Cigarette Butts

From my desk at work I can look outside and see the beautiful weather, and people walking by.  One thing I see are homeless and poor people who walk up to our cigarette ash trays outside the door looking for a cigarette that still has a draw or two on it. This makes me so sad.  How desperate can a person be that they would walk up to an ash tray in a public place and grab a cigarette up out of the trash and ashes that has been in someones mouth just for a puff or two!?

I was at a local bakery this morning getting doughnuts for everyone ( like I need them) and the girls working there were asking me if we got any days off for Easter.  Shes not the only one who has asked this question, I've probably had about 230498230 phone calls asking if we will be open Friday and Monday.  The bad part is... people are calling TODAY... asking if we are open!  Nah, I just figure I will sit here at work by myself and answer the phone in case you call and ask...on my day off!  If we are answering the phone...we are here!  Anyway... we were talking about Christmas being a legal holiday but not Easter.  The girl behind the counter said maybe its because Christmas is full of peace and joy and Easter is just blood and guts.  I didn't say anything to her comment.  And I'm ashamed that I didn't.  What an opportunity to shed a new light on what is probably the most IMPORTANT holiday we as Christians celebrate, and what did I do?  Just stayed quiet.  Lord forgive me! 

If we as Christians would begin to let the world know about what happend on this day to our Lord and Savior, there would be no man searching for cigarette butts to curve his cravings, there would be not girl at the bakery who thought Easter is only blood and guts. 

Easter is really the first time God showed us grace.  Its the first time he REALLY showed us love.  Its the first time we had free access to God himself without the need to sacrifice some type of animal.  Its the first time he made himself completely available to anyone who called on his name!  Yes, the crusifiction was not pretty.  It was blood and guts, but because of that blood that was spilled on that day, we have LIFE!  We have freedom, we are not bound by religious rules, but instead we are given grace to live through him!  Jesus turned this world upside down.  People hated him because he preached something so liberating and beautiful, something that you dont have to earn!  Thank God our salvation is not placed in our own hands!  But our salvation is in the hands that were nailed to the cross and NOTHING can take that away. 

His grace and mercy makes me want to live better.  It makes me want to be more thankful, it makes me want to be a good person and it makes me want to tell others about HIM.  Im so glad that Jesus didnt die so that I had to be perfect for him to love me, but that He died so that He could still love me through my imperfections!