Written by: Brad Williams
Each year on Resurrection Sunday, we remember how Jesus died for our sins and His body was laid in a secure tomb with a stone sealing the entrance and a guard was set over it. In many ways, it’s a picture of our lives when we come to Jesus.
When we don’t want to lose control, we seal our hearts, and make it as secure as we know how. And while we think we are keeping out further pain, we often keep out God’s healing touch as well.
When we’ve been hurt or offended, we don’t like the feeling of being out of control and being vulnerable. To counteract this feeling and to prevent us from being hurt again, we seal the stone of our hearts, making it secure as possible. We tell ourselves “I won’t be vulnerable again. I will not trust others again to come into the inner chambers of my heart. I will not be let down again.”
Whenever help comes near, including the promptings of God, we instinctively clam up and withdraw, not allowing anything or anyone to come near. “It would be too painful to be out of control,” we tell ourselves. “It would be too costly to open myself up to hope and then not be healed,” we say.
We know we are hurting and miserable, but we reason that keeping control of our pain is at least predictable and far safer than opening ourselves up to vulnerability.
The truth is that many people are hurting inside and don’t know how to open up to let in help from another.
Our responsibility as Christians is to pray for them, pray for healing, pray for them to feel no more condemnation, and open our hearts of love to them unconditionally. Love is the only key that can unlock a hurting heart that is sealed out of self-preservation.
On the third day, three women came to the tomb, saying, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” (Mark 16:3).
It’s really the question that each of us asks ourselves as we come to Jesus. Who will roll the stone away from my heart? Each of us has a different stone that we have put over our hearts. It may be doubt, fear, anger, despair, or even apathy.
Only God can roll away the stone.
When we come to a place where the pain of our self-preservation, begins to outweigh the pain of trusting again, we call out to Him as our only hope. And as we listen for His voice, He rolls the stone away from our hearts. He forgives us, heals us, and redeems us to walk in His grace and love.
This day, God speaks to you, “I have loved you with an everlasting love. Come to Me all who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.” Let us rejoice together that Jesus is alive and lives in us!