If a runner nears the finish line . . .

                        But suddenly discovers the end is actually a little further down the road . . .

                                    That last stretch can be excruciating.

This new lockdown has delayed our hope for “a return to normal life” once again. Although we know we are better off then so many in other parts of the world; and we know it is important to support our health care system; and we do want to protect the most vulnerable in the population . . . the overall feeling is still, “this sucks . . . again.”

Repeated disappointment can develop gracious perseverance if we lean into God’s grace . . . but that process is painful. It is living flesh that is being stretched. There are deep emotions, valued relationships, and genuine isolation to be worked through.

This is not the Good Friday we hoped for, or even expected.

Sometimes we forget just how bleak Good Friday seemed to the first disciples. They had all the normal emotions of grief—a grief that was aggravated by a violent and public death. They were in despair because their dreams seemed irrevocably dashed. “We thought he was the Messiah.” They feared for their own lives.

The testimony of Easter is that God can reverse even the most desperate situation . . .

And he can do it more completely . . .

And more suddenly than we can imagine.

Happy Resurrection Day to you all!