I often find myself listening to the song “I Can Only Imagine” by Mercy Me.

I can only imagine, What it will be like
When I walk, by your side
I can only imagine what my eyes will see
When your face is before me
I can only imagine, I can only imagine

Surrounded by Your glory, What will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus, Or in awe of You be still
Will I stand in your presence, Or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, Will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine, I can only imagine.

Recently I went to pick up my grandson from therapy.   Joseph’s mom told him that Grammy would be picking him up, and he would be spending the night with Papa and Grammy.  Joseph understood that first he had to complete his work, then Grammy would come.  Joseph was enthusiastically waiting for the moment I arrived to get him.   As a matter of fact, he told the therapist several times that Grammy was coming.  There was a never a doubt in Joseph’s mind that Grammy was coming!

As I entered the therapist’s office, the timing was perfect!   Joseph was walking  towards the waiting room.  A gate separates the hall and the waiting room.  As Joseph stepped into the hall and saw my face, his joy was uncontainable.  He leaped down the hall.  He laughed with glee.  His leap of joy was so high, I thought he was literally going to jump over the gate.  When he got to me, he took my hand and said, “I want to go to Grammy’s house.”

Joseph’s work was over, and it was time to go with one he loved.

Immediately, and I do mean immediately, I saw of picture of what it will be like the day I finish my assignment here on earth.  I shall walk down the hallway from earth to heaven.  I see myself leaping, laughing, and taking the hand of Jesus, and walking into His house to live forever.  I can only imagine!

Child of God, it is so easy to get caught-up in the temporal, forgetting that this is not our final home.  We will change addresses one day, and it will be our final address!  Those who have accepted Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior, will live forever with Him in heaven.

I can’t get the visual of my grandson Joseph out of my head, nor do I want to get it out! Will I leap high when I see Jesus?  Will I dance and laugh as I see the One I love?  Will I break into tears as I see His face, and thank Him for taking a life full of sorrow, and filling it with joy?  Will I kneel and wash his feet with tears of gratitude?  Will I simply stand in silence as I stand in awe of the Son of God?

I can only imagine!

Is Easter over? I mean it is the day after – it is Monday. We’ve packed our churches, hunted Easter eggs, sliced the ham, eaten Cadbury eggs, dressed in vibrant colors, and hailed the resurrection of the Lord as the greatest day in the history of the Church and the world. For many Easter is now over, and it’s time move to the next thing.

How easy it is to move from Easter Sunday to an ordinary Monday, living life as if the resurrection was just an event! We’ll ask others how their Easter was, and then move on to the weather, politics, work, the latest TV show and how irritated we are with people.
Too often we are unaware of the significance of all that we heard and celebrated the previous day. We celebrated a risen Lord who now resides inside of us, giving us power to walk in this life. Yet, too many will continue to fight sin in their own strength, walk through life as if they walk alone, and battle a nagging fear of death and even a fear of life. The resurrection will fade into the white noise of life, making no noticeable impact.

We are not sure what the disciples did on the Monday after Easter. Perhaps they stayed together celebrating the news of the resurrection. Perhaps they laughed, worshiped and Easter joy flooded their day. Maybe they kept a low profile in case soldiers or other religious leaders were looking for them. Perhaps they sat around having conversations trying to piece together exactly what occurred. We can’t be certain of anything that happened on Monday, but we can be certain of one thing: their lives were never the same. The men who had been so timid and fearful were now brave and courageous. They became emboldened to preach the good news, live the good news and in many cases, die for the good news. Easter changed their lives!

Let it be the same for you and me! Do not allow the day after Easter to take away the power, encouragement, hope and celebration that was experienced yesterday. The tomb is still empty and no matter what Monday brings, Jesus is still alive! As you face today, this week and the future, keep the empty tomb at the forefront of your thoughts. There is still real power, hope, victory and confidence because of a risen Savior.

As I reflected on Easter this morning, I found myself asking God to make me soil for the resurrected life of Christ to begin to germinate, grow, come forth. Oh God, break up the ground of my heart and plow me deep, deeper than I have ever been. I long to let the power of new life work within me. God, I don’t want Easter to be an just an event in life, but an event that changed my life.

Don’t let today be the Monday after Easter. Let today be the day that the empty tomb empowered you to be a victorious child of God. Easter is not over, and never will be.

“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.” – Romans 8:11 (NLT)