The Messy Cross.

April 16, 2017
Day 198

     Before spring break, I did an art project for Easter with my 3rd graders. We made "stained glass" crosses to hang on the windows. I normally don't do art projects with my kids. I leave that to the art teacher. I know that sounds horrible, but art projects take forever, the room gets messed up, and it just ends up being more of a hassle than a fun activity. But against my better judgment, I decided to do an art project, and you guessed it: it took forever, the room got messed up, and it ended up being a huge hassle.

     I was struck in particular by the way the finished products were coming out. The students had to cut out their own crosses, and I was kind of shocked by the way some of my 3rd graders were having a hard time cutting out a cross. There was one cross in particular that I was especially shocked at. It was crooked. It had been taped several times because it had been cut completely in half several times. It was super messy. But this student had nothing but pride for her messy cross when she handed it in to me. In fact, she was smiling and beaming with pride at her messy cross.

     I taped her messy cross up on the window and told her she did a beautiful job. And I went back to that window and looked at that messy cross several times throughout the day. The more I looked at that messy cross, the more I realized it was much more of a realistic representation of the cross than I had demonstrated to my students when I made my cross. Because the fact of the matter is: the real cross was messy.

     I've been thinking on these words today: "I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind, but now I see." I'm not saying that I have it all together now, because I don't, but there was a time in my life when I really was lost. There was a time when I really was blind. But now, I'm found. Now, I see. Now, I know that because of the messy cross, there is grace and mercy and forgiveness and hope.

     I'm thankful today for the cross. I'm thankful today for hope. I'm thankful that because of the messy cross, there shines a bright light into the black darkness which can never be extinguished.

I'm thankful for Easter fun. 

I'm thankful for the best Easter dinner. For Easter baskets filled with goodies. For a great church service this morning. For my dogwood tree. For time spent with the best family.

Thankful.