Do you like surprises? What about surprises that first seem to be bad, but then turn out to be extraordinary? Do you like feeling sorrowful about something only to have it turn into the sweetest joy? Do you like being completely startled?
We get surprised by the unexpected throughout our lives. Those surprises come in various forms. It may be the unexpected sorrow that turns to grief and may turn to depression. Those can have a profound effect on our lives. Especially if the source is a close family member.
We may have an unexpected joyful surprise. One that turns our world upside down in a positive way. We may be lifted out of near destitution to having a wonderful job that pays well. We may have nearly given up on finding the perfect mate and suddenly he or she appears right before our eyes. It is magical.
Rarely do we experience some type of grief that turns into ecstatic joy. In fact, we may never experience that reversal of feeling in our lifetime. But that is what happened on that Easter weekend nearly two-thousand years ago.
The women who went to the tomb on that Easter day were shocked, afraid, sorrowful, and joyous all within a span of a few minutes—perhaps a few seconds. The range of emotion they felt would be unlike anything we will ever experience. It requires us to cobble together multiple experiences to begin to understand what they went through in those moments. That’s how amazing our God is. He can turn sorrow to joy with the snap of His fingers. He can turn our world upside down in a breath.
I pray we all come to know God’s awesome power. I pray we hold on to the hope Jesus came to give us. I pray each one of us trust God is in control and reach out to Him in times of sorrow. God is omnipotent. God is all-powerful. Trust Him. Reach out to God. Hold on to your hope. Jesus will answer you.
Matthew 28:5-7 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
Marty Pressey 