Good Friday
Today is Good Friday.
When I was little, I didn’t understand why we called it “Good.” Jesus died on the cross, a gruesome death that he did not deserve, so why is it “good?”
As I better understood the Gospel and just how incredibly good it ultimately was that Jesus died for my sins, the sheer weight of what it meant was overwhelming.
It’s easier on our minds and hearts to rush past the horribleness of the crucifixion and focus on the beauty and holiness of the resurrection. Why focus on the bad when we know that it ultimately ends with the most incredible ending of all time!?
Last year I wrote something on Facebook about Good Friday, and after reading it back, it still resonates with me. As we reflect on Good Friday today, I wanted to share it here.
We are so quick to say “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming!”
And that’s true. Sunday IS coming!
But Friday happened. It was undeserved and terrible and beautiful and amazing all at once.
When in the midst of a Friday season of life, my tendency is to say “I’ll be fine, it’ll be okay.” But Friday is a reminder that it’s necessary to feel the weight of your pain, of your grief, of your battles. To not shrug it off in hopes of better days to come. To understand that it’s important too.
Because the more I realize how unworthy and broken I am, the more I am in awe of God’s holiness, love, and grace. The more I understand and experience Friday, the more I anticipate Sunday.
Only by experiencing Friday do I understand the absolute joy and miracle of Sunday.
It’s so easy to want to skip past dark and heavy times, but God’s love and grace, and holiness shine there, too. He’s there in the darkness of your pain and grief, too.
So yes, Sunday’s coming, and that’s the hope and promise we cling to. But Friday needed to happen first. And I’m forever thankful that it did.