Happy Easter! Vesele velikonočne praznike!
In Slovenian, Easter is "Velika noč", which means "Great night". The significance behind that is truly inspiring.
It WAS a great night, when against all odds, Jesus, who was dead and buried, with a humongous stone in front of the tomb, and guards posted before it, broke the powers of death, and defied all the things people assumed about him that WAS a great night!
As we were doing some research on Slovenian holidays, Easter specifically, we found that a tradition that has remained in practice over the years, is changing your old wardrobe for the new on Easter Monday.
Now, you may be wondering why that sparked our attention. Sure, this is a great practice, put away your winter clothes, take out your spring clothes, donate some stuff... but it's more than that.
If we move it to the spiritual realm, it's a time to take a serious look at our relationship with Christ, and make some tough decisions.
I don't know about you, but when I go through my closet, I find very surprising things - pants that don't fit, things I just cannot pull off at my age, shirts with holes, or sweaters I never wear... Now, how about when we do a "Spring cleaning" in our lives? How about practices that do not fit the character of Christ (hello gossiping), things we should have grown out of (I'm looking at you self-pity and pouting), things that should have been thrown away a long time ago (goodbye bad attitude) or things that waste space (like checking Facebook 12 times an hour)? This time of new life - Spring- is the perfect time to take a step back , and be honest about what is going on in our hearts and lives.
So then, what sorts of things should stay, or go into our fresh, clean closet. How about love for others, a desire to be in God's will, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, diligently reading God's word?
As Philippians 4:8 says: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."
So, be encouraged to allow God to move in your life, let him transform you day after day into His image, and please keep us in prayer, as we take steps forward to bringing hope to Slovenia.
*During this month, Dan is itinerating in Ohio, and Abigail and Aidan are in Florida, as Abigail is still teaching full-time. Please be praying for safety and a blessed time in churches.
We pray you have a happy and blessed Easter!
