Easter’s Lesson

With the announcement that this is going to be the hardest week for us with COVID-19 it’s ironic it’s the week that Jesus had it the hardest. In the end of this week he gave his life up (or it was taken like we feel our lives have been) and he reached full enlightenment. However he had to go through the darkness, even Jesus had a dark period or two, to see and feel the light. The darkness and pain gave him the chance for rebirth and he took it!

Birth is painful for both the mom and I would imagine the baby. You try squeezing between two chairs not meant for you to squeeze through…not exactly comfortable. The birthing of our new self, or Rebirth, is hard and painful and confusing. I went through my own a few years ago and it was hard and painful and confusing. For many of us this is a hard and confusing time and even painful for some who are loosing jobs. You could even count loosing your daily comforts as painful for some.

My rebirth wasn’t exactly religious based but spiritual and physical. To each their own. However I know Christians are to aspire to live and be like Jesus. Us spiritual types are to aspire to enlightenment like Buddha, Moses or Jesus had received. All of us, spiritual or faith based, are to aspire to some form of enlightenment but with that comes rebirth which as we’ve discovered is hard, painful and confusing.

I’ve ready some things that say according to the Bible this virus is a plague because we have lost our way. My Mother Nature friends say this is a time to heal the damage we have done to her and right now she is saying thank you. I believe this is not only a time to heal her but to reflect on what is happening to us prior to this plague. Yes I said plague because it is affecting a mass number and starving us of our normal which makes us very uncomfortable . This is a time to go inward if you choose (which will be uncomfortable but rewarding) and make the most of our time or it’s a time to remain the same old person wishing things were different – you know those wishes for something different prior to the plague that we never did anything about.

Of course some things will be almost impossible like finding a new job but we have the time to polish up the resume or affirm our new career and I’m not saying set lofty goals. I believe it is our darkness and feelings of lacking, or shadow self, are the gateway to our light and rebirth. It is recognizing our darkness that we can learn who and what we need to our rebirth and begin our walk to the cross.

So as we approach Easter take this time to not only reflect on the story, be it real or metaphorical in your life, but to relate it to our current situation. Summed up it’s our opportunity for rebirth and to rise to our highest self. We have been given a gift, which doesn’t seem like one now, to bring some clarity and joy back into our lives. Maybe to help us rediscover a lost dream or our true purpose. Maybe to heal and spread our wings. Maybe just to finish up every to-do project in our house but in those projects try to find a deeper meaning. Sitting on the couch your thing – pick up a book or listen to to a podcast. I love the writings of Marianne Williamson and currently Glennon Doyle – she’s a badass.

It may be hard, painful and confusing during this time but remember as the wise Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Patience and fortitude conquer all things.”

Happy Easter!