Danielle kept one eye on her kids racing around the lawn and the other searching for her friends. When she spotted them by the fence, she approached, a wide smile on her face.

“Good morning, ladies. Looks like the egg hunt is a big success this year.”

Christie gave a tired smile. “Thank goodness the kids can burn off some of their energy. They do look like they’re having a good time.”

Danielle eyed her. “What’s going on? You don’t seem yourself.”

Christie sighed. “It’s tax season. Rich has been working 80-hour weeks the past month, and it’s so hard doing everything myself. I feel like a single parent. The kids are exhausting, the dishwasher is broken, and there are so many things around the house that aren’t getting done.”

Kelly frowned. “You should be grateful Rich is working. Dave has been out of work for 2 months now, and I don’t know how we’re going to make the mortgage payment.”

Christie turned to Kelly. “I am grateful he’s working, but I need him around. At least Dave can help you with the kids and take care of things around the house.”

“True, but he feels useless. He doesn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. He’s losing hope of getting a job anytime soon.”

Danielle studied her two friends. “Wow. There’s a lot going on with you two. You’re stuck in Easter Saturday.”

Christie and Kelly turned to Danielle, confusion crossing their faces.

“What do you mean?” Kelly asked.

“We’re stuck in today?” Christie asked.

Danielle laughed. “Yes, today is Easter Saturday. Don’t you know what today represents?”

“A day for the kids to find Easter eggs at the church egg hunt, and for me to try to clean the whole house and make food for the extended family to come over tomorrow,” Christie said.

Danielle shook her head. “Not today. What happened on the day before the first Easter?”

Kelly waved away a bug before answering. “Nothing. Jesus was in the grave. The Bible doesn’t say anything about what happened.”

“It was the Sabbath day, so the women rested before going to the tomb the next day,” Christie said.

“How do you think the disciples felt?” Danielle asked. “They put all their hope in Jesus. They knew He was the Messiah, the One who would save them. They didn’t understand when He said He’d come back from the dead. From their perspective, everything was hopeless. They had no idea what would happen the next morning.”

A light appeared in Christie’s eyes. “So we feel like everything is hopeless, just like the disciples did, but maybe God has something amazing planned we don’t see yet?”

“Exactly,” Danielle said. “After tax day, Rich will be able to take time off. In the meantime, let the things go that aren’t important. You don’t need a perfect house or a perfect meal to celebrate Easter with your extended family.”

“And maybe God has a job lined up for Dave, and we should enjoy our time together while he has it,” Kelly said.

“Kelly,” Christie said. “Do you think Dave might want to come over and do some work around our house? We’d pay him for it. It would really help us out.”

Kelly beamed. “That would be fantastic. He could fix your dishwasher, mow the lawn…” She shaded her eyes with her hand as she watched her youngest snatch another egg. “And why don’t you drop the kids off at our house this afternoon and take a little time by yourself? We’re going to my parents’ house for dinner tomorrow, so I don’t have much to do today.”

Christie’s eyes sparkled. “Do you mean it? What a wonderful offer.”

Danielle grinned at her two friends. “I don’t think you’re stuck in Easter Saturday anymore. It sounds like you two might be ready for Easter after all!”

God, sometimes we can’t see a way out of our hopeless circumstances. Please help us to fix our eyes on You and trust You have a plan for us. And when we see others dealing with difficulties, please help us be Your hands and feet and minister to them. Most importantly, Lord, thank You so much for Easter. May we take the joy of this day forward and never forget the sacrifice You made for us.

Luke 24:1-6

 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.  In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen!