Days Of Sorrow

To sit in the silence, sadness, and sorrow of His death is indescribably devastating, even today. I can't imagine what it would've been like in person. Having witnessed the most gruesome death that caused the darkest day in history. And then to sit in the darkness and heaviness for 3 days, feeling hopeless, ashamed, and saddened.

Yesterday I read the story of His crucifixion, but stopped before the resurrection. I like to sit in the stillness and sorrow of those 3 days. It's such a heavy, but good reminder. I never want to miss the gravity of the price He paid for my sin. I think it's important to feel the weight of His death, so we can feel the fullness of the joy that Sunday brings.

This year, rereading His crucifixion, I was blown away by the part of Scripture that says "...and bowed his head and he gave up his spirit" (Jn. 19:30)

It hit me so heavily for some reason this time that He CHOSE death. He chose it. He could've gotten down from that cross and proved Himself. But He chose death, because He had me in mind. He had you in mind. He chose death because He knew it was the only way. Sin was dark, His life was the only Light that could pierce it. We don't "choose" to give up our spirit. It's just taken. That shows that death never had power over Jesus. Jesus forever had control over the entire situation, but He surrendered to the process, through death because He knew it had to be done this way. The fact that He surrendered and suffered for me. That the King of Kings came to give of Himself. What a perspective on true love. What a reminder of how we should be. This world lives off of entitlement and like they are owed so much. And yet the One who deserved the most ended up giving the most. Remember the cross, because without it, there'd be no salvation, redeeming resurrection, or joy to follow. There had to be death for there to be life. There had to be darkness for there to be Light. There had to be sorrow for there to be fullness of joy.

"By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers."

-1 John 3:16