Musings on Easter

I was sitting outside, singing hymns to Jemma the other day.

What?

Doesn't everyone sing hymns to their dog?

I figure if Father Tim could quote scripture to his dog, Barnabas, in the Mitford novels, then surely I can try singing hymns to Jemma to make her behave.

Right now, she's at that toddler phase of parallel play. She wants to play by you, but when she plays with you, it's usually inappropriately. Like biting. See? She really is like a toddler. I am constantly redirecting her behavior. It's a good thing all those skills from all of those years of teaching preschool can still come in handy.

So there I was, singing hymns to Jemma. And she seemed to like it, so that's good.

I was singing the words to one of my favorites, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.

"Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it
 The mount of Thy Redeeming Love"

And I started to weep, right there on the back stoop of the patio, with my dog playing in the sunshine.

It hit me. The mount of His Redeeming Love was right there, on the cross.

Have you ever wept for that kind of love?

If not, then you have to ask yourself if you are really seeking His presence.

God tells us in Jeremiah 29:13:
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you."

It's pretty hard (okay, I will even say impossible) to look for Jesus and not hear him say "Here I am, at the cross. On the cross for you."

For all of my pettiness. For all of my selfishness. For all of my moodiness. For all of my brokenness. For all of my sin.

I find Him there, on the cross for me.

Redeemed. For me. Because He loves me that much. And because He loves you that much, too.

I made this journal page to remember that love. And I am laughing because I spelled Redeemed wrong. Apparently, only God is perfect, so I can quit trying. (Will I fix it? Probably. Because I'm OCD that way.) But see? I'm showing you my mistakes, so that means I'm making progress.

Praise the mount! It leads to an empty tomb! And because Jesus conquered sin and death, I have eternal life...today. I don't have to wait for it. It is mine. The gift of God's grace. His Redeeming Love.

Peace to you, cafe friends! Blessings on your Easter.