The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty unto the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;...to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
I remember reading it, among other scriptures, to Cameron hours after my cancer was diagnosed. Even in the midst of such incredible trauma, I had perfect faith that Christ could and would one day turn our grief into joy. That is why we rejoice every day, but especially at Easter. He knows us, He knows what we need, and His plan is perfect. No matter what happens to us, He can turn it for our good.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God~Romans 8:28
As the months following my cancer and eye removal crawled slowly past, I would look mournfully at old pictures and think, "I used to have two eyes."
My heart was broken. I knew that Christ heals broken hearts. But I wasn't quite sure how He would do that for me in this instance.
And then, just as the sunrise peeks slowly over the horizon, hope and joy crept into my heart as the first Easter following my cancer approached. I realized in a brand new way that the joy of that first Easter morning was in the news that He had risen. And because He did, each of us will, too. And when I do, I will have two eyes again.
Up to that point in my conversion I had rejoiced in the Savior's ability to redeem me from my sins, heartaches, sorrows, and disappointments. Suddenly, I was rejoicing in Christ's gift of resurrection. He lives and one day each of us will, too.
He is risen!
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