Easter Sunday morning, revelling in the resurrection, the word “temporary” rambled through my consciousness. From Thursday till Sunday Jesus experienced a series of rapidly changing “temporary” circumstances- from an upper room friendship dinner, to a prayer garden, to unjust court rooms, through the suffering and wounds of the cross, to the tomb’s darkness, to the resurrection garden, conversation on the Emmaus road, breathing forgiveness in the upper room- all telescoped into three days.

Those three days resonate still, and though each event was temporary they were intense, painful, dramatic, deep and revolutionary. We live and die like Jesus did, one day at a time. Just because our joy or sorrow, success or failure, fear or hope are temporary doesn’t make them less serious.

Jesus spent a day on the cross, a day in the tomb- I cannot imagine two more deeply painful experiences. But it was temporary and with the eyes of faith we see the unseen beauty which continues to emerge from those brief days.

A Prayer for Today

Lord, have mercy on me. Your temporary places of pain still left scars on your body to show your credentials. Injustice, sorrow, sickness and death are temporary. Hope is eternal – keep my eyes there.… For Jesus’ sake

© April 10, 2012 Touchstone Ministries Inc.