Happy Easter!

Josiah has a way of getting things stuck in his head, and he'll continue talking about events, long after they have passed. For example, when someone has a birthday, he continues to wish them a happy birthday. He even tells me, almost daily, “Happy Birthday!”, to which I respond, “It's not my birthday, but thank you!” It's become more of a game these days. He looks forward to his birthday, and tells others his birthday is coming up soon. We are continually reminding him that his birthday is in November, then list through the numerous family members who will celebrate their birthdays before his big day comes around again.

We recently celebrated Easter. Josiah loves telling everyone “Happy Easter!” Since Easter Sunday he has made sure to tell everyone he sees “Happy Easter.” In fact, at therapy one day, he encountered a handful of people coming in the doors as we were leaving. As soon as we crossed paths, Josiah would stop and say, “Wait mom, I need to tell them Happy Easter.” He'd then turn, run back to the person and yell “Happy Easter!” up at them. When we picked up our taxes, he told the lady there “Happy Easter!” She responded to him by asking if he saw the Easter Bunny. He looked at her with a very puzzled look and said, I learned about Easter at church!” and proceeded to tell her the Easter story. At the doctor’s office he shared the whole story as well, with most of the waiting room listening and watching his actions. (He's very animated when talking about “putting the big rock on him,” using both of his hands to imitate rolling the stone.) As we walked back into the exam room, he stopped to tell an elderly lady “Happy Easter” and when we left the exam room, he told the doctor the whole Easter story. My brother came by for lunch one day and Josiah shared the story with him. My most favorite was at the store as we were checking out, he told the cashier, “Happy Easter...I did not see the Easter bunny.” He then looked up at me and asked, “Can I tell her?” I smiled and told him to go ahead, and the cashier stopped scanning the items to listen intently as Josiah shared with her the Easter story:

“So Jesus' friends were eating at a restaurant and Jesus started to came, and they were sad. Because they went to the yard and started to pray and some mean men started to came and took Jesus away and they were to put a big rock on him, it was a stone. Mary started to come, Jesus' friend Mary started to come and an angel started to came and started to say Jesus is Alive!”

For a very brief moment, a day or two after Easter, I was ready to tell Josiah that it wasn't Easter anymore; similar to the way we tell him that it's not my birthday. Birthdays are for one day. But just because Easter happens on one Sunday a year doesn't mean that Jesus is alive for one day. He is alive every day. The fact that He IS alive is the very foundation of our faith. So I will not correct Josiah and tell him it's not Easter. If he wants to stop every person in the hallway to tell them “Happy Easter,” he can continue to do so, even if it's months after Easter has come and gone. Because the message of Easter is one we are called to share!

Jesus says in Matthew 18:3, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” My perspective about this verse has definitely changed over the last week.  Josiah, at only four years old, has shared Easter with more people in the last two weeks than I can even count!

How are YOU sharing Easter?