Apron Strings Devotional Easter Special for 4/22/2000

4/22/00

Good morning...
Jesus loves You...
And He is Risen!!

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Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
-Isaiah 60:1-

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Hi Dear Friends!!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

The Lord Jesus has truly RISEN!! The grave clothes have been neatly folded and left in the tomb. A glorified body awaits those who are risen in Christ! Death to sin and all the old ways! We are new creations in Christ as He breathes His Spirit upon His beloved!

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1 Cor 15:55

I pray this finds you all doing well in our risen Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!! The Lord has put it upon my heart, and upon the heart of my dear friend Lori to collaborate and bring you this Easter Special. If you notice at the beginning sentence of the following commentary, there are ditto marks. Those are there for a reason. When you near the end, you will see why. May the Lord bless you greatly and we'll see you at the end! ( Big ole smile )

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Things that hurt...

I woke up this morning thinking about Daisy. Remember her? She was the doggie I picked up at the dog pound a few months back. I did a devo on Daisy in October. Well, I never shared my pain with you then, but we lost her six weeks later. She was hit by a semi in front of our home. It seems that she escaped from under the fence in the backyard and decided to go exploring. When my son Ben saw her in the field across the street, he called to her, not noticing the truck pressing in at the same time. Well, it got her. And it hurt deeply. In those six weeks we had her, we found ourselves very attached to that sweet little thing.

I thought about her, and then, I thought about my mom. I lost her in '93 to a sudden heart attack. And that hurt. Deeply. I found myself pondering the opening statement of this commentary. "Things that hurt.." Those are things that I can think about and deep within my heart, this dull ache comes in.

There are a lot of subscribers on this list, and I'll just bet that every single one of you can think of at least one thing in your life that caused a similar pain. A loss of someone or something that you held very dear. It was taken from you, perhaps with notice, perhaps without. And weeks, months, or years later, you can think about it and recall the void that it left. You may even find yourself wishing to have it back, knowing that it is gone and you won't see it again in this lifetime.

So what do we do? We go on. But how? How do we go on with this void that begs to be filled with that thing or person that we embraced with our heart? How is it possible to live a full life without that part of our lives returned?

With God, ALL things are possible...

One of the neat things about God, is the fact that He brings people into the lives of those who have lost, and these people embrace you and they are there for you during the crucial moments of your loss. But, when the coffin is closed and the flowers have faded away, what is left?

I think about people who don't know Christ, and they have great losses in their lives. To me, that would make the void even greater. With my earthly loss, I have to acknowledge the gulf that is between me and my loved one, and that alone brings great pain. But to know that I didn't have a Heavenly Father to lean on during those times would be devastating! In the instances of both those losses, I cried out to God. And He answered me. I think the biggest part of me wanted the pain to be removed. Dealing with the loss is one thing, but dealing with the pain of the loss is something that only the healing balm of Gilead could soothe.

I was allowed the pain for a season and I believe it was to teach me something. It taught me the fact that I can grow through pain. It taught me that I have a Lord that I can call upon when this life seems unbearable. It taught me not to take things or people for granted or assume anything. It taught me that pride doesn't hold up very well in times like this, but humility becomes my best friend. It taught me that life is short and I should take advantage of every minute with what I have been given in the here and now. And I should do my very best with those gifts. But in order for me to do that effectively, Christ HAS to be a constant in my life because I cannot do it on my own. I can try, but I will fail miserably.

In spite of my losses and in spite of yours, Christ has come to bring great gain into our lives through Himself. Here we are on the eve of celebrating His resurrection. Before He rose, He died. Death comes before resurrection.

There is the possibility of resurrection in our hearts after death. It may not seem so while the pain is fresh, but again I remind you "with God, ALL things are possible." Because He lives, we CAN face tomorrow! There IS life after death, even for those who have lost. He is the light at the end of our tunnel. The sooner we seek Him, the closer we will be to the light, and the sooner we will be out of the tunnel.

Somehow I know He holds the future...and life is worth the living just
because HE LIVES!!

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Cast Your Burden
-04-22-00-

Sometimes we suffer through our lives
unable to carry the weight.
The pain is real, unbearable.
The losses we feel are too great.

And sometimes it is in those times
when we cry out to our Father,
"My God, do You see the trials
That I'm trying to conquer?"

And He answers, saying, "Yes, love.
I see all that you are facing.
But I did not want them for you.
So why do you carry the weight?"

"Your fearful prayers have reached My ears.
Your salty tears have pierced My side.
Your broken heart tore at My garment.
And for your pain I chose to die."

"In those times you feel overwhelmed,
I tell you the truth in My Word.
Psalms 55:22 says
to "Cast your burden on the Lord.""

"I allow some things to happen
that I know are too much to bear,
just so you will call out to Me,
your Jehovah, the Provider."

"In your own strength you cannot do,
but in My power cast it out.
Release your burdens to the wind
and My joy will pour from the clouds."

"I suffered to bear all your pain.
Let go of all that holds you back.
Let Me heal you from deep within,
and watch the stone as it rolls back!"

"For there is victory when I rise.
There's new life filled with hope and peace.
I've taken all your sufferings
and buried them at Calvary."

"Cast all your burdens unto Me
and I will give great joy to thee."

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The Lord's answer to your title is this:
"Things that hurt...are to be given to Me!"
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-Lori Campisano-
Poet4JC@aol.com

AMEN!! Thank you Lori! Yes, that is it!

And Dear Friends, one last note: Whoever is relating to this devotional, I encourage you to fold the grave clothes and leave them in the tomb. Death has no dominion over you. Jesus cares for you so much and He is your hope, your victory! His resurrection is symbolic of that hope. Look forward and look up! He WILL return! Embrace the victory that is yours, even at this moment! Keyword: PRAISE HIM!!

God Bless You All!!
And remember..
Jesus loves you and we do too!

In Christ!!

Carol Skipper
Justaservn@aol.com

AND..

Lori Campisano
Poet4JC@aol.com

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