Easter 2017

As the Lenten season ended and I enjoyed a great day yesterday celebrating Easter, I considered this 2017 journey...I was journaling to the Lord about it all and concluded that it was so much easier to "give up"something concrete than to try to change/control/edit/amend what I naturally have to do each and every day=speak with and interact with people. I armed myself with verses, I prayed over this, I set goals, I was more aware, I let other people know what I was aiming to do...still, come Easter morning and the overall assessment of Lent 2017=FAIL, even to the point where a conversation from this past week was renting space in my head (WHY DID I SAY THAT!?!?!)

Yet today as I read through "Easter Monday" devotionals, a verse struck me:

1 Peter 1:3- Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..."

Yes, Easter is "over"...my dress is back in the closet, the traditional Easter songs will be closed between hymnal ends for another year, the fine china from dinner is put away, and seemingly the only thing left lingering are the remains of a very fattening dinner in my guts (ohhhh but so good!)...except...

"Through the resurrection"...KJV says,"unto a lively hope". Easter is just the beginning...and I'm taking this to mean that allowing God control over my mouth/facial expressions/body language/tone/etc. began with the weeks leading up to Easter but because of the resurrection--because of Easter--I can have a living hope to continue to get better in this area. The resurrection wasn't just a "one and done"...it continues each day--a living hope! What great news!

The above meme is my constant claim--before I go into meetings and supervisions, before I gather with loved ones, before I begin typing an email (okay--TRUTH--I want it to be my constant claim!)

And because of Easter it can be...so my intention for the season of Lent will continue and (hopefully!) continue to improve. And if I consistently pray for the Lord to "keep watch", I can only continue to live in hope for success (or at the very least, improvement!)