if there's one thing i've learned this year, it's that when you're living with roommates, there's no need for an alarm clock. the general rule is you just get as much sleep in as possible before a snorefest begins. anyways, it's 8am on easter sunday, and i am wide awake, so i figure i might as well do some reflecting or something of that sort while i'm up.

the story of easter really bewilders me sometimes. whenever we dig into the bible, there are countless times when it's so easy to just dog on Jesus's disciples and call them idiots for the idiotic things they do or say, and "holy week" is no different. Jesus hints to them over and over that He will die and rise again, that this has to happen, etc etc, and yet the disciples still have no idea what He's talking about.

it doesn't ever click until easter morning, three days after his crucifixion, when our Savior conquered death.

while it's easy to question the disciples' faith, if not their intelligence, i find that 2000 years later, i'm still struggling with that same lack of ____. i'm not really sure what to call it. maybe it's a lack of faith, maybe it's a lack of understanding, it's probably got a little bit of everything mixed in there.

but either way, time and time again i fail to see the bigger picture. i forget that God is the great Redeemer. He defeated this little thing called "death," and yet i can't even trust Him to help me through some of my small problems? it's sad, it really is.

but if there's one thing i've learned from all these years calling myself a Christian, it's that our God is a god of love. that's why we were created, that's why Jesus died for us, and that's why we are able to be in a personal relationship with Him. and no matter how many times we fall short of His glory, cast Him to the side, or doubt His plans for us, He is still there with open arms.

happy easter -- remember, God redeems.