HAPPY EASTER - New Beginnings

I got some wonderful new recently and it revolved around Easter, so I wanted to share a post about this for Easter. 

There was a family that moved in to our area that the mother was marrying a neighbor. Some of the kids struggled with the move and some thrived. 

The middle son got into some struggles halfway through high school and got into drugs. After school, he got really deep into hard core drugs to the point of stealing anything of value in their home and selling it for drugs. 

A few years back, I felt strongly that I needed to spend some time helping his mom organize her home. Coincidentally, at that time, he just happened to get out of jail on probation, and as I spent everyday working in the home, I would talk to him about life and how God sees him. I had one specific day that I felt impressed by God before going to share with him that he is like Jean ValJean from Les Mis. 

That day, we had a really good discussion about how when you accept Christ as your Savior, there can be a huge change in your life. You can let go of the bad, sad, and anything you are willing to let go of if you can just open yourself to accepting that you are worthy to start fresh. 

He relapsed right after that and that relapse was the bottom for him. After that, he moved and started a program and cut people out of his life that were not good influences. It has been a long process but I have checked in regularly with him as he was friends with one of my daughters and I care about him and his family. 

As I have texted him since he has started on that path to "healthy" he has shared that he had a girlfriend who is super positive. He told me he had to cut a friend out of his life, and told me that he was going to church. This last month, when I texted him asking how he was doing, he told me that he was going to get his priesthood back! In our church, this is a big thing. You have to live a wholesome life for a long amount of time before you can hold the priesthood. You also have to live a good life to keep it. 

I could tell how happy and proud he was to share that. I was helping his mother recently and she told me that the entire family was going to be together over Easter and he was going to get ordained to the priesthood while everyone was together!

I have been reflecting over how amazing GOD is as a loving Father. Of course a father would accept a son back who was lost! What keeps us from his is our belief that we can't be forgiven or we can't forgive ourselves for the things that WE have done in the past. 

Easter is representative of new beginnings, the egg. Fresh starts. Christs atonement. Hope. I can't think of a better day or time for him to renew himself! Surrounded by family and recommitting himself to Christ. It is such a wonderful thing. 

I LOVE that he is doing well and I could tell how happy his mother is with where he is after having to go through so much with his past. I am so happy for both of them. I know how much joy I find for both of them, so I can't understand how much joy God must have with where he is. 

I love that each day can be a new beginning and fresh start but especially at this Easter time. 

Have a beautiful and blessed day!