Coveaster!

For those who need to hear this message, who are struggling with this Easter because they are alone, who depend on fellowship at their churches, or who are just having a hard time with celebrating this holiday alone, even if “alone” is with family, all or in part.

I’m reminded of a song by Natalie Grant called held. It’s actually a very sad song about losing a child a few months after birth. But the message is an incredible one, and really applies here.

The chorus reads as follows:

“This is what it means to be held;

How it feels when the sacred

is torn from your life and you survive;

This is what it is to be loved,

and to know that the promise was

when everything fell we’d be held.”

Most of you have not lost a loved one due to the virus attacking us, but everybody is struggling with something. Even if your loss or grief is not big, the message is the same.

Having faith and being a Christian does not mean you will not suffer hardships. It means that when you suffer hardships, you will trust that God has a plan even if you can’t understand it. It means that while you are suffering, you can turn to God to help carry you through when you can’t carry yourself.

This year, most of us are not getting dressed up, going to church, taking beautiful pictures in our fancy Easter dresses, or maybe even seeing anyone. It’s tempting to view this as a depressing time when your church and spiritual experience has been taken from you. But it hasn’t.

This is quite an opportunity to actually understand how strong your faith is. How will you exercise it alone, with just your immediate family, or just you? When nobody is looking, will you still watch the service online? Will you find another online resource to share with your children? Will you still think intensely about what Easter means, even if a minister or a preacher is not standing in front of you speaking it to you?

In other words, this is a great time to reflect about your relationship with God. If you’re having trouble doing this without a church visit, you may want to spend today working on your personal individual relationship with God independent of the church, rituals and routine. It might just get a little more real than you expected. I know mine is.

I wish everybody a wonderful Easter today whether you’re with family or alone. Although, if you truly have faith, you are never alone. 😉

If all else fails, remember, this is what it means to be held.