Change your life

This weekend is Easter, and although it has snuck up on us and arrived early this year, the meaning is just as relevant today as the events that led to it many, many years ago.

Contrary to today’s tradition, it is not about a bunny, chocolate, gifts or eggs. Sorry I did not give you a spoiler warning, but I think it is important for us all to remember the real message, not only this weekend, but every day of our lives. It is a pivotal point in our existence that must be remembered daily.

A young person told me recently, “I don’t believe in God,” followed with “How can I believe in something I have never seen?” Well, I agree that would be hard. Just like Sasquatch or Santa or a mythical bunny, sometimes some people put a higher creator in that same category and stick to it. But with that being said, the word faith becomes the catalyst for believing.

But I am getting too far ahead. Let’s talk about me for a second.

When I was in high school a few years back, things were rough. Without going into too much detail, my young life had made me miserable; choices that were not my own had put me in a place of despair. One night I found myself desperate and very much alone. I had placed myself in harm’s way and was about to do something I could never take back. That was the first time I heard God’s voice. I did not know it was Him then, but I knew it was a powerful being in my head telling me that there was hope and I needed to stop. I did. Things fell into place for me, and my life changed a bit. Things got better.

A few years later, right after I graduated, I found myself in a desperate place once again. Not in a self-harm place, but I needed to get out of the situation I was in. This time, God led me to a man named Tony Morgan, a local youth pastor. I had only met him once before, briefly, but I was led to him again and my life was changed forever. There on his couch, in his little trailer, I witnessed my Savior for the first time. There was no bright light or choir of angels, but the warmth I felt was overwhelming. I knew I had witnessed and felt something greater than anything that was present on earth.

As the years went on and I grew closer and closer to my Father in heaven, he revealed himself time and time again — in the words of people, in healings, in dreams, in his written word, in a few homeless people, in kids and in churches. And as I started listening more and looking for him, he revealed himself more and more. The less I listened to the world, the more I heard him.

As I sat on that couch, so many years ago, I learned that a man named Jesus came to earth from a heavenly place; that man died for me. He saw my sins as he was crucified on that cross, just like he saw yours. He was God that became a man so that I may have a way to be saved. But that is not the end of the story. He fulfilled scripture, a promise, if you will: He rose three days later. He was sealed in a crypt and was dead in the earthly ways, but was resurrected and showed himself to those who believed.

This is not a fairy tale. It is not a religious coup thought up by many long ago. It was real, is real and is just as important today as it was then. Easter is the day that our Savior died for us and rose more powerful than ever. He loved us so much that he died for you. Yes, you.

So listen to what he is saying to you right now. Seek out men and women who have that faith and ask them the hard questions. Go to church; ask there. It will change your life forever.