Our Inspired Journey

This Easter I was so looking forward to Ryder understanding more of what Easter is! He is at an incredible time in his development...constantly asking hard questions and waiting for REAL answers! I love it. I've never been that good at making up "cute" fake answers in an attempt to hide the real ones. I know this may seem like a travesty to some, but even questions about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny can't pull sweet little lies out of me. When I thought about this further, trying to figure out why this was so important to me, I realized this comes from the value I place on trust. Those I feel safest and closest to are those I know will always be truthful with me and who I know I can be truthful with as well. Does it seem like I'm making too big of a deal of a fun little tradition like the Easter Bunny...maybe. I guess I just have a hard time knowing where to draw the line between fact and fiction so when in doubt I go for truth since I know it won't back me into any corners, having to answers more questions about a fictional character I've just made REAL later!For example, today we had a little Egg Hunt for the boys in our backyard after they woke up from their naps. When they woke up I told Ryder that he and Cole were going to get to hunt for eggs in our backyard! Just like my Ryder, he asked, "Who hid the eggs mom?" Without hesitation, I told him that Dad hid the eggs. Some of you are cringing right now that I've ruined a childhood fantasy about the Easter Bunny for my son, but I assure you he is doing just fine. He was ecstatic that Daddy would hide eggs for him and Cole to find and even after finding them all, came inside and wanted Daddy to hide them again inside so they could play again! They got fun Easter baskets, hunted for eggs, we went to church on Good Friday (John and I played and sang a song for service) and again this morning on Easter...it was a wonderful weekend for our family.

At this point, I was supposed to beat it all with a mixer at high speed to make it stiff enough to fold the pecans in and plop little mounds on my cookie sheet. Well, I mixed, and I mixed and I mixed some more...16 minutes later I realized I was not going to get any kind of "stiff peaks" from my concoction, so I did the only thing I could do after all this effort! I moved forward with Ryder in hopes that something would come from my pool of "white" that I created. I explained how the white color reminds us that because Jesus died on the cross for us we are clean. We should've been there since we are the one's who have done bad things but He forgets about those things we've done and helps us start over if we ask. Then we folded in the pecans (more like dumped and stirred!) and then put what were supposed to be "mounds" representing the rocky tomb where they lay Jesus' body into our wax paper covered cookie sheet...they were like little pools...nothing like rocky tombs at all. I still put the cookie sheet in the oven, explaining to Ryder that they put Jesus' body in a hole in a rock called a tomb after he died on the cross. We shut the oven, turned it off (it had been pre-heating the whole time we were cooking) and went to bed.

The next morning, we were supposed to open up the oven, bite into the cookies and find them empty inside (a hole inside each cookie) symbolizing Jesus' body being gone when Mary and Mary came to the tomb looking for Him. Instead, I snuck a peek at my flat pancakes that had by this time, joined forces to make one HUGE pancake across the whole cookie sheet over night. Not coming up with any kind of symbolism in my head for flattened cookies, I did the only thing I could do to redeem the meaning of the story for Ryder! I quickly threw the cookies away, (don't be sad...I couldn't even peal them off of the wax paper) and left the empty cookie sheet in the oven...cookie-less. :( Ryder came into the kitchen after waking up...blew past the Easter basket sitting on the table and said, "Mom, let's see what happened to our cookies!" My heart sank, not wanting to disappoint him...after all, we worked hard on these cookies the night before! With all the excitement I could muster I said, "Open up the oven and see what happened...(he did)...They're gone! Just like Jesus' body was gone when his friends looked for him in the tomb! God made Him alive again and He was gone!"

At this point, Ryder and I were looking at each other, both of us not believing what had happened (to our cookies...not to Jesus!)..."Where are the cookies, Mom?" Ryder asked. "They didn't turn out sweetie. Mommy did something wrong and they didn't work like they were supposed to. I had to throw them away." I went on to explain to him what they were supposed to look like with a hole in the middle reminding us that Jesus was no longer dead, but that the empty oven can remind us of the same thing. He got over the disappointment pretty quickly once he saw his Easter basket with a some goodies in it that we could play with after church, but didn't forget to tell Daddy that our cookies didn't turn out. Telling my mom the story later, she helped me realize that I probably got a bit of yolk in the bowl and that would prevent the batter from getting stiff...I'll be ready next year! And hopefully next year...Cole will join us in making Resurrection Cookies and Ryder will help me tell him the story of how much Jesus loves us...so much that he would die in our place so that ALL who believe can be with Him forever in heaven someday!

We read the story again in his children's bible tonight before he went to bed. It's hard to know how much little ones can understand about concepts many adults have a hard time grasping...forgiveness of my sins? a man being raised from the dead? a man who walked on the earth for 33 years was the Son of God?...these are not easy truths to rationalize with our human minds. Maybe that is why God asks us to have "faith like a child." I know one thing for certain...of all the stories we tell our children, I cannot think of one more important for them to remember. Jesus did on the cross what no superhero, Santa Claus or Easter Bunny could ever claim! He conquered the worst bad guy in all of history and gave all people hope for life beyond this world! SO after all that I know you're wondering...Am I anti Santa, Superman and the Easter Bunny? No...my boys were Superman and Spiderman for Halloween...I grew up with Santa and the Easter Bunny as a part of our holidays as a little girl...but the important part is...not to the point where Jesus was lost.

In a world where adults celebrate celebrities and children idolize cartoon characters, nothing is more important to me in the raising of my children than for them to realize that NO ONE...regardless of how great their accomplishment can ever compete with Jesus for their Mommy's heart. I am head-over-heals in love with the One who endured the unthinkable so that I could walk with Him today and live with Him forever. By God's grace, I pray that if there is any good thing that my children can say of me at the end of my life, it is that they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I loved Jesus more than anything or anyone in this world. And for this high and lofty yet attainable goal, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny will have to take a back seat on days such as today...because I know the author of life and He has a better story to tell....I know because it has changed ME!