The sad remains of Easter candy upon an office desk. P-J photo by Katrina Fuller

“Jesus, You have won me;

You have broken every chain with love and mercy.

You’ve triumphed over death and you are worthy

of glory and praise.”

— “You Have Won Me ” By Bethel Music

On Easter morning, the kiddos woke up to plastic eggs hidden all around the house and a basket chock-full of candy. More candy than anyone could rightfully eat.

Let’s just say they could’ve gone into business as a candy salesman and done pretty well for themselves. The baby doesn’t really eat candy, but she got some cereal puffs she was pretty excited about.

On Easter morning, the candy was fresh and new and exciting. She wanted to eat all of it right then and there. Even the day after, she was anxious to partake of the sugary confections.

However, a few days later, the candy sat in the basket — forgotten. Chocolate bunnies looked out ruefully over a world they were isolated from.

The candy had been forgotten, and my husband and I were paying the price. (I mean, someone had to eat it, right?) Our co-workers helped out with the forgotten candy, too, as we brought in bags and baskets of the uneaten stuff.

If you think about the excitement and revival we feel on Easter Sunday, with all the celebration and jubilance, sometimes it only lasts for a few days. Just like the kiddos’ desire for candy. After a while, the candy becomes old and she’s on to the next big thing. Sometimes, we might feel the same way about our excitement over the Gospel, which our hope and salvation rests on. The resurrection is the focal point of Easter, and shows that Jesus conquered sin and death once and for all – literally.

On Easter Sunday, we’re raising our hands in church and clapping — but by Friday, we’re back to our hum-drum, everyday existence. How can we keep that spark alive? How can we remember daily that Jesus not only died for our sins, but he rose for our everlasting life?

We can remember the Lord with Communion, as Jesus said in Luke 22:19, “Do this in remembrance of me.” However, that isn’t an everyday occurrence.

Maybe, for you, it means following a devotional that you read every morning or at lunch. Maybe it means listening to worship music on your drive to work. Maybe it means journaling in your Bible or making a piece of art that centers around the Gospel. Maybe it’s writing a poem or a song or even a sentence every day about the Lord’s sacrifice and what he’s done for you.

Or, you could express it in an outward, more tangible way by sharing the love of Christ with another person. Perhaps you could donate some items to someone who doesn’t have anything or go serve at the soup kitchen. Maybe you could visit the sick or the elderly and let them know you care.

Maybe it means re-evaluating your life and what you are clinging to that you don’t need to hold on to anymore. You could let go of your worry and anxiety and sorrow and just cling to your Savior instead.

Making changes to center your life around Christ are not easy. Some of things that draw our attention away from Christ are dug in deep, and are old habits that die hard. I struggle every day to try to make sure I read my devotional and say my prayers. It shouldn’t be something that is hard, because when I do it, I get joy from it. But, it remains difficult to “make time.”

However, we’re not fighting against flesh and blood here, as it says in Ephesians 6:12. Rather, we are fighting against the “authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Don’t get lost in complacency. As Christians, we can’t let our excitement over the Gospel and what Jesus has done, is doing and will do die out. If we aren’t excited about it, who will be?