Easter Spirituality: Christ’s Views on Good and Evil

IMG_1984Believers of Jesus Christ as the incarnate son of God view the Easter weekend as a time of tragedy and triumph.  Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches will open their doors to the curious and the devout and proclaim a message of good overcoming evil.

Like followers of Christ two thousand years ago, it is easy to get focused on the evil around us.  Early Christians watched Christ arrested, humiliated, and killed by men consumed by evil.

But Christ said, “Hey wait a minute.  Don’t be so short sighted.  Evil is coming for me but it has no power over me.  I am willing – no wait – looking forward to glorifying my father in obedient sacrifice, with the full assurance that I am headed to heaven.  It’s actually a good thing.  And, by the way, I am going back to heaven to prepare a place for you… got a room reserved for you in my father’s house.” (paraphrased from John 13).

Nowhere else in history is recorded such a story of bruising tragedy and ultimate fulfillment as in the historical events of Easter.  Whether you tend to get overwhelmed by worry or struggle with depression, may God refresh and bless you, with a new peace and perspective that surpasses human understanding.

See the Bible, John Chapter 13, for Christ’s perspective on evil, goodness, and his understanding of eternity.

Stress and Skin Electricity

imagesSteams of electrical current are coursing over your skin, increasing in power under periods of stress.  Like measurements of cortisol in your bloodstream, electrical currents over skin reflect the level of stress in your mind and body.

You can now buy a device, to measure the electrical activity flowing over your skin.  But rather than purchasing a galvanic skin response instrument for $200, why not just use this observation to realize that high stress impacts on your body and do something about it?

You don’t need a new high-tech gadget to tell you to lower your skin electricity and relax.  Use common sense and know that the human body needs time to rest and unwind.  Too much stress as reflected by increased sweating and skin electricity is not good for your heart, your brain, or your emotional balance.  Be deliberate about making some time for exercise and meditation, two behaviors proven to lower stress.

For the spiritually-minded person, find a quiet space to relax, take some slow deep breaths, and reach out to the Comforter in prayer.  Your blood pressure will ease and the electrical currents passing over your body will diminish.

See Popular Science (March, 2015) for nice discussion of the biology of stress and relaxation.