How Great the Exchange!

My spirit churned within me as I sat listening to my children practice their song for Easter Sunday. It wasn’t by coincidence they were given solos for this specific song. I was familiar with it, but the near absurdity of its goodness rang out loud and clear now. It sounded too good to be true, as do many of the good and perfect gifts that God offers us.

I looked back at the children. They sang confidently without hesitation. Faith like a child. Jesus told us that we must become like children to enter the kingdom of God, and at times like these, it is evident why. I let the lyrics sink in one more time as they repeated the chorus,

You turn mourning to dancing

You give beauty for ashes

You turn shame into glory

You turn graves into garden

You turn bones into armies

You turn seas into highways

You’re the only one who can

(Graves to Gardens, Elevation Worship)

What unlikely exchanges! The bad for the good. Only God makes these kinds of deals. We are accustomed to exchanging things of equal value, but not here. The problem is, we often need to let go of something to receive the other. Sometimes we are holding onto something, unaware that it hinders us from receiving what we need.

Several years ago, I learned a meditative exercise called “palms down, palms up” which Richard Foster describes in his book Celebration of Discipline. It’s as simple as it sounds. Start with your palms down and release to God your worries, fears, burdens. This posture of surrender symbolizes letting go. Next, position your palms upward and receive the goodness the Lord has for you. Maybe it is joy or peace or hope. So many of the Father’s blessings are always available to us, but we must position ourselves to receive to experience their full benefits.

Sometimes I find myself going through the motions of the day in survival mode. My body is often feeling weak and in pain, and just doing the next thing feels difficult. The possibility of something good coming feels very far off. Our struggles can drag on, leaving us without much hope left. But, God loves impossible situations. Because in these, he does what only he can do. 

When we are empty, Jesus is the well of living water that never runs dry. When we are at the end of ourselves, God is just at the beginning. When we are weak and all our strength is gone, God’s strength is made perfect in us.

May it be that our lives reflect God’s power despite our weakness. Let us follow the example of faithful followers before us, who lived in the dichotomy of natural and spiritual life. Paul said it this way,

“We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything” (2 Corinthians 9-10, ESV).

We don’t deny reality, but we also don’t crumble in defeat. Many circumstances in life will tempt us to give up or give in. Sometimes we get stuck in our ruts and can’t see past the gutter. But there is much more to see if we are willing to look up. 

As the kids finished their practice, I looked out the window, almost alarmed at the bright white cherry blossoms covering the tree. A couple of days ago, this tree was only branches; now, it was full of life. Graves to gardens. Barren to beautiful. Dead to living. That’s what our God does. 

This week we remember the most excellent exchange of all: Jesus’ life for ours. That is where it all begins, but most certainly not where it ends. The same power that rose Jesus from the grave is always bringing new life to hopeless situations. Christ in me, Christ in you, is our confident expectation of the glory to come.