Beyond Bunnies and Eggs

The True Easter Message

I’ve always thought that there’s a certain innocence about Spring. New life is birthed all around us. The freshly bloomed Daffodils, the little bunnies and chicks that make every heart melt. The Easter celebrations and egg hunts that take us back to those glorious childhood days. And last but not least, that long awaited feeling of Spring sun on our faces. 

Although those things bring joy and innocence to our lives, they are temporary and barely scratch the surface of what Easter is truly about. It’s a beautiful celebration of the new life and new innocence we have in Christ, because of what He did on the cross for us. 

I don’t know if this relates to you but, in the past, I have struggled with feelings of having lost my innocence. The weight of the world, various situations, circumstances, growing up and guilt formed a dark and heavy cloud over my head that was really hard to shake off. 

I wanted an innocence that went beyond bunnies and eggs – which were only temporary. I was looking for something deeply rooted that lasts and sustains. 

I remember the moment I found it, or rather the moment I realised that I had never lost it. I was praying and asking God to help me with these feelings of lost innocence. I wanted to be free of the weight. What God revealed to me was that it was never lost, but clouded by thoughts from the enemy. Thoughts that kept me in a cycle of looking for reasons why I’m not innocent, loved or enough rather than focusing on the one big reason why I am – Jesus. Once I recognised that these thoughts and lies were not from God, I started to declare God’s truth from His Word over myself. He confirmed His thoughts over me, confirming I am loved, whole and forgiven. 

Innocence Restored

After the cloud was lifted, I could see clearly. I felt like a child again, I felt free. My innocence had been restored and I had been given a fresh start. The Bible says that He rejoices over me with singing, and He sees us in Jesus without a spot or wrinkle. That is the truth we need to dress ourselves with. 

Jesus rose from the grave to give us a new life. He wiped the slate of sin clean. A beautiful picture of this is found in Isaiah 1:18: 

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (NIV) 

For me, this verse completely captures what it means to be forgiven, washed clean and given a new innocence in Christ. He makes us pure as snow, and nothing can take that away from us so long as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. 

Something I once heard completely changed how I live out my faith. It was about how the enemy’s goal is not only to get us to sin, but to do everything in his power to turn our attention from God and from Jesus. His primary goal is to get us away from God. And so, in return, it should be our primary goal to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. 

Mind Games

We need to guard our hearts and minds 24/7 and make sure that we take every thought captive. This is something I wish my younger self could really grasp. The enemy likes to play games with our minds, so when those thoughts come rushing in telling us that we aren’t enough – we should pause. And we should take those thoughts captive, choosing not to entertain them because they are not from God. We remember the cross and what Jesus died for – He died for you so that you can live in freedom and innocence as a child of God. 

This Easter, take time to remember the cross. If you are facing a battle with your thoughts, whatever they may be, run to Jesus. Don’t let your mind spin so much that you lose sight of Him. He died for us so that we can live in freedom – and we need to choose to live in it. 

God bless you! 

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