of sorrow and joy [good friday hurts]

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There are many reasons Good Friday is a sad day for me.

It’s the day I lost my grandfather when I was 14 years old.

It’s the day my Savior died.

It’s the last day I spoke to one of my best friends.

So… not my favorite day.

The sorrow of the day is only compounded by my tradition of watching The Passion of the Christ. Why do I torture myself when the day is already sad? Because I believe that in order to fully experience the joy of Sunday I must enter into sorrow of Good Friday.

We need Good Friday, or Easter Sunday just becomes a day of eggs hunts and dressing up in our Sunday best. We need Good Friday because of our sin, not just our salvation. (We simply can’t have one without the other.) We need Good Friday because God’s wrath is fully expressed on this day, so his mercy means all the more in the days following.

We need Good Friday because we needed a Savior.

And God gave us one.

I wish this day didn’t have so many painful memories attached to it. They distract from the true meaning of God’s sacrifice for me. But I also realize these painful memories speak loudly the pain of this life. Death and loss are realities of this world, because of sin. And one man entered into that mess and came to redeem.

The tragedy of this day is no longer just about Jesus for me. It’s about the brokenness in the world around me, the people around me, the brokenness in me. It’s because of me he died. It’s because of me that I lost a friend. The weight of that is simply… massive.

I suppose that’s why this day I feel all the feels. I cry all the tears. I reflect on my sin. I think about His sacrifice. I mourn my loss. I miss my friend. I just…

hurt.

I guess I understand why they call it Good Friday. It is a good day. It doesn’t feel good this year.

But Sunday is coming. I will rejoice.

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