To Gratitude and Beyond!

I'm feeling very grateful right now :)

It's the Easter season. The day before Good Friday actually, as I write.

Good Friday is.....well.... you either "get" Good Friday or you don't! Those who believe in Christ and know Him well totally get the whole concept around Good Friday. Those who don't know Him quite so well make an effort for tomorrow and that is a good thing too :)

Lots of people I know who barely see the inside of a worship centre will acknowledge in small ways, Christ's sacrifice on Good Friday.

Some do this by choosing to eat fish for their meals on the day. It's a nice notion although it surprises me to learn that many of those I've spoken to about it believe that this tradition was set in concrete in the Bible! It wasn't!

No where in the Bible is it decreed that one MUST eat fish on Good Friday. The eating of fish is a man-made tradition assigned as a mark of respect for Christ. There is no blood in fish so the tradition of eating non-blooded foods on Good Friday accentuates the impact of Christs blood shed on the cross. It is a fine tradtion but really meaningless if you don't understand the rest of Easter!

I don't mind eating fish on Good Friday but nor do I make it a religion either! If we decide to have a barbeque with lots of other kinds of meats then we do. My faith is about the function of belief not its forms! I have no tolerance for rituals that lose their meaning and become mere habits of religiosity. Faith is a dynamic relationship not a religious exercise of habits and rules!

I digress... :)

Gratitude for this season runs deep in me every year. I may not always go to worship on Good Friday (however, I am going tomorrow so far as I know :))... and I may not always observe all the strictures applied by mankind to the day.... but it IS a day of great personal meaning for me and I am humbled and awed by it every time.

I am, as a result, deeply grateful for the many other things in my life beyond the fact of Good Friday. I have an amazing family, a wonderful bunch of friends and all manner of comforts and needs met that right at this moment astound me.

Life is Good despite its sucky bits. I HAVE what I need for this time.

May you find such joy as this when you survey the blessings you have around you too :)

Have a safe and wonderful Easter Season.