Fresh air

Personal photo: my happy yellow kitchen :)

The fussing and the crying and the tears would not stop. I was on probably round twenty of singing the only song that calms him down and Austin still would not settle into sleep while we were on the highway. My parents, me, and Austin were all making the two and a half hour drive down to Dayton, Ohio to visit my grandma on her 90th birthday this past week. Usually Austin does well in the car, but he struggled to calm down this drive. I had fed him, we had stopped off to change him, and now he was just fussing to fuss. On a whim, I asked to have the window rolled down a little bit, so he could feel the fresh air on his face. Instantly, he calmed down, and a few minutes later, with the window still rolled down, Austin fell asleep.

Easter weekend is upon us, and with the weather warming up this week, Clay and I have opened up our house to bring in the blustery winds and freshen up everything. No artificial scent could compete with the smell and feeling of bringing the spring air inside. The curtains are flowing with the breeze even now as I write this, and I can hear the chimes singing outside the window. The fragrance of our blooming daffodils wafts into our dining room, the sounds of the train passing by fill our ears, and the sight of the tree branches dancing back and forth bring a smile to my face.

We even went outside to enjoy the weather too. It is time to plant potatoes, so we loaded Austin up with some snacks and a sunhat and we set up camp down by our garden. With the sun on our faces, the grass green beneath our feet, and the sky so blue above us, it healed a part of us that had been hibernating since last summer. We had a grand time, and so did Austin, touching grass for the first time, watching all the birds, and snacking away.

There is something about the fresh air that revives us, that brings us peace that we weren't sure we were missing. It feels fresh, it makes us feel alive, it grounds us in the exact moment we are in. It washes away all the staleness that has accumulated over wintertime and it reminds us that we can begin again, can grow, can really feel.

This is what it feels like to let Jesus into our hearts.

Easter weekend reminds us we are saved, that we are alive. When we open the windows of our hearts, we can feel the whoosh of the Holy Spirit blowing the curtains back, breathing life into our stale souls. Jesus brings us eternal salvation, which stretches far beyond the physical rejuvenation we feel when we ground ourselves in Him. 1 Peter 1:3 tells us "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." This verse expresses how Jesus breathes life into us by His sacrifice, how He loves us enough to die at our own hands. Without God, we are doomed to a barren and hopeless forever. But with Him, we are able to live, to breathe the fresh air, to start again from the cold, to wake up from our slumber of temptation, to grow closer to Him.

We all need the fresh air, or else we will suffocate in our own way. We struggle to manage our chaos, find purpose in life, make the right decisions. We suffocate in our own imperfections, shortcomings, and sins. In the same way, we need to be saved. We all need Jesus's salvation to save us from ourselves and each other. Romans 8:11 states "If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." This verse expresses to us the importance of letting God into our hearts and minds. He will call us to Him, bring us to Him, come to us, and love us as He loves His Son.

I think about the feeling of breathing in fresh Spring air, of it filling our lungs, clearing our minds, and calming us down and exciting us at the same time. In Matthew 28:5-6, we are told of the moment that the tomb is found empty: "The angel said to the women, "'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay." When the women left the tomb with the realization of Jesus not being there, I am sure they were invigorated, as if pulling fresh air into their lungs, breathing so deeply and quickly as they ran to tell the disciples that they felt as if they were going to burst with the news. The magic of the miracle of Jesus not being in the tomb is no less spectacular today as it was then. I feel relief and I feel hope. I feel alive.

Easter is the most important day for humanity. It brings the freshness of life into our day to day. It is why and how we can be given eternal life and salvation. I encourage you all to step outside and feel springtime when you can. Pause the chaos of everyday to watch the birds, notice the clouds, and take a deep breath. Jesus is all around us, but He is especially close to us all this season. He rises with the flowers, lives with the new buds on the trees, calms like the feeling of sunshine on our face. I hope we all open the windows of our hearts to Jesus and let Him breathe life into us. God bless you all! He is risen! Alleluia!