*Easter drumrolls*
Love is about to walk through hell.
The world is asleep as He prays and
wonders if the pain is worth the crown
He knows the other two persons of the God-head can hear Him.
He is about to fight Eve’s bite that made the serpent strike.
He knows it’s time. Judas has betrayed him.
Peter has forsaken him. Heaven is silent.
And only his blood mattered now.
That blood that would speak all through eternity.
The blood of Jesus!
Loved by Love: The True Message of Easter
While editing my current book project, I just felt a need to write this short article on Easter and the love lessons we can all learn from it. As a believer, my faith is an inseparable part of my writing and hence, the need to pause and reflect on the most important thing in life: my relationship with God.
If you are not a believer today, reading this blog, that is Ok. Your take home should be this: there is a God in heaven who loves you.
And I am an extension of that love! Yes! I love you.
My Top Easter Love Lessons
1. Love Volunteers
Easter shows us that it is impossible to see someone you love in pain and turn a blind eye. If you do that, you actually do not love that person. The pain of the father touched Jesus and it is that feeling we pause to reflect on today.
Good Friday is the crucifixion Friday. Here, we remember that at the age of 33, Jesus accomplished the assignment the Father sent Him to do on earth, which was to die for the sins of the whole world.
I know it is a weird concept to wrap your head around especially if you do not come from a Christian background so let me tell you a story to simplify it.
My Easter Story
You have a wealthy father who has other children that are supposed to be your siblings and fill up the beautiful rooms in your father’s house. Somehow, they behave like orphans, are poor people and are under a government that oppress them. Meanwhile, this father you all share has a government even this wicked government that oppresses your siblings submits to.
You are alone with your father in the kingdom and you see how heartbroken your father is watching your siblings die and suffer at the hands of a government far inferior than the one their father rules over. Every day in this kingdom, your father looks at you, the rest of the citizens of his kingdom who and says:
“Have I not told your siblings they are princes? Have I not told these children they are gods? Do they not understand that I their father am a king? Have I not placed an eternal crown on them? But my people perish because they lack this knowledge. And even more so because they are legally serving a jail term.”
Soon, the pain of your father gets to you and you begin to long for those siblings who have never known you. After a while you say, “What can we do to bring them home, father?”
Your Father says, “My son, there is a way but who will go for us? You know your siblings willingly decided to be servants to this government; it is an old story that began with when I gave you a seat at my right hand and the king that rules over them now got jealous and fought me. I took a chance and showed Him your throne; a rare privilege granted only to the ones I love to a fault and this turned up the darkness in Him.
“I sent Angel Michael and the soldiers under his command after him when he started a war in our kingdom and eventually he was defeated. However, he became an archenemy of our kingdom and decided that whatever and whoever comes from me was by association his enemy as well.
“A long time passed and I was tired of the silence in the kingdom. Did I tell you he was the greatest gospel artiste of his time, the most handsome of the other guys and a beauty to behold? Son, this is why sin is delighting to the eye that beholds it. It is the nature of this sly one. Back to my story son; a long time passed and I wanted to hear the melodies again, I wanted to hear the feet of children running through the empty rooms and hallways and so I set out to surprise our people and voila! In 7 days, I rebuilt the ruins of the war that had happened, formed Adam and Eve, and gave them everything this enemy had ever wanted including my face. This time, however, I had an ace up my sleeve. I knew that he would come for me so as I built, I put systems to combat what he would do and just as I expected he came again. Sly thing! Deceived Eve, collected the keys to their inheritance and finally made sure he rendered them incapable of looking like me. Son, anything that does not look like me, cannot enter into my presence. This was the saddest part of it all. I had to drive them out.
“But! He forgot one thing! Oh! He did not know as the Grand Chess Master, I had anticipated his weak move and put systems in place to cushion the effect of the fall of Adam and it is this system that I must unveil if I am to save them all: You!
“Remember, I told you he saw a throne, yeah? Well he did not see the person on the throne and that is why the only way we can bring them back home is if you take their place because as my firstborn, your value is that of your entire siblings put together because this whole saga started when I gave you a seat at my right hand. He however, does not know you. He has looked for you for a very long time. In Egypt. In Canaan. And soon in Jerusalem.
“Here is what this government will not know. When they capture you, they will unknowingly relinquish all the claims they hold over your siblings and this authority in you they want will then be spread across your siblings. So by having you, they free everyone else. And by freeing everyone else, I can now exercise my power over you because no legal document ties you to this sly thing. There is a catch however; you have to die to access that document he has that contains the terms of slavery. It will be a slow painful death.
“For thirty years, I will prepare your mind and your body for it, in three years you will educate your siblings of what will be done, never minding the fact that they will not listen to you.
You will then die and in three days, I will raise you up. Your rising will be the falling of many. Yes! This sly one and his legion will fall. So who will go for us? I ask again?”
You take a deep breath while the entire kingdom waits…nobody volunteers and so you step forward, “I will go father.”
Love Volunteered to Love Me
Easter talks about the events that lead to the resurrection of Jesus: his passion, death and resurrection and its meaning as well for the person who does not know the love of God.
This is where we are right now; Jesus has been crucified and on this day, the wooden cross of Calvary is about to shed off mortal meaning and wear the garments of eternity.
Now that I have tried to explain why He had to die, let me remind you again that the cross would have been a total failure if Jesus had said, “Sorry dad, one day a saviour will come for them.” One day e go better for them. You see, love never waits for someone else when there is work to be done. Think about it!
2. Love Has Goals
Jesus did not arrive earth and decide to party. Nah! At the age of 12, He was already studying for His role in destiny! What is your role in the life of your partner? What is your role in the relationship? How well have you studied for that role? How well do you know your lines?
You need to understand that a goal has to be actively engaged before it can be achieved. Jesus had a time frame of thirty-three years. My love, you do not have forever to love this man. The earlier you start hitting these goals, the better.
3. Love Forgives
Look at all the bad things we did and still do. Peter denied Jesus three freaking times. Jesus however, forgave, forgot and favoured Peter. Your boyfriend should not deny you publicly sha.
4. Love Gives
The very foundation of salvation is giving. God so loved, that He gave. If you are in love and you stingy, my dear you are not in love. Review that love.
It is impossible to genuinely love someone and not give something. You will be in over your head trying to give something to show how much you love him.
5. Love Perseveres
Love is not forceful. Love does not command another to love. Love leaves only when the time is right and love will always look for reasons to stay.
Jesus said to His disciples, “I really would have loved to stay but you know, if I don’t go, the comforter will not come.”
6. Love Has Boundaries
Even at the prime of his ministry, Jesus did not reach out to some people. He knew those He was sent to. He knew His friends from His partners. He had circles of influence and He certainly did not allow just anyone into His life.
If you are in love, you protect that love by jealously guarding the access you give.
Do you have like ten male “besties” and one boyfriend? I think it is wrong and an insult to your partner.
As much as He was close to John, it was the Spirit that led Him to the wilderness to be tempted. Your partner should be your bestie. Stop all this nonsense “He’s the only one who understands me.” What then is the role of the person you are dating?
This Easter, you can review weak boundaries and begin to work on bonding with your partner.
7. Love Compliments
God said, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased..” You have been dating this man for three years and nobody knows how pleased you are with him. Fear God, my sister. Fear Allah! Use this Easter season to genuinely celebrate and appreciate your partner.
Phew!
I have an online class in less than thirty minutes so I will stop here. Remember, Jesus did not die for you to end up a side chick.
Happy Easter Reflections! Love will always multiply your results. God bless you. Share this article with someone you love! Check out Dupe’s awesome Easter Worship Songs Collection
