A NEW LIFE

 

 

Out of all my childhood memories, I cherish the ones of Easter the most. I was born and raised in Croatia. I was 13 years old when my family immigrated to Australia. What remains etched in my heart the most about the home of my birth is the land and its’ nature….every wheat field I ran through, every tree I climbed, every patch of grass with blooming spring flowers……it is all so firmly locked in my heart and it is evoked at Easter time.

When I read the Bible, I know what harvests are and what seasonal festivals are and what shepherds are. And I understand many spiritual truths that were taught by the Saviour using the metaphors that related to agrarian way of life. I know all this because of my homeland of Croatia. I know it because I grew up with it.

Easter was a magical time in my youth. It was a time when winter left and spring came and all that was dead under the snow came to life. A time when violets emerged from the earth and the spring flowers adorned the countryside to herald a renewal of life. It was a time when baby chicks were born so no chocolate, only hard-boiled eggs we decorated to help us remember the new birth. A time when my mother made sure my sisters and I had a brand-new dress to wear to Church Sunday morning with our Easter fare in a basket for the priest to bless. It was a time when spring air was the strongest. I cannot remember it ever raining on Easter Sunday. The sun shone always, like it wanted to remind us that it was a day of re-birth.

Such a fitting time for a resurrection, when nature bloomed and new life awakened. It was a time for me when nature allowed me to see His glory. Easter Sundays for me overshadowed Good Friday and Christ’s death. As important as that was, Easter Sundays were what I  remembered the most because the happiness and knowledge of Christ’s resurrection whispered in spring air.

Now that I am an adult and understand the hope of resurrection for myself, my heart is full of gratitude and hope for the new life that the Saviour has made possible. I know that He lives and has overcome the sting of death for my sake. The suffering He bore to make that possible is something I can never repay but the power He gained to exalt me on high is something I will be grateful for forever.

When You rose from Your grave

With healing in Your wings,

With the crucible of the cross

Forever etched in Your memory;

Did I live on in Your heart

As you ascended to Your throne

To seal your eternal fame?

I bow before Thy greatness;

I bow before Thy holy name.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Clothed in Glory by Chris Brazelton)