Born to Die: A Message About Easter

This one is for the Saints. The Believers. The ones that shouted today when your pastor hollered “He got up!” I woke up today thoroughly unenthused about Easter, more specifically to the point of seeing all the colors and all the shouting and dancing that is inevitable on this day. The same monotonous message about Christ rising from the dead. The food, etc. I was pretty sure that this Easter would be just like any other Easter Sunday, but to my surprise it was not. My pastor said something that pierced my spirit. He said Jesus was born to die. It hit so hard because the power of this entire situation is in dying. I started to ponder how we are supposed to follow Christ and be Christ-like which led me to understand that if Jesus was born to die, then such is the same for us. As my pastor continued his message, I started to think about what it looks like to die. What is the practicality of dying? I associate dying with laying down my desires, executing the difficulties in life. One can understand through reading about Jesus’s life that he did hard things. He did things that no one else would do. He discussed issues that no one would discuss. He stood up to the bullies. He brought order. He sat and ate with people that he was not supposed to. He healed people that were hurting for decades. He performed miracles that no one else could. He denied himself the pleasures of life that we so desperately chase. He understood His position with God and operated from that place. He was humble. He allowed himself to be betrayed. He was nice to people who persecuted him. Loved one day, hated the next day. Hard things. So again, what does dying look like? Dying looks like doing the hard things in life that may not be in line with normality or make you popular with society. Dying looks like unlearning behaviors that keep you from growing. Dying looks like denying yourself for a greater outcome. Dying looks like understanding that family is not just who you are related to but who walks with you on your journey. Dying looks like disrupting toxic patterns. Dying looks like extending grace to your coworkers, family members and friends with boundaries. Dying looks like accepting people’s flaws as well as your own. Dying looks like having a true relationship with God and understanding he orders your steps and not you. Dying looks like standing up to bullies despite the consequences. Dying looks like going where God tells you to go and doing what he tells you to do. Dying looks like embracing diversity and culture. Dying looks like grace. Dying looks like forgiveness. Dying looks like kindness. Dying looks like suffering and drinking the cup God gives you to drink. Dying looks like fulfilling God’s purpose and not your own because it's easier. We die so that others can live. Our ability to lay down our lives and develop help us to reach people in places that they could never be reached. Stooping down to lift Christ so people can see Him and not us is what dying looks like. In the words of DaBaby, “Whatever God want me to go through let’s do it. Imma do it chin up, chest out. If my head drop for a minute, don’t mind me imma pick it back up.” Dying looks like telling God to use you no matter what comes with it. Happy Easter!

Or, I could be wrong

Love Cici