Was your Easter everything you'd hoped it would be?

Maybe you had visions of your kids dressed in their Easter best, following you like ducks in a row into church and sitting quietly and attentively as they soaked in the spiritual wisdom of the pastor, followed by taking Insta-perfect family photos.

Or maybe your plans involved creating a flawless Easter dinner, setting up the best ever Easter egg hunt and having an amazing time with friends and family.

Maybe you had high hopes for cultivating a spirit of reverence and awe during the days of Holy Week, setting time aside for prayer and reflection.

But if you're anything like me, your best laid plans probably didn't turn out exactly as you'd hoped.

See, I'd had lots of ideas for how Easter should look, and not a single one panned out. Much like Clark Griswold, my best laid plans ended up falling apart one by one.

We'd gotten bikes and rollerblades out because the snow was melting and roads had become dry enough to ride on. But we woke up to 12 degree, snowy weather on Easter. Nobody (except me!) wanted to wait in line to take family pictures at the backdrop the church had created, so we settled for a couple of quickly-snapped pictures of the kids in the snow.

I grilled lamb for dinner and had everything perfectly timed to be ready when it finished...except that it wasn't done, despite the thermometer reading the right temperature. I threw a Mommy temper tantrum when I realized that once more, my perfect plans weren't so perfect.

Nobody was interested in eating at the table because they all wanted to eat while watching "Risen" (a really cool Easter movie if you haven't seen it!). So once again, I felt like my Clark Griswold-like hopes for an "Old-Fashioned Family Easter" were being dashed to the floor.

I sat down on the couch with my plate, feeling irritable and disappointed. But then the movie started, and I shifted my focus from me to the Easter story. I looked around at my husband and kids, happily eating the food that was a little late and not all quite the same temperature and they were perfectly happy (and even commented how good the food was).

I thought about how we wouldn't soon forget the snowy Easter of 2023, and how the picture-perfect Easter photos really weren't as big of a deal as I'd imagined they were. And actually, the pained looks on the kids' faces in some of the pictures due to the cold were really, really funny. After the movie, we proceeded to have a spontaneous family Nerf war, which probably wouldn't have happened had we been able to spend time outside.

So, like Clark Griswold, I came to realize that sometimes I need to let go of my own "perfect" plans and make room to receive the everyday blessings right in front of me.

Wiggly, loud kids in pews; bad hair for Easter pictures; diaper blowouts before leaving home when you were SO CLOSE to being on time for church (or in the car seat on the way to church...all over the adorable Easter outfit your mother-in-law bought for the baby...), burned or undercooked roasts, broken china... can all be part of a bigger picture of blessing we can catch a glimpse of if we just LET GO of our idea of "perfect."

I'm learning.

How about you? How was your Easter? I fully realize that your curveballs may be so much greater and more painful than a diaper blowout or poorly timed dinner. But I want you to know this: Even in those hugely devastating curveballs, God is there. He is with you, and longs to replace your idea of how things "should" be with the blessings and surprise gifts that lie in the reality you're facing...because he promises to be at work in ALL things. Even the curve balls:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV)

My prayer for you today is that you'll have the wisdom and courage to let go of your ideas of how things "should" be, and have eyes to see the blessings God is hard at work creating for you today.

💗🙏 Jaime

P.S. We have SO many great new podcast episodes for you! We're airing 2 per week, and there's something for everyone!

Episode 255: Rachel Ridge talks about lessons on achieving success God's way that she's learned from an unlikely place: her pet donkeys!

In Prayers of the New Testament 3: Audacious Prayers, you'll be encouraged to pray with boldness, challenged to pray outside of your comfort zone, and to expect huge things from God!

Episode 256: Laurie Polich Short talks about faith, doubt and God's mysterious timing. She explores the mysteries of prayer and answers some questions and addresses doubts we all face in our prayer lives.

In Prayers of the New Testament 4: Jesus Prays for Us, we explore the prayers Jesus prayed not only for his disciples, but for you and me!