The nail, the blood and the rock

How often does this happen, Aprils Fools and Easter on the same day? The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this is the state of the world today. I will let that sink in a bit. It is a thought provoking question and probably even insulting to some, but it might just reflect what is happening out there on the most holy of days.

I ended up traveling across the state on Easter. That was after a great message from a great man on Easter morning at church. I was a chaperone for the Northwest Native Youth Conference, and this year we headed to Shelton’s Little Creek Resort to hear some great speakers. As a matter of fact, I am writing this from Squaxin Island; but it is the trip over that I think about now.

Seventeen youth, loaded in two vans with three chaperones, headed to the west side on Easter day. We hit a lot of obstacles along the way, and I prayed a lot. Our first stronghold we encountered was the strong wind. Blowing and gusting for most of the trip and getting stronger the further we traveled along. We then saw a herd of elk near the Gorge and an outrageous sunset. Gorgeous colors dancing in the sky. Then a blizzard-like storm as we got to the pass. Low visibility, accidents, cars in the ditch, stronger winds and near impassible conditions as we slipped over the mountains at low, low speeds. But we plowed on. We made our destination late into the night but we made it, precious cargo arrived.

The reason I mention all of this is because sometimes this is how our life is lived. We set our sights on a destination, then our enemy tries everything he can do to stop us from receiving the glory we deserve. But if we cling to the promise of our Father and look for his signs, we will arrive. Life is hard. It is not easy, but if we cling to the promises of a reigning King, we do arrive. We get storms that seem impossible; we sometimes can’t seem to travel straight because of obstacles; we get distracted and miss his road signs he is calling us to see. We cannot let those things deter us.

The nail pierced him and secured him to the cross. It was our sins that put him there. It was the only way. His blood spilled. The perfect sacrifice. So that we could become his brothers and sisters. A sacrifice of utmost love. The rock rolled away. A risen Savior, who sits on the throne and walks with each of us, no matter our circumstance. He is with us in the prison cell, in the darkness and in the car on its top on the side of the road. He is with us as we travel the world in the midst of the storm. But if we look, really look, we will see him there. Holding our hand and living within us all.

When we reach the destination, we then begin to realize it, but sometimes we never see it until we get there. We are all the precious cargo, trying to get to where we are called, and sometimes that journey is not pretty. Sometimes it can be messy. But the Glory traveling with us the whole time is powerful. It pierces us all like a nail; it flows in us all like the blood and is solid like the rock. A rock we must all stand on or be considered fools.

Easter morning, our Savior rose again, making a way where there was no way. We must grab hold of the steering wheel and navigate. Let him lead you to the cross. It has already been completed. We just have to trust, accept and look for his signs. Something special is waiting to pour into us.