unrehearsed, passionate, challenging... We have the biggest news mankind has ever known....and this past Sunday is a reminder of just how great our Savior is.....just how marvelous is His love for us.    We should tell the whole world...shout it from the rooftops!   Go and preach the good news!  And maybe....and I'm challenging myself in this as well....we should try it face to face.