The sights and sounds of Easter surrounded Maya, but she remained in her own world, still fuming from the unfairness of her boss. Why couldn’t Richard see the truth? She was being blamed for something that wasn’t her fault. Betrayed. That’s the only way to describe it. She’d given three years of her life to that job, and they turned on her without even giving her a say.

She hadn’t been very good company this weekend, but she went through the motions. She filled the kids’ Easter baskets and hid them this morning. No point in the kids suffering just because she was. They’d come downstairs smiling and giggling and turning the house upside down looking for their chocolate and sugar-laden treasures.

 She followed the rest of the family to the mini van and allowed her husband to drive them to church, the whole time her mind back in the office. The office where she was no longer welcome. All through the service, instead of focusing on the pastor’s words, she focused on the unfairness of how she was treated. How was she supposed to get into the Easter spirit when the world treated her so poorly?

After church, she rounded up the kids from Sunday school, and they piled back into the mini-van. Rachel and Liam chattered away, but Ramona was silent.

“Ramona? Is something bothering you?” Dirk, always the patient father, asked from his position behind the steering wheel.

“I’m sad about Jesus.”

“But why? Jesus is living in heaven. He rose from the dead. Easter is a day for joy, not sadness.”

Ramona’s tiny voice spoke volumes. “He didn’t do anything wrong. One person who was supposed to be his friend told the bad guys where to find him, and the rest of his friends ran away and pretended they didn’t even know him. Then the bad guys beat him up and hurt him. The person in charge even said he didn’t do anything wrong. All he did was help people and heal people and pray for people, and they killed him. Then when he was dying, he was even far away from God. It’s so sad.”

Dirk pulled the car onto the side of the road and turned in his seat to look Ramona in the eyes. “You’re right, sweetheart. It is sad. But you do know why God allowed it to happen, right?”

“So we could live forever with Jesus in heaven. My teacher told me so. But it’s not fair.”

Not fair.

Wasn’t that the phrase she’d been fixated on since leaving work on Friday? Getting fired for someone else’s mistake was not fair. Ramona’s words echoed through her mind.

“The bad guys beat him up and hurt him. All he did was help people and heal people and pray for people, and they killed him.”

Jesus went through the unimaginable. He was betrayed, beaten, deserted, tortured, abandoned. And He did it all for love. Love for her. Maya’s walls crumbled, and tears pooled in her eyes. And she was worried about what was fair? Did she really want fair? If life were fair, she’d be on that cross paying for her sins. Her selfishness, her gossip, her unkind thoughts, and those were just the sins from this week. She closed her eyes and tuned out the voices in the car, focusing on her Savior.

“Lord, I’m sorry for my attitude. Thank you for reminding me of what you went through. You were unfairly treated and didn’t complain. You went to the cross willingly to save me. Please forgive me for focusing on my problems and not being the kind of wife, mother, and Christian I should be. On this Resurrection Day, please resurrect my joyful heart and help me serve you going forward, in whatever job you may have for me.”

Maya opened her eyes in time to hear her husband’s words to the children.

“Jesus didn’t deserve to die, but that’s the very reason why His sacrifice was accepted. He was the perfect spotless Lamb. Because He was perfect, He had no sin of His own, so his sacrifice was accepted by God to pay for us. As much as Jesus didn’t deserve to die, we don’t deserve to be forgiven. So even though it wasn’t fair to Jesus, I’m still mighty grateful He did it.”

Maya turned in her seat to face her husband, then each of her children in turn. Her job was the farthest thing from her mind as she took in the faces of those she loved best in the world. Having a relationship with her Savior and a loving family were unspeakable blessings. Somehow the problems of last week seemed to fade away.

1 Peter 2:19-25

For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Dear Lord, thank You for your precious sacrifice. Thank you for loving us so much you gave your life for us. Help us to keep a heavenly perspective. You never promised this world would be easy. In fact, You told us the world would hate us because it hates You. Thank you that we can be blessed when we go through trials for Your name’s sake. On this Resurrection Day and always, please help us to remember Your sacrifice and listen to Your commandment to love one another.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.