Written By One Of My Best Friends, Hallie Carl

Today is Good Friday. I am sitting here writing this, it is morning. My boys are still sleeping and it looks like it is a beautiful cloudy and cool day. I feel burdened to write you a little bit about Good Friday and Easter so that each of us may by humbled this weekend by what our savior Jesus did for us.

Good Friday celebrates the day that Jesus was scorned, shamed, beaten, spit upon, mocked and then nailed to a cross and then died for you. When I reflect on this event I always feel so humbled by what he did for me. I mess up frequently and when I look toward the cross I am ever grateful for the redemption that flows from it.

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed to God. He was burdened beyond belief at what he knew was about to happen. He was so agonized that his sweat became drops of blood (Luke 22:44). Can you imagine being that troubled that your sweat turned to blood? But it says that an angel from heaven strengthened him (vs. 43).

When Jesus had nails pounded through his hands and feet and was dropped into a hole for the cross to stand in, feeling pain shoot through his body, he said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (vs.23:34)." When was the last time you forgave someone for a horrible thing while they were doing it to you? What an awesome model of grace we have from Jesus.

One my favorite parts from this heart-wrenching scripture is how a thief who was crucified on one side of Jesus said to Him, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom." And even while he is was in so much pain he could barely talk, he said to this man, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in Paradise." I think it is so incredible, that even while dying on a cross this man saw God's glory and knew he wanted to be with him for eternity. And I think that it is so awesome that Jesus says these words to this criminal, even when he is so close to death.

When the darkness fell over the land, and the temple veil tore in two, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (vs. 46)." Then he breathed his last. A centurion, a Roman guard who had no doubt been with Jesus the entire time, through the beating, mocking, and crucifying said then, "Certainly this man was innocent."

I don't know about you, but when I reflect on this scripture, I am broken for my Lord. I can't wait to be able to embrace him, and sob into his shoulders, telling him out grateful I am for what he did for me. What love is greater than what he did for us?

Three days later, the day we celebrate as Easter, Jesus rose from the dead. One of Jesus' 12 disciples, Thomas heard that Jesus had risen from the grave and he said, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." Jesus comes to Thomas a short time later and enters the room turning to Thomas. He said, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." Thomas stood and answered, "My Lord, and my God." Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, you have believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."

We are the blessed who know the sacrifice he made. We know his hands and feet have scars from the nails that were pounded into him.

I think Easter is a time of reflection for us as believers. I think we should turn inward and see who we are that Christ died for us. If there is anything that we need to lay at the cross, this is the time to do it. This is a time for renewal. Pray to Him this weekend in a new way. Pray with thanksgiving and humbleness. Let Him know how grateful you are to him.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 says, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."

Sometimes, I feel perplexed when I study the word, sometimes I feel pressed on every side when the world weighs down on my shoulders, and I've even felt persecuted, but Praise God I don't need to feel crushed, despairing, abandoned because I carry in me the death and life of Jesus. What awesome protection that is from the world.

Lord, Thank you for dying and rising again for me. Thank you for whispering my name while you were on that cross. Thank you that I can give you my baggage, that I may be cleansed by your precious blood. Thank you Lord, for today and for Easter and for what they truly mean. Help me to honor you with my words, actions, and thoughts this weekend and always. Amen.
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((¸¸.·´ ..·´ Hallie -:¦:-
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I tell you these things so that in me you may have peace.
In this world, you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

If you want to read the scripture about the death and resurrection you can find it in:
Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, and John 13-21.