I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
(John 16:20)

Such a difference between the Good Friday church services and the Easter morning church services. I'm always grateful that I know the "rest of the story," as I attend the very somber Friday services, acknowledging and reliving Jesus' crucifixion. The apostles should also have known the end of the story, but they continued to have their doubts, and therefore, their agonizing grief was inevitable. I'm certainly not trying to judge them. I wasn't there and would probably have been just as confused and doubtful as they were. Imagine the joy they would have experienced when Jesus appeared before them after His resurrection and it all became clear to them....all the prophesies, the parables, and the teachings that Jesus had given them would finally make sense.

Today, and everyday, I am humbled and grateful for second chances, for new beginnings, and for a forgiving Lord who loves an unlovable me.