Easter weekend is over, we’ve eaten too many chocolate eggs, and now it’s time to get back to the grind. Well, at least Jason ate too many eggs.
The Mondays after holiday weekends are usually the hardest ones, because all the festivities and fun have come to an end – and the boss needs that report done, your son needs help with his homework, your daughter is late for soccer practice and the news of the day just seems so bad all the time. Dang, where is the hope?
There’s just a lot going on in life, and it can really get you down, if you don’t fully understand what we just celebrated.
Easter is far more than a tradition to be venerated. It’s a truth to be celebrated – a truth that will set our hearts free to live in total victory, no matter what’s going on around us.
Because Jesus rose from the grave, we have hope – a hope that transcends our circumstances and transforms our perspectives. We can be free to live in victory in this life because the resurrection of Jesus grants us access to the next life.
Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). That’s good news!
So no matter what happens here on earth, because we have Easter, we have hope.
Sometimes a song says it best, and one of our favorite songs we often sign during this time of year is “Because He Lives,” by Bill and Gloria Gaither.
Interestingly, it was in the midst of difficult circumstances when the Gaithers penned this amazing song, which has touched the hearts of tens of millions of people who have held fast to the powerful truths its lyrics.
The St. Augustine Record tells the story:
“In the late 1960s, while expecting their third child, the Gaithers were going through a rather traumatic time in their lives. Bill was recovering from a bout with mononucleosis. It was a special period of anxiety and mental anguish for Gloria. The thought of bringing another child into this world, with all of the ‘craziness,’ was taking its toll on her.
“On New Year’s Eve, she was sitting in their living room, in agony and fear. The educational system was being infiltrated with the God is dead idea, while drug abuse and racial tensions were increasing. Then suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, she was filled with a gentle, calming peace. It was as if her heavenly Father, like an attentive mother bending over her baby, saw his child and came to her rescue. The panic gave way to calmness and an assurance that only the Lord can impart. She was assured that the future would be just fine, left in God’s hands.
“Shortly after the baby was born, both Bill and Gloria remembered that the power of the blessed Holy Spirit seemed to come to their aid. Christ’s resurrection, in all of its power and affirmation in their lives, revitalized their thinking. To Gloria, it was life conquering death in their daily activities. Joy once again dominated the fearful circumstances of the day.
“Those events gave rise to one of the most famous Christian songs of our time, ‘Because He Lives.’”
So as you’re caught up in the whirlwind of life between now and next Easter, go ahead and sing this song and be reminded that, because He lives, you can face tomorrow:
Because He lives
I can face tomorrow
Because He lives
All fear is gone
Because I know
He holds the future
And life is worth the living
Just because He livesRead more about the Benham Brothers
