Are We Seeking the Living Among the Dead?

There are some favorite Easter-themed verses that people have, but my personal favorite is found in Luke 24:1-12. Three days after Jesus was buried, some of the women who had been following him went to the tomb with spices that they had prepared for his body.  They found that the stone in front of the tomb had been rolled away and the body was missing. They were confused and frightened by this when angels appeared to them saying:

 “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ” Luke 24:5b-7

In the past, I have allowed myself to get involved in situations with my biological family, which led me down a rabbit hole of searching for answers to things from my childhood and even things that happened recently. Although I did find some closure, I also reopened some old wounds and allowed myself to slip into old ways of thinking. In the middle of my reflection, the Holy Spirit brought this passage to mind and asked me a simple question: “Why are you looking for Jesus’ life-giving touch in dead places?” The funny thing is, this wasn’t the first time we had this conversation. In fact, this has been an ongoing problem of mine.  That’s why this has become one of my favorite scriptures. When I try to hide from my problems by escaping on a screen, or lock myself away and hide from people, I’ve heard that question, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? Don’t you remember the promises I told you? Haven’t I always been faithful to you?” I love the next part of the scripture that says:

“And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.” Luke 24:8-9

The disciples remembered what Jesus had said and they went to tell the others about what was happening. They forgot at first, but the angels reminded them about what Jesus had said and then they remembered and believed. Sometimes we go through seasons where we forget what Jesus has said to us, but once we remember, we need to change direction and go and do what He’s called us to do and share His goodness with others.

This Easter as we celebrate His resurrection, let’s take the time to examine our hearts for areas in our life where we are seeking “dead things” instead of the life we find in Jesus. Are we looking for validation and encouragement from social media? Are we escaping life by binge watching shows? Are there other addictions we are turning to? Are fear and anxiety overtaking us as we hyper-focus on all the little details of life? Let us dear sisters be intentional! Instead of running to dead things, we should:

• Read the Bible
• Pray and spend quiet time with God
• Spend time with a trusted friend
• Listen to praise and worship music or Christian radio  
• Listen to church services during the week

As you go about this Easter season what or whom will you seek? 

Lord, help us to use wisdom in seeking after you instead of the dead things of this world and things in our past that are dead to us. Give us the wisdom and discernment to know YOUR perfect will for us as we seek after you. 

In Jesus name, Amen

Tabytha Wynn

Tabytha Wynn is a busy mom who’s conquering life on the Autism spectrum with a house full of kids who are Autistic. She is a wife, mom, author, and a speaker and at a local celebrate recovery program.