Easter

What a wonderful holiday!!!

My chains are gone
I've been set free!
My God my savior
Has ransomed me!

And like a flood
His mercy rains.
Unending love,
Amazing grace!

We sang that song this morning in worship service. There is no better way to "sum up" what Easter means. The entire meaning behind Easter, grace, and forgiveness was never clear to me until this past year. Sure, I HEARD about it...I tried to get my brain around it. But I always felt like I wasn't good enough. I hadn't DONE enough, I wasn't obedient enough, I had far too many mistakes in my past and present for any of that to ever apply to ME and I was for sure going to Hell.

I will never forget the Sunday in church when our pastor spoke the message of true love and forgiveness. Something clicked inside me and I finally realized Jesus loves ME! For ME! For who I am! There are NO strings attached! I don't have to be perfect, I don't have to be flawless, I don't have to be free of sin. The minute it hit home, tears streamed down my face and I felt EXACTLY what this song describes. MY CHAINS ARE GONE!

If you have never felt that freedom...that release...and you crave it...talk to someone! Find your local pastor, a friend, a family member...heck, call MY pastor! I know he'd help you find it because he helped me! (Gary Aupperle 824-1844) You can even talk to me if you want to! kerikins@adamswells.com

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16