Cindy Oriol is the author of “IF ONLY” and “ HAVING JOY IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM.” They were written by the Holy Spirit and me to encourage anyone that is going through a storm in their life. No matter how many storms we have to endure as long as we hold tight to Jesus we can make it through anything.
JESUS CHRIST IS OUR ETERNAL HOPE By Cindy Oriol
We would no sooner finish our breakfast and it The holiday of Easter is coming upon us soon. What is the reason we celebrate it? Is it because of the Eas- would be time to search for our Easter basket. I loved searching for mine. It was always hidden in a secret ter bunny and candy or is it something else? place, usually behind a piece of furniture. I remember one time it was hiding in the washing machine. I remember as a child my mom would buy my sister The basket would be full of all kinds of treats—sweet and me brand new dresses with lots of lace in the chocolate Easter bunnies, jelly beans, and marsh front and buttons on the back. Also, white patent mellow bunnies. But, my favorite was the colored leather shoes that fastened across the top to keep malted milk ball eggs. The color would rub off onto them from slipping off our feet. She would pick out my lips and I would pretend I was putting on lipstick. a color in our dress and made sure a bonnet with ribbons to tie in the front would match it. My favorite My parents always did the best they could do for color was pink. us. We did not have money to buy beautiful things or go on an adventurous vacation, but what they We would get up fairly early in the morning to atgave us was better than any of this. They gave us the tend church with our mother. I came from a Cathoagape love that comes from Jesus. As I grew up and lic background, so we would also attend church on became a mother to my two girls, I celebrated Easter Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. the same way. Now that I have shared the most exOn Good Friday, after the priest finished his sermon, citing part of the holiday as a child, I will share with you as an adult why I truly celebrate Easter. one by one the congregation would march to the front of the altar where a statue of Jesus laid upon a wooden cross. We would kiss the feet of Jesus and When I was twenty-three, I found out that I could then the priest would wipe them off so that the next have a personal relationship with Jesus. I had a new person in line could do the same. This was a way to insight into why we celebrate Him. In the past, I knew Jesus died for my sins, but I did not really compreshow our gratitude for what the Lord had done for us. hend the entire story of this holiday until the year 2009, when I went on a retreat called Faces of Christ. After church, we went back home. Our father would There my eyes were awakened to the cross, the cook a special breakfast, and as soon as we would washing of others’ feet and giving my sins to our open the front door, we could smell the delicious Lord. I was so humbled when during one of our ceraromas of bacon and scrambled eggs, toast, orange emonies where we each were given a piece of paper juice, and whatever else he had prepared. and something to write with. We were told to write down our worst sin and then one by one we would go to the stage where a bare cross lay. We grabbed a hammer and a nail and nailed our sins to the cross.
56 | M AG A ZINE NAME PAGE 56 3
