The early morning is the best part of the day for me. To wake from a good night’s sleep is refreshing. To begin living another day is a blessing from God. The feeling I have at the beginning of each new day is usually better than the feeling I have at the end of the day. I wake up refreshed and I go to bed tired from the day’s activities.
A Sad Day
I must confess I do not greet the beginning of each new day with the same enthusiasm. The things I must face in the coming day can affect how I feel. If I know something good is going to happen, I can hardly wait for it to happen. I feel different if I know something stressful or difficult is going to happen. Try to imagine how the women felt as they went to the tomb of Jesus early that morning. It had to be a sad day for them as they got up early and made their way to the tomb of Jesus to anoint his body with the spices they had prepared. These were difficult days for the followers of Jesus. No one can comprehend how they must have felt as they witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus, his death on a cross, and burial in the tomb.
Not Just Another Day
We do not know what is going to happen from one day to the next. We make our plans and we have our routines, but things can change in an instant. A good day can become a bad day. A bad day can become a good day. Happiness can be turned into sorrow. Sorrow can be turned into happiness. Try to imagine how the women felt as they went to the tomb of Jesus early that morning and the body of Jesus was not there. The angels revealed to them that Jesus was not dead; he had risen. What began as a sad day was now a joyful day. What a difference the empty tomb made. What the women and other followers of Jesus discovered that day changed their lives forever.
This was the greatest day ever to dawn upon humankind. How has the fact of the resurrection changed your life and the attitude you have about living? |L
Danny Dodds is the senior minister at South Side Church of Christ in Washington Court House, Ohio. Danny and his wife Delite have two daughters and five grandchildren.
