Day 8: Good Friday (Vacation Hiatus)

This day never ceases to amaze me. But this year, it amazed me in good and bad ways. Over 2000 years ago, my sins were paid for on an old rugged cross, and my Savior took a beating beyond comprehension so I could have eternal life. I watched the movie "The Passion of the Christ" twice this week, and it was nothing short of overwhelming. I had seen the movie before, but it had been a while. The way I watch this movie differs tremendously from the way I watch other movies - to think that Jesus actually DID go through that and it WAS worse than what the movie could ever try to portray... that's incredible to me. Every time I watch it, I'm stumped on how to react, but my initial reaction consists of tears and the ongoing thought of "I sooo do not deserve what He did for me." I find myself just staring at the TV screen trying to wrap my head around everything that's going on in the film. Trying to get my attention during this movie is nearly impossible. The tears typically don't start flowing until the angry crowd is demanding to crucify Jesus and let the murderer go. I just don't understand how heartless they could have been to accuse an innocent man and sentence him to death for.. what? Being perfect? As whimpy and whiney as it may sound, throughout the entire movie all I seem to be thinking about is how bad I feel for Jesus. I can easily empathize with others, so I can only imagine what was going through His mind while the romans were constantly hitting Him, spitting on Him, and whipping Him. He remained humble and silent, and when He did speak, it was with love.


I can never bear to watch the scene where Jesus is being whipped and beaten by the soldiers. I hate the sight of blood, but I especially hate watching an innocent man practically bathing in His own blood. In other words, I have to turn my head during that scene. I've noticed that every time I watch the movie, I start crying the most while Jesus is carrying His cross and He falls, and then His mother is having a flash-back - it shows Jesus as a child falling, and Mary running to help Him up and hold Him in her arms. She then snaps out of her flashback and runs to Jesus to help Him up, and He continues to carry His cross. After that, the tears start to slow down, and they don't start increasing again until the soldiers are nailing Him to the cross - I have to turn my head during that scene, also. The tears continue as the theif to His left tells Him to remember him in Paradise - that part always gives me chills.


Then the best part of the movie finally arrives - He is Risen!!


As I was saying, this year, Good Friday has amazed me in good and bad ways. The "bad amazement" mainly came from the fact that Earth Day fell on the same day as Good Friday, so guess what? The TV stations are ranting and raving on how to save the environment and plant trees and prevent man-made global warming, which doesn't even exist. All I've been hearing about today is what America can do to save the world from blowing up. When are people going to start waking up? We're so worried about the status of the environment when we aren't even the creators of it, while in the meantime, souls/lives are at stake and people are going to hell. There are more important things than the environment. I understand God sending us down here to take care of His creation but we don't need to freak out and go into a panic thinking the world is going to explode or burn to ashes. Humans' lives/souls are more important to God than the trees and the grass and the air and even the animals. Today is the day He paid for our sins, but instead we'd rather celebrate the earth? At the very least, lets celebrate the Creator of the earth and what He did for us. It just makes me spiritually angry and it makes me wonder how God must be feeling. I care about the environment in a way that isn't extreme - I don't litter and it makes me mad when I see trash on the side of the road. It's just about keeping my priorities straight - going out of my way in attempt to "save the earth" which I will NEVER be able to do, is not on the top of my priority list. I believe leading people to the Lord is more important than trying to do something that is out of my control, HE will save the world.


In conclusion, I stand amazed.. in a good way, because He loves us so much to give His own life for us. Let us celebrate this day in rememberence of His sacrifice and His infinite love for us :)