Under the Palms on Palm Sunday

“It is finished.” John 19:30 (NIV).

This weekend my wife and I found ourselves in Clearwater Beach, Florida…a rare weekend away from home and away from the kids. We were there because I was officiating a wedding for a good friend of ours. It was a wonderful time and a beautiful beachside ceremony. And it was just as nice to be able to be together knowing we didn’t need to worry about being anywhere else.

That was kind of odd…not having to do anything or be anywhere. With no responsibilities we really couldn’t do anything but simply enjoy where we were. And that we did!

I wonder if we do not feel a similar kind of “odd” when it comes to enjoying God’s grace and love. How often do we just relax and let ourselves enjoy the fact that all we need we already have in Christ? How often do we just allow ourselves to live in and enjoy the reality that there is nothing for us to do to earn or keep God’s love; or that there is no way to make ourselves better, cleaner, or more worthy of blessing or acceptance? Christ did it all. There is nothing left for us to do…accept enjoy it, live in the freedom of it, and love one another from that reality.