Difficult not to think about chocolate. The convergence of so many good things, filled with hope & new perspectives ...the beginnings of spring, in the thralls of NCAA March madness, and this holiday we call 'Easter'. Yes, visions of chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, chocolate-filled chocolate.

It seems hardly sufficient to merely aspire to a hard-boiled egg.

So thankful chocolate is not contraband.  So, when I say, stash ...it means a very adequate supply.

And the surprise is also an important element of it. A kid's version of a pirate's delight ...may be finding a treasure of chocolate. 

Being an adult, I realize that a chest of gold coins is much more valuable than a stomach of chocolate. Imagine all the chocolate I could buy with all that gold!!

It's also hard to not imagine that we should make sure we have good plumbing in the house first ...as our own plumbing may be quite active. I'm not going on a tangent here ...chocolate does do that to you!!

Thinking of plumbing ...naturally, I think of plumbers. And when I think of plumbers, I think of all those joints and corners.  And don't suddenly connect the words stash and joints.  Like I said, we are not talking about illegal substances. That would be unhealthy. But, talking about corners, what about cutting corners?  

Is it bad to cut corners??

Well, if it jeopardizes the health of humans or animals ...that would not be good.

What if it saves you money and is not a health hazard??

Plumbers ...similar to mechanics, may say, "I'll make it fit!" And they are often rather innovative, negotiating corners and bends ...and we view their work as kind of urgent, as small leaks often quickly can become big emergencies.  We should be grateful for their work.

Other things we should not attempt to fix ourselves, nor should we look to the yellow pages ...as we may be drowning in a problem which no plumber can fix, and we'd be plumb crazy to try to find a human solution.

I'm thinking of this as my heart wants to extend a wish for everyone to have a Happy Resurrection Day!!!

Is everyone going to be happy?  No, absolutely not!!

Why not??  Because there is the human condition, and there is sin.

Sin is too much like an old, unmaintenanced water pipe. It begins with a slow leak, then if not dealt with, becomes an emergency.

Well, it would be better if it was that way, but it's not!!

In our lives, we don't often see a leak ...and we don't see it get worse, nor do we view it as an emergency. We feel content to fix it ourselves ...working around things and cutting corners, and it seems sufficient to us. After all, everyone else is doing it ...and we do aspire to be as good as everyone else, don't we??

Yes, that's part of the problem ...none of us are really good. God is good, and if we have any good in any of us, it is the collateral goodness that extends to all of us through God ...the hope of which is realized by His grace and forgiveness.

This is not just a bunch of words ...we look to His Word, the plumb line by which He communicates to us of who He is, and of His grace which He extends to us. Yes, we read much about sin ...and it may not be a happy subject, but it is rather destructive to drown in sin merely because we think we do well not to acknowledge the mere existence of it, let alone how vital it is to deal with it.

The fact is, God is forgiving ...yet, we should not view His grace as us never having to confront sin. We should not look for a quick fix ...but, a sure One.

I am happy because I know I am sinful. I know I am fooling myself if I was to perchance say I'm not always good, but maybe just okay.

Okay, means sufficient ...yet, nothing is sufficiently okay without Jesus. Yes, with that in mind, I am happy to say I'm a sinner ...not gloating in it, rationalizing it, nor justifying it. I'm happy in realizing it ...and more so, realizing I have a Savior.

Thank you, Jesus.

In this life, we often look for undying love ...yet, I look to the One who died because He loves us. And I can wholeheartedly say, "Happy Resurrection Day!!!" ...as his eternal undying love promises us new life & eternal happiness.