"Good" Friday is a Paradox

Today, for some Christians, may be a day of sadness because it is Good Friday. This day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus. It could be asked, "What could be good about a crucifixion?" Certainly nothing on the surface would help us see any goodness in suffering. Luckily the barbaric death sentence that crucifixion was is long outdated.

I believe that Jesus, as he stood on trial, knew death was immanent. I'm certain anyone facing such a terrible experience could imagine the suffering that lay ahead. And I believe that Jesus was able to walk through the suffering because even though he hung in the sky, his faith was grounded in God.

The good we can find today we find in the example of Jesus. If we were reading his story for the first time and got to the part about the crucifixion we would think, "how horrible!" But as we turn the pages we would come to the part about the ascension. At that point we would find hope and an understanding that we have to die to the old to rise to the new. That's the message of the Christ.

We can overcome any challenge when we stay grounded in God. Current suffering is horrible to experience but we go through it to come out at a better place. Jesus did and his message tells us that we can too!

Pic.. Sunrise at Unity Village.