A Child Explains Easter

April 16: Empty Eggs

Empty Eggs-Author Unknown

Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind. At the age of 12 he was still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy just irritated his teacher.

One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a consultation. As the Forresters entered the empty classroom, Doris said to them, “Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn’t fair to him to be with younger children who don’t have learning problems. Why, there is a five year gap between his age and that of the other students.”

Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke. “Miss Miller,” he said, “there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here.” Doris sat for a long time after they had left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn’t fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach, and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read and write. Why waste any more time trying?

As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared to that poor family, she thought. Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy. From that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy’s noises and his blank stares. Then one day, he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him.

“I love you, Miss Miller,” he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to hear. The other students snickered, and Doris’ face burned red. She stammered, “Wh-why that’s very nice, Jeremy. N-now please take your seat.”

Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. “Now,” she said to them, “I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Miss Miller,” the children responded enthusiastically-all except for Jeremy. He listened intently. His eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus’ death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them.

That evening, Doris’ kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy’s parents.

The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller’s desk. After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs. In the first egg, Doris found a flower. “Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life,” she said. “When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here.” A small girl in the first row waved her arm. “That’s my egg, Miss Miller,” she called out. The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up. “We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that’s new life, too.” Little Judy smiled proudly and said, “Miss Miller, that one is mine.” Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom, “My daddy helped me,” he beamed.

Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty. Surely it must be Jeremy’s she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another. Suddenly, Jeremy spoke up. “Miss Miller, aren’t you going to talk about my egg?” Flustered, Doris replied, “But Jeremy, your egg is empty.” He looked into her eyes and said softly, “Yes, but Jesus’ tomb was empty, too.”

Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, “Do you know why the tomb was empty?” “Oh, yes,” Jeremy said, “Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up.”

The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the schoolyard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.

Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket……. all of them empty.

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Oh yes, Doris!  Jeremy did understand.  With the simple faith of a child, he grasped a concept more important to his short life than learning to read or recite the multiplication tables.  He learned the way to his heavenly Father’s house, Heaven.  He understood the significance of that empty tomb and the new life it represented for him.  Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “¹Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  Jeremy knew that if he knew Christ, his tomb would, in its own way, be as empty as Christ’s because upon his death, he would join Christ in heaven.

If you don’t know Christ as your Savior yet, I would encourage you to check out His story in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  It is the most amazing true story you will ever read and the fantastic thing is that it was lived out just for you!  Feel free also to write to me at cellebratelife@gmail.com if you have any questions or just need to talk.

If you already know Him as your Savior, take time this week to thank Him for all He has done for you!

Have a blessed day!

One Day I Woke Up

 

Today I post one final entry about God’s grace.  I don’t know about you, but this one was a real ‘ouch’ for me.  A wake up call of sorts.

Romans 3:20-24 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

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One Day I Woke Up- Author Unknown

One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise.

Ah the beauty of God’s creation is beyond description.

As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work.

As I sat there, I felt the Lord’s presence with me.

He asked me, “Do you love me?”

I answered, “Of course, God! You are my Lord and Savior!”

Then He asked, “If you were physically handicapped, would you still love me?”

I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs and the rest of my body and wondered how many things I wouldn’t be able to do, the things that I took for granted. And I answered, “It would be tough Lord, but I would still love You.”

Then the Lord said, “If you were blind, would you still love my creation?”

How could I love something without being able to see it? Then I thought of all the blind people in the world and how many of them still loved God and His creation.
So I answered, “Its hard to think of it, but I would still love you.”

The Lord then asked me, “If you were deaf, would you still listen to my word?”

How could I listen to anything being deaf? Then I understood. Listening to God’s Word is not merely using our ears, but our hearts. I answered, “It would be tough, but I would still listen to Your word.”

The Lord then asked, “If you were mute, would you still praise My Name?”

How could I praise without a voice? Then it occurred to me: God wants us to sing from our very heart and soul. It never matters what we sound like. And praising God is not always with a song, but when we are persecuted, we give God praise with our words of thanks. So I answered, “Though I could not physically sing, I would still praise Your Name.

And the Lord asked, “Do you really love Me?”

With courage and a strong conviction, I answered boldly, “Yes Lord! I love You because You are the one and true God!”

I thought I had answered well, but…

God asked, “THEN WHY DO YOU SIN?”

I answered, “Because I am only human. I am not perfect.”

“THEN WHY IN TIMES OF PEACE DO YOU STRAY THE FURTHEST? WHY ONLY IN TIMES OF TROUBLE DO YOU PRAY THE EARNEST?”

No answers. Only tears.

The Lord continued: “Why only sing at fellowships and retreats? Why seek Me only in times of worship? Why ask things so selfishly? Why ask things so unfaithfully?”

The tears continued to roll down my cheeks.

“Why are you ashamed of Me? Why are you not spreading the good news? Why in times of persecution, you cry to others when I offer My shoulder to cry on? Why make excuses when I give you opportunities to serve in My Name?”

I tried to answer, but there was no answer to give.

“You are blessed with life. I made you not to throw this gift away. I have blessed you with talents to serve Me, but you continue to turn away. I have revealed My Word to you, but you do not gain in knowledge. I have spoken to you but your ears were closed. I have shown My blessings to you, but your eyes were turned away. I have sent you servants, but you sat idly by as they were pushed away. I have heard your prayers and I have answered them all.”

“DO YOU TRULY LOVE ME ?”

I could not answer. How could I? I was embarrassed beyond belief. I had no excuse. What could I say to this? When my heart had cried out and the tears had flowed, I said, ” Please forgive me Lord. I am unworthy to be Your child.”

The Lord answered, “That is My Grace, My child.”

I asked, “Then why do you continue to forgive me? Why do You love me so?”

The Lord answered, “Because you are My creation. You are my child. I will never abandon you.”

“When you cry, I will have compassion and cry with you.
When you shout with joy, I will laugh with you.
When you are down, I will encourage you.
When you fall, I will raise you up.
When you are tired, I will carry you.
I will be with you till the end of days, and I will love you forever.”

Never had I cried so hard before. How could I have been so cold? How could I have hurt God as I had done? I asked God, “How much do You love me?”

The Lord stretched out His arms, and I saw His nail-pierced hands. I bowed down at the feet of Christ, my Savior. And for the first time, I truly prayed.

The Cross

The Cross- Author Unknown

In 1967 while I was taking a class in photography at the University of Cincinnati, I became acquainted with a young man named Charles Murray, who was also a student at the school and training for the summer Olympics of 1968 as a high diver.

Charles was very patient with me, as I would speak to him for hours about Jesus Christ and how He had saved me. Charles was not raised in a home that attended any kind of church, so all that I had to tell him was a fascination to him. He even began to ask questions about forgiveness of sin.

Finally the day came that I put a question to him. I asked if he had realized his own need of a redeemer and if he was ready to trust Christ as his own Savior. I saw his countenance fall and the guilt in his face. But his reply was a strong ‘no’. In the days that followed he was quiet and often I felt that he was avoiding me, until I got a phone call from him.

He wanted to know where to look in the New Testament for some verses that I had given him about salvation. I gave him the references to several passages and asked if I could meet with him. He declined my offer and thanked me for the scripture. I could tell that he was greatly troubled, but I did not know where he was or how to help him.

Because he was training for the Olympic Games, Charles had special privileges at the University pool facilities. Sometime between 10:30 and 11:00 that evening he decided to go swim and practice a few dives.

It was a clear night in October and the moon was big and bright. The University pool was housed under a ceiling of glass panes so the moon shone brightly across the top of the wall in the pool area. Charles climbed to the highest platform to take his first dive.

At that moment the Spirit of God began to convict him of his sins. All the scripture he had read, all the occasions of witnessing to him about Christ flooded his mind. He stood on the platform backwards to make his dive, spread his arms to gather his balance, looked up to the wall and saw his own shadow caused by the light of the moon.

His shadow was in the shape of a cross. He could bear the burden of sin no longer. His heart broke and he sat down on the platform and asked God to forgive him and save him.

He trusted Jesus Christ twenty some feet in the air. Suddenly, the lights in the pool area came on. The attendant had come in to check the pool. As Charles looked down from his platform he saw an EMPTY pool that had been drained for repairs.

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The Cross: probably the most famous symbol representing the Christian faith.  Without the Cross, there would be no Christianity.  The power of the Cross lies in the unfathomable love of God for us.  The sacrifice of His son, Christ Jesus, is something we can never fully understand this side of Paradise.  While we humans will never be perfect here on Earth, He was and His sacrifice is our salvation.  Galatians 6:14 says, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,  through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”  Paul was correct in saying he could not boast of anything he had done, but only of what our Savior had done on the cross.  Nothing I do has any value aside from Him and His presence in my life.  Any talents and skills I may have come from Him and He deserves all the credit and all the glory!  How thankful I am that I experienced the saving power of the Cross!

Have a blessed day!

A Hug

A Hug- Author Unknown

The Hug!

It’s wondrous what a hug can do.

A hug can cheer you when you’re blue.

A hug can say, “I love you so,”

Or, “Gee, I hate to see you go.”

A hug is, “Welcome back again.”

And, “Great to see you! Where’ve you been?”

A hug can soothe a small child’s pain,

and bring a rainbow after rain.

The hug! There’s just no doubt about it-

we scarcely could survive without it!

A hug delights and warms and charms.

It must be why God gave us arms.

A hug can break the language barrier,

and make your travels so much merrier.

No need to fret about your store of ’em,

the more you give, the more there’s more of ’em.

So stretch those arms without delay

and give someone a hug today!
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I remember not so very long ago when hugs were not a big part of my life. Days when I wished more than anything to have someone to just hold me- that’s all, just to feel loving arms around me. I don’t come from a family of huggers, in fact, more often than not when I was a child, many members of my family avoided touching at all if they didn’t have to. I didn’t really know what I was missing until I got my first job and taught in a school full of ‘touchers.’ These people couldn’t have a conversation without touching you on the arm or the shoulder to emphasize a point. Although it felt uncomfortable at first, I soon became a ‘toucher’ too. I think human contact is a need that is built into us from birth.

The best touch of all, and the one that so many people are searching for without realizing it, is the touch of God in our lives. We have this big empty space in our innermost self that can only be filled by Him. When we try to fill it with stuff, or money, or people or drink/drugs as so many do, that hole seems to get bigger rather than smaller. It is never filled except by Him. He is always there waiting for that relationship but never forces Himself on us. Sometimes we can sense Him in a big way, but other times, He is easy to miss because He is waiting in the stillness of a search to find Him. But His love is always there for us. He loves us so much that ‘He sent His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Not life as we know it with all its pain, turmoil and troubles, but eternal life with Him in the most wonderful place imaginable- no, even more wonderful than we can ever imagine.

If you are feeling hugless today, turn to Him and accept His amazing gift and His loving embrace!

Have a blessed day!

Letter to Death Row Inmate- Author Unknown

A letter written to a person on death row by the father of the man whom the
person on death row had killed:

You are probably surprised that I, of all people, am writing a letter to
you, but I ask you to read it in its entirety and consider its request
seriously. As the father of the man whom you took part in murdering, I have
something very important to say to you. I forgive you. With all my heart, I
forgive you. I realize it may be hard for you to believe, but I really do.
At your trial, when you confessed to your part in the events that cost my
son his life and asked for my forgiveness, I immediately granted you that
forgiving love from my heart.

I can only hope you believe me and will accept my forgiveness. But this is
not all I have to say to you. I want to make you an offer: I want you to
become my adopted child. You see, my son who died was my only child, and I
now want to share my life with you and leave my riches to you.

This may not make sense to you or anyone else, but I believe you are worth
the offer.

I have arranged matters so that if you will receive my offer of forgiveness,
not only will you be pardoned for your crime, but you also will be set free
from your imprisonment, and your sentence of death will be dismissed. At
that point, you will become my adopted child and heir to all my riches.

I realize this is a risky offer for me to make to you — you might be
tempted to reject my offer completely — but I make it to you without
reservation. Also, I realize it may seem foolish to make such an offer to
one who cost my son his life, but I have a great love and an unchangeable
forgiveness in my heart for you.

Finally, you may be concerned that once you accept my offer you may do
something to cause you to be denied your rights as an heir to my wealth.
Nothing could be further from the truth. If I can forgive you for your part
in my son’s death, I can forgive you for anything. I know you never will be
perfect, but you do not have to be perfect to receive my offer.

Besides, I believe that once you have accepted my offer and begin to
experience the riches that will come to you from me, that your primary
(though not always) response will be gratitude and loyalty. Some would call
me foolish for my offer to you, but I wish for you to call me your father.

Love,
God
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Did you guess the sender of the letter before you reached the end? I have to admit that, although I was seeing the parallels between the story in the letter and our relationship with God (and thinking what a great topic for a blog post it would be), I wasn’t expecting the end sign off.

Have you ever thought of the gift of salvation in quite this way before? Puts a bit more impact, especially if you are a parent, on John 3:16, doesn’t it? “For God so loved the world (you), that He gave His only Son (Jesus), that whoever believes on His name shall be saved.”

No matter what you have done, no matter who you are..you can be saved when you choose to accept this gift. He is just waiting to give it to you, brimming with all His love and tied up in a beautiful scarlet bow.

Have a very blessed day!