This past weekend, I travelled to San Diego to celebrate one of my oldest friend's bachelorette party. I met Caitlin when I was eight years old in our grade 3 class. I had just moved from Toronto to Southern California and she quickly became my closest friend. We had sleepovers, our own fake family with intense storylines (we had a wild imagination), and danced in the same jazz class. Fast forward seventeen years and she's getting ready to marry the love of her life.
This weekend, I spent time reflecting on Easter through three key verses: Isaiah 53:5, Matthew 28:6a, and Romans 8:11. One of the items on my April To Do List is to remember the true meaning of Easter. I wanted a tangible way to do this, so I chose to study and reflect on the Word. To me, these verses represent the power of Easter and what it symbolizes for us as believers.
Isaiah 53:5 "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."
My Reflection: This verse documents what Christ did for us and what it cost him. He was beaten and persecuted for the sins that we committed. He was utterly perfect, but in those moments before his death, he felt the complete imperfect reality of man. The last part of this verse is what really stands out to me - "By his wounds we are healed." I can't fathom that kind of love. He was willing to bleed, hurt, and ultimately die so that we could be healed. That's true, selfless, overwhelming love.
Matthew 28:6a "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."
My Reflection: Matthew 28:6 celebrates the true reason for Easter - He has risen. This is what God-power is. Jesus was beaten and hung from a cross, yet He came back whole to fulfill his promise. By rising, God showed the power and healing of His Spirit. In Matthew 17:23 and Luke 9:22, Jesus predicts his resurrection. This was the final act in saving the world. By rising on the third day, He has saved us. How incredible is the Spirit!?
Romans 8:11 "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you."
My Reflection: This verse explains what the resurrection means for us. The Spirit that was so strong it rose Jesus from the dead has been given to us. As believers, we are granted the Holy Spirit. It's a strong force that, through faith, lives in us. If the Spirit was so strong it resurrected Christ, imagine what it can do for us in this new life!
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By reflecting on these verses, I was able to remember why I celebrate Easter. Although the Easter egg hunt and visit from the "Easter Bunny" is something I love doing with my family, it's not why I celebrate. I celebrate because God sent his only Son to live out a perfect life here on Earth, only to die for the Earth that persecuted Him. The love that God and the Son has for you and me is seen on the cross. Through the resurrection, we are forever saved.
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend, and that you, too, spent time thanking the Lord for His sacrifice.
Confession: the Easter Bunny still comes to my house. My parents go all out when it comes to Easter. They hide chocolate eggs all around a room in our house and send us on a scavenger hunt. The first thing we do is hunt for all of the eggs - there's always one that my mom finds a couple of days later that we missed. Next, the hunt begins. My parents wrap gifts for both my sister and I, but in different colors. If we find the other person's color, we just pretend we didn't. And of course, there's also a basket to find. I love that even thought I'm 25 and my sister's 23, we still do this. It's so fun and I look forward to it every year!
Happy National Grilled Cheese Day! Inspired by this wonderful holiday, I'm sharing one of my favorite recipes: Havarti and Apple Grilled Cheese. I'm a very picky eater, so this isn't something I'd usually eat, but I love it. My sister used to make it for me all the time back in college and now I love making it as a quick and easy dinner. Enjoy this refreshing take on grilled cheese!
With Easter just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to create some festive eggs. I made these glittery Easter eggs for an added sparkle in my Easter baskets. Want to make your own? Look below!
overcome (oh-ver-kuhm) verb to gain the victory; to conquer
This may be my favorite letter throughout my entire alphabet word study. God so clearly tells us that He can overcome anything. John 16:33 is one of my favorite verses (I even have a print of it in my room), as it reminds us that He has overcome the world. For me, this is a huge comfort. It gives me strength to push through whatever I'm dealing with because I know He'll be with me the entire way. In short, He overcame so I can overcome.
Here are some verses to give you peace that Christ has overcome.
Jeremiah 1:19 "'They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord."
Luke 10:19 "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you."
John 1:5 "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
John 16:33 "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."
Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
1 John 2:13 "I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one."
1 John 4:4 "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."
1 John 5:4 "For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."
To read letters A-N, click here.
I am a self-proclaimed TV-addict and I'm not ashamed. I find television super relaxing, so have shows that I'm overly dedicated to. There are some that I discuss with my best friend, Emma (Chicago quartet, PLL), watch with my sister, Bethany (Shades of Blue, Quantico, Scandal), and some that I watch all by my lonesome (Criminal Minds). Thank goodness for my DVR, though, or else I would never stay on top of any of them! (Truth moment: I'm still a season behind in How to Get Away with Murder, Scandal, and This is Us.)
I don't know about you, but this month just flew by! All of a sudden the end of March hit, and I realized I only accomplished half of my to-do list (you can see which ones I finished below). Here's to hoping that April is a more productive month!
Have a mother-daughter date at Beauty and the Beast.
Our mom is quite the social butterfly, so we've pushed this back to this month.
Update Southern Magnolias' blog with our Jewel-toned Styled Shoot and the King Wedding.
We didn't have time last month, but we're excited to showcase them in April.
Consistently go to church again.
Sadly, this didn't happen. I was out of town a lot, so missed.
Deep clean our apartment and donate unwanted items.
Moving this to April for some INTENSE spring cleaning!
Fill out my planner every Sunday.
I didn't do this, however, did fill out my Google calendar every week, so kinda?
File taxes for the first time.
Deep clean our apartment and donate unwanted items.
Create and organize binders to hold Southern Magnolias' event information.
Remember and rejoice over the true meaning of Easter.
Head to a hairdresser (finally).
Head to San Diego to celebrate my best friend's bachelorette party.
Alleviate bridal stress by successfully coordinating our second wedding of the season.
This month is filled with fun wedding and Southern Magnolias' events and I can't wait!
Here's to a great next month!
Here's to a great next month!