Easter Came Early

Easter came a little earlier this year. I was thinking about Easters in the past and how, when I was a small child, my Mother would measure me and then sit down at her old Singer treadle machine and sew away.

Mother made my dresses from colorful feed sack material, provided by my uncle, who owned a feed store. What I remember most about those dresses were how itchy they were against my tender skin no matter how many times Mother washed them. Because my feet grew faster than any part of me, we would go to Berryville Mercantile and Arlis Hanna would fit me with a pair of shoes.

Mother and I would dye a few eggs on Saturday before Easter but she always reminded me that Jesus' death and resurrection were the real reasons we celebrated Easter. After church, our family gathered at my grandpa's for dinner. Then, one of the adults would hide the eggs and my cousin and I would delight in each and every one we found.

No matter when on the calendar we celebrate Easter, I am so thankful for the gift God gave us; the gift of His Son, who died on a rugged cross to pay for our sins. It matters not to God what we wear to services. What matters to Him is the condition of our hearts. When we receive Him into our hearts, we are then dressed in His righteousness, no matter what our attire.

"Let me tell you how happy God has made me! For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and draped about me the robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10 (TLB)