Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Isa and the Easter Eggs at Christmas



My sister Mindy says it's because of all the drugs that were in her mother's system when she was born or maybe the abuse she suffered in those first months of life as she was dragged through the streets with her Mom.  I don't know.  I only know she cannot keep still.  Stillness eludes her.....and us when she is present. I swear the expression "keep your hands to yourself" must have been coined for Isabella.  But somehow the Only One who has the power to truly still us did just that.

For several nights she had been begging me to get out the plastic Easter egg set that's under my bed waiting for...well, Easter.  I kind of put off her request since it's well...Christmas and we are focusing on the baby in swaddling clothes laying in a manger-the amazing story of His birth.  But if you know Isabella, you know she doesn't give up easily so finally she brought me the egg carton full of a dozen plastic eggs.  Each egg opens to reveal an item that represents a part of the death story and so in the middle of the living room where everyone else was busy conversing, Isa insisted that I read her the Easter story using the eggs.  Isn't that just like Jesus to show up in the middle of the throng.

As I began to read her the story, the other girls drew nigh and wanted to take turns opening the eggs while the story was being read.  First there was the donkey and then the silver chalice and the praying hands, then the whip, the crown of thorns and the nails and so on.  As we continued, the commotion in the room seemed to fade-only the intensiveness  of the story of the way He died seemed to capture our attention.  Finally we got to the last egg.  It was empty to represent the tomb and the resurrection!  And that's when it happened....that moment when heaven touches earth.

I asked each girl.  "Jesus made a way to go to heaven.  Are you sure you will go?  Jency was the first to respond.  At nine she is big for her age and her beautiful little face is full of freckles.  She was sure, she said, because she had invited Jesus to live in her heart.  Katherine was next.  She responded,  "Exactly what Jency said, Mom, but you know I am still having trouble with my ugly responses when you ask me to do something!"   Isa looked at me wide-eyed and said a very definitive "NO".  And then she said, "Can you really know that, Mom?  Do you know that you will go to heaven when you die?

So there it was, the very reason why the eggs of Easter had to be placed next to the Creche.  The Light came into the darkness to dispel the darkness in our forever.  "The birth of Christ brought God to man; His death brought man to God."

And so right there in the middle of the ordinary Isa asked Jesus to come into her heart and to make her new.  He came and stilled her soul and gave her an assurance of eternal life.

And so we celebrate!  Thank you Jesus for coming, for becoming a child, for taking on humanity so that the captives could be set free!


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