The calendar says it’s time to celebrate, but sometimes it’s hard to join in the season’s joy. As Easter approaches, you may be facing a difficult situation. A harsh diagnosis. A struggling marriage. A broken heart.
Easter is still for you. Even in the midst of pain, you have a promise of resurrection.
How to Celebrate When Your Heart Is Broken
The thing about annual holidays is that we may or may not feel like celebrating when the calendar tells us to. For example, my mom went into surgery for cancer on December 31. As you might imagine, celebrating the new year was the furthest thing from my mind that night.
Perhaps you’re facing a similar experience as this Easter season arrives. Maybe you’re coming to terms with a harsh diagnosis. Maybe you’re struggling in your marriage. Or perhaps you’ve had your heart broken by a friend. These wounds are real. Does the coming of Easter really change anything?
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted…
Psalm 34:18
Easter isn’t about pretending your problems don’t exist. It’s about remembering that, whatever your problems are, you don’t face them alone.
When Jesus walked this earth, He experienced a full human life. He knew what it was to lose someone (John 11:34-35), to worry about family (John 19:26-27), and to be betrayed by a friend (Matthew 26:21). And if you wonder if Jesus really knew the pain that you feel, just look to the cross. There, He took all of our pain onto His shoulders (Isaiah 53:4).
So you can take comfort in knowing that nothing you experience is foreign to Jesus. He knows exactly how you feel because He felt it too—and He feels it with you now. Not only that, but He prays about it with you. As Paul tells us, Jesus intercedes to the Father on our behalf (Romans 8:34).
…weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:5
Whatever you are going through, Easter is a reminder that you won’t be going through it forever.
Jesus’ disciples spent three days mourning His death. Those three days were filled with heartbreak, hopelessness, and wondering “Why?” But if the disciples thought their story had reached its conclusion—they were wrong.
Even as they were reeling from the trauma of Jesus’ crucifixion, God knew exactly what He planned to do next. The story wasn’t over.
It can be hard to see past something like a cancer diagnosis. But faith is being certain of what we hope for, especially when we can’t see it (Hebrews 11:1). We don’t know what God will do next, but He has a plan (Jeremiah 29:11). And while you may not see that plan unfold on this side of heaven, you can be sure that someday, your hurting will end (Revelation 7:17).
I am the resurrection and the life.
The one who believes in me will live, even though they die…
John 11:25
Easter shows us that joy is on the other side of heartbreak.
After three days, Jesus stepped out of the tomb, leaving our sin and the death we deserve in the grave forever. In their place, He brings us love, hope, joy, peace, forgiveness, redemption, salvation, renewal and eternal life. In short, Jesus brings us resurrection.
Whatever your troubles are, Jesus has already won the victory (1 Corinthians 15:57). You don’t have to live in the shadow of death, because the light of His life is shining on you. In Him, you have abundant life today and eternal life afterward.
The end of the story is really, really good. And Easter reminds us of that hope.
Others need to know the hope you’ve found. All over the world, people experience broken hearts apart from Jesus. But the most beautiful thing about Easter is that the resurrection is something you can share with them.
I saw a foreshadowing of the resurrection this past January when the doctor declared my mom cancer free. You can be sure that I will be thinking of that moment as I celebrate the Lord’s resurrection this Easter. My prayer for you is that you will experience the resurrection in your own life this Easter — and share that experience with someone else.
Watch with faithful expectation for what Jesus will do next.