The true meaning.....

I had a very frustrating day yesterday with a few things that happened. The only fun thing was going to church of course and one of my favorite friend's birthday's was yesterday so we went out to eat...YUM! Anyways, Jason is still in Montreal and has been there for the past two weeks (he comes home tonight though...YEAH). So I couldn't wait to get home and just blurt out everything that happened today to him in a way that would not sound pretty and proper. I appreciate him so much because he never judges me and just accepts me as I am even if I shouldn't say some of the things I do in that moment. So I probably spent the first 20 minutes or so of the conversation recounting my whole days worth of events and he just listened. It was so what I needed. Then after I was finished he said "I'm really sorry Erin and I hope tomorrow goes better for you. Something really cool happened to me tonight that I'd like to tell you about". Bless this husband of mine. Something really amazing did happen to him last night and he held that in and let me blurt out all my nastiness. So I thought okay fine tell me.

"I was at the food court in the mall [in Montreal] where I bought two pieces of pizza for supper and a pop. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a homeless man walking around to people asking them if he could have the ice left in their cups. I noticed people getting frustrated with him, treating him badly, and women grabbing their purses and pulling them near themselves when he walked up to them. Erin it broke my heart. I was beginning to realize that I did not need my second piece of pizza because I was already full from the first. So I picked up this piece of pizza and the rest of my pop and walked over to the man and handed it to him. Erin I cannot even begin to express how thankful he was. He just kept saying "Merci, Merci" over and over again. You would have thought that I just handed him a million dollars. The worse thing was that people were looking at me like I was crazy".

So at this point I'm filling up with tears. How cool is it that Jesus used my husband in that moment to show a man that he is loved and his needs will be met. How cool is that Jesus also used my husband in this moment on the phone to remind me that my day wasn't that bad after all. There is so much that I take for granted in this life and in this moment I was silenced. I started to think how I would have reacted in that moment and wondered if I would have done the same or if I would have grabbed my purse and walked away. How would you have reacted?

I thought I'd leave you with this beautiful story for this wonderful weekend. The true meaning of Easter is Jesus who died and rose again for us. He took all of our pain, shame, guilt, and sin and took it as his own suffering on the cross in order to rise again and be with the Father in heaven, where he continues to nurture us, love us, feed us and use us in moments like this. My favorite scripture that always brings tears to my eyes no matter how often I read it is Romans 8: 28-39. I'm not a big King James fan, however I love this passage in the King James. May you have a wonderful weekend with friends and family and a reflective time on the true meaning of this glorious holiday!


"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."