Flooded

Not the land.  We're actually getting less rain than what I know about this place.  (Well, I started this blog entry three days ago and now we've had almost a 24 hour straight stint of rain.  So,....maybe it's like flooding conditions outside too.)  I'm flooded with thoughts, emotions, and realizations.  The Lord has been so good to speak loudly over the past few days as I've struggled with simply being content to be here.  Sometimes it's so hard. 

For example, on Easter Sunday in the States we always hosted my whole family and a few other friends.  We would pull all the furniture out of the one room which we deemed the "dining room for the day" and then we'd move every table we had into that space.  We'd grab all our chairs, cream colored table cloths, cloth napkins, candlesticks, and vases we could find and we'd load the table up with pastel colored fresh flowers, candles, and my great aunt's Fiestaware.  We'd use floral paper to address place cards and we'd make it a fun time each year.  We'd have turkey, a ton of food, an over abundance of yummy deserts, and some great Texas Pecan coffee to boot.  Afterwards we would have the kids hunt Easter eggs in the front yard where my cousins had hid them.  And if that weren't enough mayhem, we'd have the adults hunt Easter eggs in the house which my kids had hidden earlier in the day.  The hours that we spent together were filled with laughter and fun and surprises.  It was truly one of the best days of the whole year.  Missing that opportunity really was a sacrifice this year.

Here, however, we have found that Easter in Ecuador is far less celebrated than is Good Friday.  Here they take Friday off and shops close. They even close the road on the way to Banos so that some of the faithful can take a journey on their knees--a way of suffering as Christ has suffered.  Yet, when Easter Sunday arrives, less is said, little is done, and not once did I hear "He is risen!" to which one replies, "He is risen indeed!"  In many regards, this past Sunday was no different from many other Sundays.  I wish not to sound ungrateful or to make the Ecuadorians out to be wrong.  I wish to just express that my heart is saddened that Easter here lacks the celebratory tone that it has had in the past. 

This brings me to a wonderful realization though.  Easter is NOT Easter if there is no resurrection. Focusing on the resurrection (as opposed to the death) is something that we must do daily in our own lives.  Let me explain:  My friend Renee who lives in Austin said something in an email on Easter Sunday that was very, very profound.  She mentioned that if there is no resurrection, then all the suffering and sacrifice were in vain.  That sentence struck me.  I spent much of the day Sunday considering those words.  It since then has reminded me that as long as I suffer for a cause, or I sacrifice many things for the sake of someone or something, then it is all for no good purpose if I do not see a resurrection in the end.  There must be some outcome that leads to redemption.  There must be life that comes from this death. 

Said in another way, there must be a glorious rebirth in me or in my attitude or in my way of looking at things once I have put to death something from my life.  Examples could be that after months of training for a very long road race which includes hard work and restricted diet, the race is completed and a healthier, thinner athlete emerges.  After a tough pregnency which also restricts the diet and puts overwhelming demands on the body, a baby is born and a new life is begun.  Or, after a long, difficult journey which demands much, there must be a new, fresh outlook on life or a new sturdier life of integrity.  In each instance, sacrifice must point to a resurrection--a rebirth.  In our lives, we can very well go through hard times or struggles or demanding changes.  But, if we do not come out of it on the other end in victory, then we have not seen the challenge through to the end.  Each of our sacrifices and struggles are to point to something greater that awaits us at the end of the trial.  May we see that victory that awaits us and the new life that is in store for us on the other side. 

May the Lord guide you to stay the course, to endure the trial, to give up the things that He leads you to relinquish, so that you may see resurrection in all it's amazing glory at the end. 

Thanks for reading.
Blessings, kim