I have a few problems with the Easter holiday, and I'm sure you're wondering how a devoted Christian could say such words. It's not necessarily that I dislike Easter, but I dislike what it has become. Like many other religious holidays, the meaning of it has become lost in a sea of secularism. That is what bothers me.
First of all, Easter should not be the only time you pay attention to God, Jesus, Church, or your Christian values. If you act like a Christian one day a year, (probably two if we include Christmas), that does not show a lot of faith. That shows an ability to go through the motions. God calls us to walk with Him daily- and to put our hearts into what we are doing. God deserves all or nothing. He hates lukewarm, because lukewarm has no use at all. "I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other. So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of My mouth!" (Revelation 3:15-16) I think going to Church on Easter is a fantastic start, but if God lives in our hearts, we need to surrender to Him daily and keep our minds focused on things above, not below. Yes, many many years ago, Jesus died for us, so now it’s up to us to choose to live for Him. Living for Him does not mean occasionally attending church or doing good deeds. Those things are good, but they are not what He asks for. If we are only thinking about Jesus
once in a while or when we need something, we are doing something wrong.Secondly, the commercialization and secularization of the Easter holiday sort of makes me feel like our Holy Day has been hijacked by the Easter bunny and cute little eggs. It is sad that when I search for Easter pictures on the internet, it takes forever to find a picture of Jesus. Eggs, fun colors, the Easter bunny, and food are all wonderful things, but you can have them any time. I don't understand why they have to be the main focus of a day that is supposed to be focused on Jesus (even though every day should be). Easter is a time for Christians to celebrate our salvation. To celebrate the fact that Jesus died on a cross for our sins and was raised 3 days later. That is what Easter is about. The fact that people use Easter as an excuse to take a day off and eat some good food sort of annoys me. That kind of Easter is not Easter to me. It distracts everyone from what the holiday is truly about. There’s a reason for the holiday- and it isn’t fluffy animals, because fluffy animals didn’t save our souls.
I am glad that people find Easter to be fun. Easter egg hunts are so much fun to me. Coloring eggs is so much fun. Eating lots of candy? Obviously fun. But I hate that these things are what we mainly look forward to. It has become so easy for people to ignore what the holiday is about and adopt it as another day to relax, eat a bunch of food, and go to church for once in the year. But it is so much more than that. I pray that people will be awakened to the true meaning of Easter, and will fall in love with God so much that every day will be a celebration of the raising of our Savior from the dead. So, now that Easter is over, will you continue to celebrate with me?