What would you die for? Is there anything or anyone on this earth that is that important to you?
I can go through a laundry list of things I’m grateful for, but when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, there are three people for whom I would give my life.
I would die for my children. I truly feel that way. I think most of us as parents do. We cannot stand the thought of losing our children or even seeing them hurting.
That’s what gets me about the story of Easter. God loved us so much that he allowed his only son to endure torture and then death so that we could have life in heaven.
I was never able to comprehend the reasoning behind that until I realized that God sees all of us as his children. He knew he had to let one of his children suffer for the benefit of all of them.
It was the ultimate act of kindness.
Easter is the most important holiday on the religious calendar for Christians because it marks our ability to join God in heaven. It is a time of celebration because through his death and resurrection, Jesus paid the price for every sin we will ever commit. God can once again see us as He made us, as perfect creatures.
There is great joy waiting for us every day if we can wake up each morning and look at ourselves through God’s eyes. He is not seeing a work in progress, He is seeing a work of art. Knowing that allows us to take risks, like loving others in big ways without the worry of being rejected.
If I could give you one gift today to celebrate the miracle of Easter, I wouldn’t give you a basket full of jelly beans or a big chocolate bunny. I would give you this message with the hope that it will remind you to be kinder to yourself: God loves you. He is proud of you, and he thinks you are perfect.
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples,” John 13:34–35.
Please continue to share your stories of kindness with me at nphillips15@hotmail.com. Or send a letter to Kindness is Contagious c/o Nicole Phillips, The Forum, 101 5th St. N., Box 2020, Fargo, ND, 58107.
Nicole Phillips is a former television anchor for Fox News in Fargo, and currently the Executive Director of Diva Connection Foundation. She is the mother of three kids and the wife of Bison Men’s Head Basketball Coach Saul Phillips. Her columns run every Saturday.