I have often considered the sacrifice of Jesus on Easter, but only recently have I pondered deeply the sacrifice of God the Father.

I was taught from a very young age that Jesus was God's only begotten son, and that He died for my sins. Sometimes familiarity breeds apathy, and in my case, I often was unmoved by Jesus' (and God's) sacrifice on my behalf. It was just too rote.

But once I had children of my own, and then had to deal with the pain of losing two babies (to miscarriages), I began to reconsider the depth of pain and sacrifice God must have felt when He offered His own son on the cross. It's, frankly, unbearable to imagine putting your own child in such a position. It's unthinkable to envision your little one being whipped, then beaten, then hung up by nails through his skin, and finally gored with a sword.

God, how did You ever go through that? Why did you do such a thing for me, for all of us? Were the darkness and the earthquake that followed Jesus' death physical manifestations of the divine grief you experienced? Did all nature mourn with You when Your son breathed His last breath?

I am humbled and thunderstruck at how You -- a Father -- gave Your Son -- your only begotten Son -- so that we could all come to know You. May this understanding spur us on to commit our entire lives to knowing and serving You.

In Him,

Lucy