Rise Again
When we think about the resurrection of Jesus, it’s easy to focus on the imagery we’ve come to associate with Easter—the stone rolled away, the empty tomb, the joy of the third day. We celebrate with worship, beautiful outfits, colors, and our families filling the church. For ‘He is Risen!’ And while all of that is worthy of celebration, there’s a deeper layer to the resurrection that we sometimes miss. In Luke 24:5- 6, the angels ask the women at the tomb, ‘Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!’
That question hits me every time: Why are you looking for the living among the dead? It's as if the angels were saying, you’re searching in the wrong place— what you are longing for can’t be found in the past, in the tomb, or in what has died. Jesus stepped into something new, to fulfil his purpose, and He’s inviting you into it too.
What struck me a lot this year, especially during the fast, is that resurrection isn’t just something that happened to Jesus; it’s something that keeps happening within us. See, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been walking with the Lord; he wants to continuously do something new in you. What worked last season may not be productive in the next. Personally, this year, I’ve had to completely change what my walk with the Lord looks like. It has felt uncomfortable, because shedding layers of yourself often is, yet sometimes it’s the exact path we are called to take on our walk with Jesus.
I don’t know if any of you can relate, but I found myself lingering at the tomb, noticing things weren’t in the right order. I was trying to hold onto a million glass and plastic balls, navigating which ones I could drop, and which ones would break everything if I let go. And my desire to try to cling onto the old—cling on to everything- was breaking my spirit. And that’s where Jesus stepped in and reminded me that sometimes letting go of good things is necessary to accomplish God things. And dropping a few plastic balls was God calling me out of the tomb and into my purpose, which is to get my home and my children’s lives back in order.
We often think our purpose is found in the great things we do, the things we can post on social media, but for me, I’ve realized my purpose is found in the simple calling placed before me. And right now, that’s motherhood and stewarding my home. Sometimes what feels like taking steps backwards is the exact thing. Jesus is resurrecting in you to bring you back to life.
Romans 8:11 says, ‘The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.’ Maybe you have been lingering at the tomb, unsure of what your next steps are, or you are desperately looking for peace in something that feels chaotic. I want to remind you, friend, the resurrection happens again and again. Sometimes it’s as simple as taking the next step when you want to give up, or looking where you’ve stumbled as a chance to rise again. Sometimes it’s deciding its ok to drop plastic balls, when glass ones are a lot harder to fix.
But remember, Jesus didn’t just rise for us; He rose with us in mind. And if you found yourself looking among the dead, remember He is alive—and you are invited to rise again, friend!