Today is Good Friday. As I walk outside in this beautiful 80° and sunshine, I’ve been thinking of our plans for Easter Sunday and the cute outfits my mom bought the babies and church and dinner and friends. I’ve been thinking about the meaning of Easter, and quite frankly, beating myself up a bit for not being more disciplined this past week in spending time with the Lord and reflecting on the hugeness of this holiday and the very real impact it’s had on my faith and life, and the faith and life of all believers. This weekend truly is the centerpiece of the celebration of the very act my salvation depends on. It’s enormous and it’s meaningful and I feel a bit of disappointment in myself for not spending more time preparing my heart and mind for this upcoming celebration.
Even more so, on this walk something stuck me about this Friday. Good Friday. And as a Christian, I know that Good Friday isn’t really good in the typical way we view that word. This is the day we observe Jesus’ literal torture, emotionally, physically and spiritually, and His crucifixion and death. This is the day we honor the greatest Sacrifice in history. What is good about anyone’s, let alone who I believe to be God in the flesh and my literal friend and savior’s, torture and death? And I recognize this isn’t really a new idea by any means, as it’s obvious why we call this Friday good (i.e. holy), but it’s something I believe is important to reflect on regardless. Jesus’ choice to suffer benefits each of us in the greatest way we could ever hope for. His death meant our salvation. He took our sins and failures on as His own and He paid the ultimate price for them. So, although what He went through is far from good, it has resulted in the ultimate good for each and everyone of us who decide to accept it.
Now, as I continue to walk and think and type, I can’t help but reflect of my own trials. All trials a far cry from anything close to what Jesus experienced, but certainly things that brought pain and that I’d not for a second consider good. But, in light of this Friday and the goodness that came from such suffering and sorrow, all I can think of is how beautiful it is that I can trust the Lord to bring good in all of my own. And I think that’s the key there - that God can and will use things for good, not that they are inherently good things to have happened.
There’s really no room for cliches such as “everything happens for a reason” in light of such real pain, but I certainly believe that God has a plan to use the ugly, suffering, intense and downright bad and wrong experiences for real, beautiful goodness. And maybe not always our own. Jesus didn’t really benefit from his torture and death. He was already God in the flesh and didn‘t need to experience such sorrow in order to experience goodness. But the goodness His pain brought us is truly unimaginably good and worthy of so much celebration. And likewise, maybe some of the ugly experiences I’ve walked through won’t bring me a ton of obvious good, although I’m sure there’s some (even if it’s only empathy for others or my own refinement and sanctification), but I can trust that He will use it for the good of others, and that truth brings my heart so much peace.
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