You are currently browsing the monthly archive for March 2008.
I have often been disturbed with the day Jesus immensely suffered on the cross being called “good” especially after being emotionally torn up from watching the movie The Passion Of The Christ. If you have never seen this movie, it is a must for all people. It made the life of Jesus and what He actually did for us so much more real to me.
Anyway, out of my ever wondering curiosity,I decided to explore the internet and just see what came up for “Good Friday.”
I found and learned some very interesting facts! I will not try to write out all the info I found but sometime when you get a chance if this might interest you, google it and check it out. Two most interesting sites I found were churchyear.net and kencolllins.com.
The Catholics honor that day as a day of penance and fasting as the anniversary of the death of Christ. I read that Protestants have also picked up some of their traditions in honoring this day.
Good Friday in German is Karfreitag. My husband lived in Germany for 4 years so when I spelled this word to him he easily rattled it off his tongue but had to think what it meant. It means cares and woes, a day of mourning. Good once meant God be with you but was later simply good bye.
It seems the bottom line to all that I found though is the same…. it was the sacrificial death of God’s son. Through this sacrifice, justification has been merited for us by the passion of Christ who offered Himself on the cross as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God, whose blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all of us.
Wow, that’s pretty heavy in my book! So, Good Friday is bittersweet. The horrid suffering of our Savior weighs heavy on my heart yet the fact that what He did for me so I may have eternal life with Him humbles and excites me.
A huge sacrifice for a stinkin’ ol’ sinner like me and like you, yet His love for us is much deeper than any earthly love we will ever experience. I mean, just ponder Good Friday and know that Sunday did come!
I can only imagine!
My Mom’s birthday was the 15th of March. She would have been 74 years old.
When the five of us kids were growing up in North Carolina we often had severe thunderstorms that had a nasty way of putting a damper on our brave little spirits. Mom loved thunderstorms. She saw the beauty of God’s creation in each strike of lightning as though He were painting pictures in the sky and performing a light show for all His beloved children on earth,expressing His majestic power. She felt that the rumble of the thunder acknowledged His strength, the strength we are able to lean on during times of trouble.
Our family had the series of books called The Bible Story, bet I’m not the only one out there that grew up on those books. :~)
She would gather all her little frightened chickies under her wing and tell us that we needed to be reverent of God’s amazing work in the skies so she would read story after story to us during the storm. If the lights went out, she had candles ready to light and more than once we heard those incredible stories by candle light. Not only did we learn all those stories of our amazing God and how He worked among His people but we learned to appreciate thunderstorms as majestic, powerful acts of God’s creation.
Needless to say, even though the storms can be a bit scary, I am in awe of each one and my heart always fills up with the memories and love of my mother and I feel that calmness that she bred in her children. Last Saturday was the 15th of March, my Mom’s birthday and as I stood on our porch basking in the beauty of God’s lightning show, I felt special, like He was giving me a gift, one of my Mom’s favorites on her day of birth that tugs at my heart each year.
Do we have a loving, caring God that knows our hearts?…………you bet!
Thank you, Heavenly Father
We are three months into a new year and I find myself pondering over several incidents that have tugged at my heart.
Riding on the coat tails of the 24th birthday of a close relative is an impending divorce after just four years of marriage. A very dear friend of mine is adjusting to life without her soul mate of over 50 years when he died on New Year’s Eve. It has not been easy for her. A mother and wife in our church has been diagnosed with cancer and will undergo surgery and possible chemotherapy in the up coming months, turning that family’s world upside down. A friend whose mother is suffering the betrayal of her husband of many years.She is having to make many lifestyle changes due to her life being turned upside down and my friend is feeling sadness and hurt for her family.
My aunt’s husband suffered a major stroke a month or so ago and he is in a nursing home and has the mind of a child, only communicating with his eyes. He has been her strength and the head of their household for many years. She feels lost without him being a part of her everyday life.
Tomorrow would have been my Mom’s 74th birthday. I often wonder what she would be like today if she was still with us after her death at 42 years old. This year, next week, I will have passed the age my Dad was when he died. It’s a strange feeling to know that both my parents were already dead at the age I am now.
The heart transplant patient that was the topic of my very first blog died several weeks ago. His wife told me he suffered much pain until his death.
A lot of heart heaviness to bear.
So, here’s the deal……………….
As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn’t suppose to ever let you down, probably will.
You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it’s harder every time.
You’ll fight with your best friend. You’ll blame a new love for things an old one did.
You’ll cry because time is passing too fast and you’ll lose someone you love.
(I have one of those “been there, done that” tee shirts, don’t you?)
SO…..take too many pictures, laugh too much and love like you’ve never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you’ll never get back.
Don’t be afraid that your life will end,
be afraid it will never begin.
And most important of all,,,,know Jesus, accept Jesus in your life so you will delight in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 34:7
