I can’t remember whether that was the topic of an Easter sermon or a negro spiritual from somewhere in my past.
But it’s a fitting Easter theme regardless of your religious persuasion.
Most everyone knows, of course, that the Easter event is the centrepiece of the Christian religion. Friday represented the darkest day for humankind. But that all changed Easter Sunday morning, when Christ’s resurrection ushered in a new spiritual era.
As dark as Friday was, it was only a prelude to the ultimate triumph of Sunday.
New life is also the theme of many other Easter traditions: Easter eggs, bunnies, tulips and, of course, the over-arching theme of spring renewal after the dormancy of winter.
The biblical Easter story, though, most dramatically leaves us a lesson of inspiration and hope.
Whether you accept the story literally, as many Christians do, or as a metaphor, as many other Christians do, or pay no heed to it whatsoever, the lesson is the same, and it is equally applicable.
We all have “Fridays” in our lives, times when we reach our bottom, or at least imagine that we’re there. That could, of course, be any day of the week, any week of the year, or any other period of time.
The Easter theme reminds us that those situations are not necessarily the end of the story. They may, in fact, be a prelude to a great outcome, a new positive direction, an accomplishment that exceeds our imaginations.
It’s a challenge to keep our chins up, to keep a positive outlook on life, and anticipate a brighter future.
That’s the outlook I’ve committed to embracing in my life. You too?
Sunday’s a’comin’. Happy Easter everyone!
