Today is Easter...

Today is Easter and it is one of the strangest Easters ever. Already today I have experienced a number of different and new things that show me why today is so important to me, and how the peace that Jesus brings me because of this day is so important in my daily life.

Today was the first Easter in 7 years that I have woken up without my kids. They spent the night at their father's house and I won't see them until tonight. I saw them at the community Easter egg hunt yesterday, and of course at the soccer games my son had, but as I got ready for church this morning, it was really quiet. No egg hunts, no "look what I got in MY basket!", and no arguing. (That part was kinda nice!) It occurred to me that raising the best children possible is not about pouting because I can't have things the way I would prefer, but about doing daily what needs to be done so that they KNOW what they need to know when they leave my house for college, or for whatever is ahead on their paths.

And speaking of church, today I attended Life180, a start up church in my friend's home, which I've attended for a few weeks now. It was SO chaotic! There was a technical problem with the music, which is played via a computer and projector. So we decided to do the sermon first (which is through a video feed that is recorded the night before). There were more kids present than adults, and the kids had no interest in being quiet. (When it's not your kid, it's easy to tune them out!) When we finally got to the music, I could not sing because I have a cold and my voice is hoarse. Could it GET worse?!

I say all that to point out how imperfect church was this morning. Because as I stood there (not singing) and listening to the voices during worship, I realized that the realness of that room brought more to my heart than the perfection of "church service" that is more about who will do what, how everything sounds, and getting out in time to eat lunch before everyone else.

I forgot to mention that it's raining today. And that I sat in pee at church. But what I hope you get in all of this is that when the little things pile on top of one another, they still cannot pierce the love Jesus Christ has for each and every one of us, or the peace that His love can bring to each of our lives. Knowing that peace is the best thing that you could ever imagine, and it carries over to the rest of your days.

If you attend church every Sunday and you lose that peace, perhaps the perfection is getting in the way of the Holy Spirit, who often speaks to us through chaos. Listen in the quiet. Listen in the chaos. No matter where you are, He speaks to you there. God bless you all!