Happy Easter!

Over the course of these last two years, one of the most disarming things that I repeatedly say to doctors is, "James should be dead, and yet here he is." It seems strange to me that in a cancer ward people would still be so hesitant to talk about death, so I am always kind of surprised that everyone else is surprised to hear me so openly make that statement. (What, you mean every other wife doesn't refer to her husband as "a dead man walking"?!) But seriously, friends, are we denying the reality of our own mortality that much, that in the face of infusion tubes, wheel chairs, feeding tubes, massive amounts of costly drugs, pale, bald people who have been stripped of nearly everything that marks "life" and "living" - could we really spend so much as an hour with any one of these patients and not realize that even if they "beat" cancer, that they are going to die, that we are going to die? 

Let me let you in on a little secret - just in case you didn't know - if you are alive reading this right now, it won't always be this way. You are going to die. But don't feel bad. I will too. 

Yet today is Easter Sunday, the day we celebrate the most wondrous event in the history of the world. Jesus, the Son of God, who bore our shame, our debt, our sin; who died the death we should have died; who was buried, and descended into hell...this Jesus was raised to life. The power of sin is broken, the curse has no power over me, and my sin can no longer separate me from a holy, righteous God. Death no longer gets the last word. In fact, one day, that which is mortal is going to be swallowed up by life...and we will actually live forever. 

May we rejoice today, as every day, that Jesus lives. We serve a risen Savior. He is our rescue, and in Him is Life. So this is not just James's story, or my story, but a truth for every one of us who has put faith in Jesus -  we are dying, yet behold, we live (2 Corinthians 6:9). Thank You, Jesus.