Easter

Matt and I had talked alot this Easter about what we want Easter to look like for our kids as they grow up. I find that it is the same dilemma as with Christmas. Do we do the whole Easter bunny thing or not? I know it is just a fun thing to do, but the more I have thought about it, the more I see how the way we choose to spend celebrating these special days about Jesus really sends a message about what we believe to the kids. Matt always tends to be on the side of celebrating Christ only on these holidays. I on the otherhand, want to celebrate Christ only, but tend to miss the fun, fictitious stuff. I just love the nostalgia it holds for me but at the same time I don't want to squeeze out Jesus either.

Then at church on Easter Sunday, I was with the kids in Kaden's class and we talked about the resurrection of Jesus. It was sorta funny trying to talk to a group of 3, 4, and 5 year olds about the Resurrection, but honestly, it really saddened my heart. Even though most kids responded and knew the real Easter story, there were a few who talked more about the Easter bunny coming and the presents they got from him and it broke my heart. I felt convicted. I am sure those kids know the real story, but the Easter bunny seemed to trump the whole thing. It just made me think more about how twisted our culture is that we would take something that is only about Jesus, and really, is because of Jesus, and make it something else. As if we need to add to it as if He just isn't enough!

We successfully managed to just struggle through it this year, knowing that the kids are still very young and don't really get it anyway. We kinda tried to avoid talking about the Easter bunny, and intentionally tried to talk about Christ and his Resurrection. It seemed to work. Kaden seemed to know that Easter was about Jesus and that felt good. We had a little Easter egg hunt for the kids and I made them Easter baskets. Later in the afternoon we went to my Mom and Dads with the rest of the family.