Living on the other side of the cross

In just a couple of weeks, we will be living in Easter Resurrection. Imagine what it would be like to live on the other side of the cross. I?m not just talking about the heavenly side, but the Easter side here and now. Living on the other side of the cross means living a resurrected life filled with hope, joy, and love.

That?s what resurrection is! It is hope, joy, and love completed in God?s perfect gift through Jesus Christ. The other side of the cross makes it possible to believe all things are held in the resurrected power of God?s love; not only in the blissful events of our lives, but also throughout those difficult times when we need God?s assurance that Jesus knows our pain and empowers us with strength.

Living our lives on the other side of the cross is choosing to live Easter resurrection every day. It is trusting that God has offered his grace and saves us from our sins because he loves you enough not only to pull Jesus from death in a tomb to life, but also to pluck you out of your own suffering into Easter resurrected hope and joy no matter the situation.

We are called to look beyond the cross into resurrection to new hope and new life. It is the life that Jesus provides for all of us. If we do not look beyond the cross, we will always be stuck in the sorrow of Good Friday. For our sake, Jesus lives in Easter resurrection and calls us to live there with him not only in eternal life, but here and now.

At this time, many people are at a crossroads. There are those who are excited about the future and they continue looking forward. But there are also others who are grieving the loss of what used to be and find it difficult to find joy right now.

Change is a process of faith and strength as Jesus takes us from one side of the cross to the other. And whether one anticipates the crossroads with joy or with a troubled heart, change brings anxiety No matter how worrisome the crossroads in life can be for any one of us to experience, they are a passing in faith through the cross into Easter where Jesus lives.

The fact that God offers his Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to save us from our sin, is the cornerstone of our Christian faith. Yet, even God knew that this ultimate sacrifice of love was not the end. It is only one side of the cross. The other side is Easter. Easter, where hope springs eternal, and love never ends.

When we are looking at the cross, or standing at the crossroads of life, God offers us strength to look beyond what we see right now into his promise of love and hope through Easter joy.