With Easter just around the corner, there is a lot of preparation under way. Parents buying and building Easter baskets filled with Easter outfits, candy, coloring books, and new toys. Eggs are being spread around lawns for children to find and families are getting ready to attend church for the first time that year because Easter is.. well.. it has something to do with Christianity right?

The lack of knowledge around Easter appalls me more and more as each year goes by. Children have begun to grow up thinking Easter is just another opportunity for gifts and candy. People know it has something to do with the death of Jesus, but did He die on Friday? No, on Sunday... But He was born on December 25th so this isn't His birthday, right?

To me, Easter is the most important day of the year. Sure, I love Christmas and Thanksgiving. I love the music, the holiday cheer, the time with friends and family, and in the end, Christmas is celebrating the birth of my Savior. But Easter is so much more.

So here is a little overview of the week of Easter:

Palm Sunday (Sunday before Easter) is the day that Jesus came to Jerusalem and the people of Jerusalem threw down palm leaves on the road in order to welcome him.

Maundy Thursday (Thursday before Easter) is the day of Jesus' Passover meal with all of His disciples. Here, He broke bread and drank wine and told His followers to eat bread as His body and drink wine as His blood after He was gone in order to honor Him and God, for He knew His time on earth was coming to an end.

Good Friday (Friday before Easter) is the day that Jesus was killed by crucifixion. Jesus was then removed from the cross and was placed in a tomb with a stone covering it.

Easter is the day that Jesus had risen.

So as you can see, Easter has a lot more parts to it that most people actually realize. I love all of this historical background about Easter and love reading the Easter story every year leading up to the holiday, but it's more of the emotional aspect of Easter that makes me love it so much.

Growing up, I had those stereotypical Easters. Easter bunny with the basket and the Easter egg hunt in my grandparent's neighborhood. My family never went to church, my parents never told me the Easter story. I grew up thinking that Easter was just another holiday for getting gifts.

It wasn't until I was in high school that I fully understood the true meaning and significance of Easter. And even then, it truly did not hit me until my freshman year of college.

I will never forget that Easter service. I walked into Discovery Community Church in Tacoma, WA, terrified. I was persuaded into going by my friend Lindsey (my now Big) and hadn't been to a church yet in Tacoma. I went with a huge group of students from UPS, all wanting to celebrate Easter together. We sat in the green folding chairs in two rows and the worship team was singing. Everything felt familiar, which was nice. I recognized the music, the type of people there, and the familiar smell of church coffee and pastries.

Pastor Jon came on stage and welcomed us after the band sang. He gave a full Easter service, with the communion and story and everything. I didn't take communion that day. I didn't feel close to God. Before that, God and I had an amazing relationship. I found Him my freshman year of high school and held Him tight through all the trials and tribulation of high school. But when I lost my grandpa my junior year, my very best friend in the whole world, I began to lose God. How could He do this to me? Why did my Bapa have to go?

I came to UPS without God. I knew I needed Him, but was too afraid to admit it. I went to Bible study sometimes and regularly pretended like I wanted to be there, but I didn't. I couldn't see God working in my life and it frustrated me. I didn't see a point in trying anymore.

Spring semester hit with a bang. I knew something was missing in my life, but I could not figure out what. I had just joined Theta, I was starting new classes, I was back in WA with all of my friends, what could be missing? My mom wondered if it was faith. I tentatively reached out to Lindsey about Easter services and she immediately jumped on the chance to invite me. And I will never be able to fully repay her for that.

Like I said, I didn't take communion. I felt ashamed. I felt vulnerable and like a fish out of water. Like I had this huge brand on me of how I lost God, all the while never knowing I never actually lost Him. After the service, Jon played a video for us. It was a video of phones ringing and buzzing. We never saw what the phones said, but at first, people ignored them. They would check them, put them down, and then go on with their lives. Some took more time with it, and then finally at the end, we saw the true happiness.

People were celebrating, laughing, crying. They were hugging their children and their parents and their spouses. There was so much joy. I didn't even know what they were happy about and I was happy. And then, the screens of the phones started to flash.

"He is Risen!"

"He is Risen, Indeed!"

"Jesus has Risen!"

"It is true! Jesus has Risen!!"

"Roll away the stone, Jesus' body is gone! He is Risen!!"

Tears flooded my eyes. Why? I'm not sure. It's a God thing. I felt this warmth over me and I knew it was God. It was God welcoming me home again. It was God showing me that this is what I was missing this whole time. It was God telling me He missed me, but that He never gave up on me.

I called my mom that day to tell her everything. The service, the feeling of God, the sense of community, the love and warmth of the church. She was so happy for me. And of course, she had to throw in an "I told you so!" but she did. My mom was right. Nothing was wrong at UPS, just some things weren't right. Not having a church was one of those.

To me, Easter is so much more than bunnies and candy. Easter is the day that my Savior rose again after everyone said He wouldn't. Easter is a day of hope and a new beginning. It is a day of triumph and excitement. He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! How blessed are we to have a God who loved us so much that He would send His one and only son and that WHOEVER believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

And that is exactly what Easter is to most Christians. It is a day of celebrating our Savior, our history, and our faith in God that He is ALWAYS there. We could care less about the bunnies, candy, and Easter baskets. Take your commercialized Easter. All we need is our families, our Bibles, and a little music to celebrate the true meaning of Easter.

Easter gave me new life this past year. It put the fire back in my heart and a jump in my step. It gave me purpose: to start a new and better chapter of my life. Probably the best chapter yet. I look back at this past year and thank Jesus every single moment for all of the blessings He has provided me with. From my father's health to my ability to serve Him in YoungLife, to having the most amazing friends and family in Theta, there is not a single moment this past year I would take back. Even all of the heartbreak and tears and late nights of anxiety attacks, because I know that He has those moments in my plan for a purpose. Jesus knew His purpose when he came to this earth and I can't wait to see what He has in store for me.

So this Easter, I challenge you. Don't make it about the Easter bunny and candy and gifts. Don't even make it about Jesus if you don't want to. Make it about new beginnings. Make it about making you happy and making you want to live and LOVE this beautiful life that He has given you.

That is what I did last Easter and look where I am now: going to school, a member of the best sorority ever, studying what I love, writing what I love, celebrating Jesus every day, all with the support and love of my friends and family. What more could one really ask for?

Happy Easter, for He is Risen. He is Risen, indeed.