Acting on Motivation...

What a fantastic weekend. I love Easter. I love it because it is a beautiful celebration of the life of our Lord. There is such joy in Easter weekend. While we remember the sacrifice made on the Cross we also get to  remember what side of the Cross we live on. What an incredible gift of love given to us, the opportunity to live on the redeemed side of the Cross. Where death is beaten and sin is forgiven, life is freely offered and received. Healing is normal and joy is natural. I love it!

Some times I wonder if God's grace is blind. If God knew who he was extending grace towards he'd probably change his mind. The crazy thing is, grace is not blind. That's why it's called grace. This unmerited love and favour is not given because God is blind or ignorant, it is given in spite of our imperfections and blatantly ugly sins. God sees it all my friend. That's what makes his gift to us so amazing. Grace is incredibly motivating. I am not guilted into living for Christ. I am motivated by grace to live for Him. He is the only one who can love me unconditionally because He is the only perfect love. That leads me to search my life for things I can change. I want to learn to love perfectly.

Sometimes I feel bad about putting so much emphasis on Easter. Sounds strange doesn't it? But I think to myself that I should remember the Cross and celebrate Christ's resurrection daily. I shouldn't have to wait for one weekend out of the year to celebrate. Not that I go through the rest of the year in complete disregard for this, but it just seems like Easter dulls the rest of the year and makes it feel like I haven't remembered.

This is crazy thinking though. While those thoughts have come into my head, I must say that they are brief and quickly diminished. I'm sure that God loves all the attention that Easter brings! And why shouldn't he?! It brings our eyes back to the Cross, back to his Son, back to the reason we have hope. What great things to think about. I'm sure he loves any opportunity to draw closer to his children. People who don't normally go to church will go on Easter Sunday. Instead of feeling bad about not celebrating the rest of the year, let's act upon the excitment and joy of Easter and use it to launch us closer to God.

Perhaps Easter is a Christian's New Years, if you will,  a time to measure our values and priorities and make changes where needed. We often think it's lame to set new years resolutions because everybody's doing it. A bunch of people with 15 pounds to lose buy passes to the gym and get motivated that this year is a new year. You know what? I didn't set ANY new years resolutions for that very reason. Everybody's doing it. And you know what else? Shame on me. Good for those people who acted on their motivation, who shamelessly marched into that 24 hour fitness and signed up for a year pass. I didn't act on that motivation and now it's gone. I'll have to find it somewhere else now.

Anyways, back to Easter. How does grace inspire you? Does it compel you to draw closer to God, or perhaps a friend in need? Act on it. Do it now before the motivation gets lost in busyness.

For me, this past weekend reminded me that it's all about people finding Jesus. I heard some amazing stories of how Jesus has transformed families and individual lives recently. I am motivated to love the people around me with selfless love. My neighbors need to know Jesus. I can help make that happen. I can love. I will love.

Sometimes we just need to put down what we're doing and do the right thing.

Laura

P.S - I don't know how exactly that last line fit into what I was saying........but I thought it sounded pretty cool.