I have been thinking about the holidays and what they mean. With Easter just here I have been thinking about it a lot. What does Easter mean to me? I know that Jesus died for me and was resurrected, and that is why we celebrate Easter but I also see Easter as a fresh start for everyone. I know people think that January is for that because of the new year but look outside in January! It is cold and still nasty and everything is dead, but when Easter comes around the flowers are in bloom, the grass is beginnig to turn lush and green, the birds are chirping. You step outside and smell the fresh air and your soul is awakened and you feel alive! It is a fresh start for the world. Like when Jesus died for us for a fresh start. Am I less of a Christan because this is how I think or that I love Easter egg hunts with my niece and nephews or that I love doing the whole Easter basket for my son? I am filled with such joy and love around Easter because I am around all of the people I love and care about. Because I know who my savior is! Isn't that what God wanted for us? To be filled with joy and to be around the people he has blessed us with?
So why do people make such a big deal out of Easter baskets? Is it hurting anything by enjoying a little surprise and fun? As long as you know why we have Easter then why can't we enjoy everything else around us. I mean if we can't enjoy Easter baskets then we shouldn't have Christmas gifts either then, because Christmas is not about the gifts but about the birth of our savior. But we don't because we know that we can still enjoy our traditions with our families and still celebrate the birth of our savior.
It is all about how we teach our children what truly matters when it comes to holidays. Let's take Halloween for example. I see nothing wrong at all with dressing up and getting candy. We'r not celebrating the devil or practicing witch craft or any of that nonsense. We're letting our kids get dressed up and run around and get CANDY! It all comes back to what you teach your kids. If you don't bring up the fact that Halloween used to be about keeping yourself safe from evil spirits, then they will never know! It is about celebrating the change of season and the Fall and it is just for fun.
Isn't it more important to know why we celebrate? And who better to celebrate the things Jesus did for us then with the people Jesus brought into our lives??
You know the beauty of God is Free Choice. He gives us the choice of what we get to do. I think if we can celebrate Easter for the real reason and teach that reason to our kids, then there is nothing wrong with giving them an Easter Basket either. I feel bad for those people who don't have enough faith in themselves or in God to not be able to give both without thinking it will damage their relationship with God.
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