Freelance Columnist
opinion
One thing about life that’s predictable, is that it is unpredictable. It’s important to have positive expectations of yourself, others and of life itself. But one unfortunate reality of life is that, despite how positive we may feel or expect things to be, life also has delusions and letdowns.
Painful or pleasant surprises
People let us down. We often let ourselves down. Life itself and the unpredictable circumstances of life, sometimes tragic and uncontrollable, also frequently let us down. But, since life is unpredictable, it also has its surprises. Some of these are pleasant, others disappointing or painful.
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Easter helps those who believe in Jesus of Nazareth to experience this frustrating trio of life experiences. The early followers of Jesus had great expectations.
Palm Sunday was a day of triumph. Jesus was seen as the hero of the day. These followers and the disciples were totally disillusioned by the betrayal, capture, trial and execution of the man they believed would radically change the world. They were paralyzed. They didn’t know what to do.
They weren’t prepared for the surprise, the resurrection celebrated in all Christian churches on what we call Easter Sunday. Their initial reaction to this surprise was confusion and disbelief, followed by amazement and wonder.
Each of us goes through somewhat of an Easter week experience many, many times in life. We are all excited and enthusiastic about something. Sometimes our expectations are reasonable. At other times they are very unrealistic. And then we are let down. This may happen because we had our head in the clouds. It may also be partially our doing, because of our shortcomings, weaknesses or mistakes. It may be because of circumstances over which we have no control, the actions of others, the weather, the economy.
Seeing the bright side
Sometimes we surprise ourselves. We have a firm chat with ourselves and challenge that disillusioned view of life. Friends or family often, thankfully, do that for us as well. And sometimes it seems like a miracle occurs, a surprise we never expected, and life then starts to look positive again for us.
Perhaps the importance of Easter is to remind us the power and love of God is always around us, every day of the year, and often expressed in ways we may not recognize.
