The Oeths: Easter Time!

I love Easter. It's always such an awesome time of blessing. It's the day our Lord is risen. It's the day those who gave something up are rewarded after 40 days of sacrifice. It's a time when kids get to dress up and search for eggs and get baskets full of fun things. It's a time to sit around a table with people we love and have a delicious feast. It's a time of immense thankfulness for the lives we are given. And of course, I love the pastels :)!

Anyway, this Easter, more than most, I was super thankful for the blessings I've been given, even in a season of difficulty. It's no secret to anyone that the last year hasn't exactly been a pretty one for me, or my family for that matter. Just in the last month I've had foot surgery, a procedure to fix my heart, my mom broke her ankle, my grandma had a supplemental knee surgery to her knee replacement and my 5 year old niece was diagnosed with epilepsy. Not exactly a fun month, to say the least. But in the midst of it, I am blessed. I have two beautiful boys and a husband who loves me. I have a home waiting for me in Germany. I have a family who loves me and would help me in any circumstance, even when they themselves are struggling. I have beautiful and amazing friends who fight the good fight along side me, no matter the cost. And I have a loving and merciful savior, who even in the tough stuff, guards and protects my heart so that I may have a peace that passes all understanding. How can I NOT be thankful?

On top of that, I've realized the last week or so the VAST amount of people who are missing out on the good news of Christ and how much Satan and his minions are stirring up the truth of Christ in our world. For example, my church in Texas sent out an Easter mailing to invite people to church for Easter Sunday. It was meant to target the masses. The unchurched. It was meant to hit real life. It read "Does God give a ....?" Fill in the blank yourself. It's real life. This made front page news in Abilene and outraged so many. Believers and non. If this simple mailer to invite people to church, and to show them real life and connect with people who would otherwise never connect to the church is such an outrage, how are we ever supposed to share Christ? It made me realize how much we truly are sheep amongst wolves and how much Satan is doing to play Christians against Christians.

Then I was so disheartened on facebook to see so many people calling Easter "zombie Jesus" day and how they thought it was corrupting the world. If they only knew.... Anyway, I guess the point of all that is to say that I am so thankful for my merciful God, and yet my heart breaks for those who do not know. My prayer is for all to know the grace and mercy of Jesus and for all to be showered with his immense blessings. There is no greater gift...

On that note, here are some pictures of the boys from today! Happy Easter, beautiful friends! I am thankful for each of you!