He is risen!

"And this is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life." - 1 John 2:25

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” - Revelation 21:3-4

Praise God for sending His Son.  How blessed we are to have eternal life for the taking, if we only accept it, acknowledge Christ as our Savior, and follow His lead.  How fortunate we are to have a living example, laid out in a book we can purchase anywhere, in a language we can read.  And how helpful to have loving families, friends, and churches with whom we can worship freely.

I am thankful, just like millions of others, for the gift of eternal life.  But the last few years, Easter has made me thankful on another level - thankful that there will be no more suffering in Heaven.  As I am reminded each year of the horrific physical sacrifice Christ made for us, I can't help but think of the suffering that Emma will endure as well.  Hers will not be anything close to that experienced by Jesus, but my heart breaks in two when I think of Emma undergoing any physical or emotional pain whatsoever.  And the emotional pain will last forever...kids are mean.  Adults are mean.  Strangers are mean.  The world is largely inaccessible for people in wheelchairs.  Yes, there are handicapped parking spots and ramps and elevators.  But there will be no chance for water skiing, or hiking, or running into the waves at the beach.  Emma will not win scavenger hunts, as other kids will always be faster than her.  She will never know the thrill of her first successful dive, or that first time on the big girl slide.  But all these heart-wrenching thoughts do not compare with how God felt as He watched His Son suffer.  I have no choice but to watch Emma suffer.  God willingly offered His Son for the rest of us.  And not just a quick death - the most horrifying, humiliating death we can imagine.  And then - after all the pain and taunting - Christ called out for help...and God turned away as Christ took on and essentially became our sin.  If Emma ever calls out for help, for relief from suffering, I will never EVER turn away.  But God loves the rest of us just that much.

How great is our God? Greater than I can ever imagine.  And so great that in Heaven, my precious angel will be able to run and walk beside God.  She will be able to leap with joy and praise at the sight of Him.

Not to be irreverent, but I am always reminded of this scene in Forrest Gump when I think of Emma in Heaven:

http://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/forrest-gump/found-jesus

I pray that Emma never becomes this cynical and that she always believes, without a doubt, that God loves her enough to sacrifice His Son and to allow her to walk beside Him in Heaven.

Now for some cute Easter pics, of course:

Last year's bow:

This year's bow...and less blonde :(