Wait Until You See What I Found In The Woods And What It Has To Do With Easter

Looking for a way to talk to a child about God and share the Good News of Easter? Try this simple symbolism.

Oh friend!

I just have to tell you! I am still running on excitement from last night!

We had so much fun last night at our “Crafts & Cocktails” event, held at One Eleven Main, sponsored by Home with Heather, The Nest on Main and HCBF.

The DIY wreath workshop was sold out and I just loved every minute of helping this room of ladies make their own bunny tail pampas Spring wreath!

If you are loving how cute these DIY pampas wreaths turned out, you can head to this post, where I share the step by step on how to make your own bunny tail pampas wreath, along with a list of supplies for easy online ordering!

And of course…

Nights like these are always more fun when I can bring one of my favorite assistants along with me.

Eve was such a big help!

I loved watching her interact with strangers while offering to help them make their wreath.

After all?

She was the one who helped me make our first pampas wreath for Spring.

Yes, our oldest girl, who recently became a teenager, (I wrote about that milestone recently here) well…she is growing up…and it is beautiful to watch.

And, while Eve and our two younger daughters are “growing up” in school years and age…

They are also “growing up” in their personal faith walks.

Our daughters have recently made the decision, to each be baptized on this upcoming Easter Sunday.

And so, our family is looking forward to having an extra special reason to celebrate on Resurrection Sunday this year.

For many Christians this week is time stamped as Holy Week.

Just as birthdays are time stamps to help signal us towards intentionality of celebrating a loved one’s life and their growth…Holy Week may be viewed as a time to be intentional about our proximity to God and our posture towards Him.

Yes, with the Easter season upon us…it can be an opportunity to reflect on the fact that Jesus, in HIs obedience to His Father, willingly came to die for us.

And?

It can also be a time to reflect on our humanity, and remind ourselves that because of Jesus, our earthly death is not the end.

It is a pass through, not a destination.

Last week, while on a run, I spotted something super small, yet bold and colorful, that stopped me in my tracks.

I stopped.

Took my ear buds out and stared…because I knew it was meant for me…

I’m going to leave you hanging in suspense here for a hot minute, because you need to know a little backstory first.

Before our daughters came to the decision that they themselves wanted to be baptized this Sunday, we attended an in person, “Kids Baptism Class” offered by our church. The class was for children who might be interested in learning more about God and Jesus, and also provided the space to talk about any questions they might have as they felt out what their next steps in their own faith walks looked like.

(Our girls were not baptized as infants, rather Shawn and I decided to “Dedicate” each of them, shortly after they were born.)

Because I know you love a good “throw-back,” here are a few photos I dug up from each of their Child Dedication services.

Shawn and I chose to “Dedicate” each of the girls back to the Lord when they were born.

This was an opportunity for us, as their parents to present our daughters before God and the church, and commit to seek after His grace and wisdom in carrying out the parental responsibilities entrusted to us. This path allowed us the opportunity, to do our best in modeling what following after Jesus looks like, to our girls. While also allowing time and space for them to make their own faith decisions, when they are older.

“Children are a gift from the Lord;”

psalm 127:3

Which leads us to where we are today.

Back to the Baptism class our daughters took recently.

During the Baptism Classes, a pastor at our church gifted each of our girls with a little “tool kit,” filled with items that he would use to engage them in discussions, throughout the class and also help guide them as they learned.

Wait Until You See What I Found In The Woods And What It Has To Do With Easter

Among these items were three different colored Lego’s.

One blue Lego.

One yellow Lego.

One red lego

Immediately, our girls slid the discussion papers to the side and began fidgeting with the Lego’s.

While fun to play with, they really had no idea what these Lego’s had to do with baptism or God.

Until?

Until the pastor led us through this lesson.

Starting with the blue Lego and the beginning of the Bible.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

genesis 1:1 NIV

He held up the blue Lego.

The Blue Lego represented God.

And then?

He picked up the yellow Lego and went on to explain that God created US.

The Yellow Lego represented Us, His People.

He instructed the girls to connect the blue and yellow lego’s together, representing God and His people.

But as we all know, sin entered the Garden and all of us have fallen short ever since.

“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,…”

Romans 3:23 NKJV

Our pastor then instructed our girls to separate the Lego’s they had just connected.

Breaking apart the blue lego, representing God from the yellow lego, representing, Us.

The two Lego’s now disconnected, symbolized us being separated from God.

And, separation from God?

Leads to death.

But?

There is good news friend.

You know it.

Our girls know it.

But sometimes?

Well, sometimes, we just need to be reminded of it.

Because?

Because this world is super hard to live inside of.

So hard, that sometimes our circumstances and the mixed messages of the world…

Get us off track with God.

And all of that distracting noise?

Well, it can be hard to remember our roots, and what God purposefully placed inside of each one of us.

A God sized Hole that only He can fill and satisfy.

But, all of that discomfort and disconnecting chaos?

Keeps us buried, buzzing around in our bubbles.

Which makes it easy to forget…

We were created and MADE – to be Lifted.

The way we are lifted is by looking up to the Light…

to our Upholder. (Psalm 54:4 ESV)

“But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. 

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

joh 16:32-22 NLT

Thankfully, God had a plan to provide a connecting pathway back to Him.

God in His perfect love for us, designed a way to bring US, (The yellow Lego)

Back to Him. (The blue Lego.)

God sent His only Son, Jesus, so that we do not have to live our lives separated from God.

Because God’s children are human beings – made of flesh and blood – the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had^[g] the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

hebrews 2:14 NLT

Remember, we had THREE Lego’s in our tool kit…

Friend, the truth is, that Jesus died on the cross.

And all of our sins that separate us from God?

Died with Him too.

And because of that…we can live connected with God, today and every day.

So what did I find on the trail, that stopped me still in my tracks?

I think you might have a good guess now.

The third Lego.

A Red Lego.

Not just a red Lego…the JESUS Lego.

Right there, in the middle of my path, sitting on top of broken dirt…

Was the connector piece, we had just learned about in Baptism class.

That’s right friend.

The red Lego is the Jesus Lego.

Symbolizing the connecting pathway and invitation offered to us freely.

The red lego…is God’s pathway and plan to connect us and bring us back to Him…

all we have to do is Come to Him.

Matthew 11:28-30

A red bridge that connects a life, from living separate from God…

to an abundant life WITH God.

It was during the baptism class, that our Pastor handed each of our daughters a black Sharpie and encouraged our girls to label each of the Lego’s and what they represented, to serve as a REMINDER.

And now?

They keep them placed in their rooms to help them remember what they learned.

And then?

On an ordinary day, there in the middle of my own next steps…

I found my own REMINDER...

Jesus…and His “Come to me“ reminder.

Jesus is The Way through, in a confusing and chaotic world.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

matthew 11:28-30 NLT

Oh friend, even in the middle of the brokenness, where the bad news and dirt keep piling up?

Jesus is alive.

And He holds out the invitation, the only invitation that offers REAL HOPE for earthly living for US…

Right now.

Because of Jesus’s death, there is no longer a Most Holy Place where only the High Priest is permitted to pull back the curtain, cross the threshold of and enter into the very presence of God only one day a year to offer a sacrifice for all sins.

Praise GOD it is no longer that way. 

Jesus on the Cross, became that one person to enter the Most Holy Place. When He did, He tore the curtain of separation down once and for all…so that anyone of us can come to Him anytime, anywhere.

So that?

So that we can experience intimacy with God on this side of heaven.

When we hold out our hand to accept His invitation and match it to His pierced hand?

We can have HOPE.

Not one day…

But?

Today.

May it be so.

Blessings to you and yours during this Holy Week.

Living on a prayer,

Heather

God,

Thank you for your Son’s sacrifice on the Cross. You didn’t have to rescue us but you did because you are faithful.

Hep me to reflect on what your Son’s death on the Cross means and the spiritual intimacy and the pathway to You, that I am freely offered because of His obedience and sacrifice.

Amen.

Sharing this LEGO symbolism explanation here, in the case you have someone in your life you feel led to share it with.