What’s That? “Cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep.” I proceeded to the hotel check-in desk. Then again “cheep-cheep-cheep.” I filled out the necessary papers, got my room key and started down the hall. “Cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep!” “What IS that?” I said to myself. THEN I noticed a small fenced-in area in a corner of the lobby. Reminded me of a playpen. Inside baby chicks scattered, pecked, and peeped. Seems this is a common way of observing the Easter season in the Middle East and Mediterranean where I was working at the time. After that, I heard the familiar “peep-peep” in public places repeatedly. People around our country and the world mark Easter in various ways. But I wonder how many men, women and children know who is behind this springtime celebration.It’s God! God who is all knowing, all powerful, all good, all right, all just, and capable of seeing everyone and everywhere at the same time. It is contrary to his perfect nature to be intimate with sin or wrong (yours and mine included), not because he tries to be difficult, judgmental or stern, but because he is God. There is a gap between who God is and who you and I are. He cannot say, “Well, I realize you’re inherently flawed and disbelieving, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll just pretend you’re perfect and ignore that you are often self-preoccupied, untruthful, controlling, and emotionally abusive to those you’ve promised to love.” If he did that, he would be untrue to himself—and then he would not be God. God sent his flawless Son Jesus, as his exact representative, into my imperfect surroundings in order to reconnect me to himself, the omnipotent Creator and Heavenly Father. Such a costly solution to the gapproblem between God and me! God could get very pushy about it. Yet he treats you and me—his human creation—with such incredible respect that he allows us to decide whether we want to accept his reconciliation proposal. God shows such compassionate understanding of our bottom-line dilemma: he is perfect and we are not. He provides our solution and yet our refusal to believe and trust his provision is our deepest and basic sin. We need him and the good news is: he wants us and created a way for us to connect. Here’s the ultimate Easter celebration: when you and I acknowledge our need and internally agree to partner with him, the gap that kept us apart, no longer exists. What do you think of God’s Easter plan?
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Joan C. WebbWriting, teaching, coaching to empower and set free. |