Now what? That's the question I always ask myself in one way or another post-Easter. Now that we've had our worship high and have been to the mountaintop with God...now what do we do? How shall we live? Where does life go from here? And how do we attain a different kind of life? Not quantitatively but qualitatively. How do we open ourselves up to the work of the Holy Spirit today? How do I live as a resurrection person today?
My life is busy. I am a pastor. I am a seminary professor. I am a regional leader in my denomination. And I help lead an international ministry. I have a beautiful wife who leads a busy life herself. Directing a preschool, mentoring young women, and serving as a volunteer in various areas. I have four kids who are all involved in different activities like dance, soccer, acting, drama. My life is full and rich and I am not complaining at all. I wouldn't have it any other way.
But there is a tendency in me - and I think in a lot of people - to be driven by the activity of our lives. We find ourselves so busy we barely have time to react. And living in a "reactive" posture keeps us from living in a "resurrection" posture. Rather than react today, I want to be intentional. I want to act out my faith in concrete ways with everyone I meet. I want to take each moment and each activity today and view it through the eyes of Christ. As an opportunity to serve someone in my life or to rest and care for myself so that I can be ready to serve tomorrow. There is a need for balance here and both are ways of living out the resurrection of Jesus.
Ultimately, what I want to know is how Easter impacts my daily life. You may think that's a strange question for a pastor to ask but we are no different than any other folks. We serve a particular role in the family of God but it's no more important or special than any other role. It's just different. And our lives are driven by the busyness and craziness of our world just like anyone else's so I'm asking the same question I think a lot of folks are asking this morning...now what?
It's not an easy question to answer. And yet I think it begins with the simple things. A heart to serve for example. My wife loves it when she comes home and the bed is made and our room is neat. Do I think of her in the morning when I get up and make sure the home she is coming home to truly is a sanctuary? She has several meetings after work today and I know she will be tired. Am I willing to forgo my own desires and my own needs to sacrifice for her so she feels loved and restored? My children are in school today and will come home with homework. They get stressed about it. It's always a challenge. So is there a way for me to create a special space and a special time just for them that will be conducive to them getting their work done well? Tonight, I have the opportunity to eat dinner with all four of my kids. (Not a common occurance in our household...) Will I make it special for them or just throw something together? These are simple things that I believe can be fused with resurrection power and meaning if I am intentional about them. What about work? When I go into the office tomorrow, how will I treat the people I work with? Will I greet them with a smile on my face? Will I take the time to personally thank each of them for their amazing work this past week? Or will I move on to what's next on my list? What about myself? I too have had a long week filled with many, many hours of work. Am I kind to myself today? Do I give myself the chance to rest and relax and be restored? Do I pursue the kinds of activities that will fill me up so that I have something to give those I have the privilege to serve?
We make this whole Christian thing too complicated at times. We equate the "Christian life" with a whole set of new activities that we have to layer over our already too busy lives which is why the "Easter high" fades so quickly for so many. Rather than adding anything new, let me suggest that successfully living life from a resurrection posture will mean taking the stuff we are already engaged in and approaching each activity with a sense of awe and wonder. An awareness that God can use this time on the soccer field or at the dance studio or in a passing conversation with a co-worker in incredible ways. It means finding eternal significance in every encounter and every action of each and every day.