Everything I need to know I learned from the Easter bunny

Some time ago I received the following email:

Everything I Need To Know, I Learned From the Easter Bunny.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Walk softly and carry a big carrot.

Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.

All work and no play can make you a basket case.

Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.

Let happy thoughts multiply ... like rabbits.

Some body parts should be floppy.

Keep your paws off other people's jellybeans.

An Easter bonnet can cover the wildest hare.

To show your true colors, you have to come out of your shell.

The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.

Easter Sunday boasts the most church attendance of any Sunday service. After all, it's part of the regimen... isn't it? Dress up. Don those new white shoes. Primp a little. Take pictures of the dressed up little ones holding their Easter baskets loaded with marshmallow bunnies and chocolate-covered eggs. Head to church. Fulfill your holiday obligation.

Now, before I ruffle your cotton tail, please know I love the thought of the Easter bunny. Some of our happiest family gatherings have included Saturday egg hunts and Sunday ham dinners. One of my favorite videos is of our young-adult sons, Jeff on crutches, wrestling each other to the ground, hoping to nab the plastic egg that held the grand prize -- a dollar bill -- from that prickly bush in our front yard.

I'm just not sure our focus isn't misplaced as we dismiss the true meaning of Easter --the Resurrection of Jesus Christ -- especially considering no event in the history of the world has impacted humanity like that one. But it's not just an event. It's what separates us from all other religions.

Think about it. Others were founded by men and prophets whose lives ended in the grave; we Christians believe that God became man, died, was resurrected on the third day, and sits today at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven.

Have you ever studied the facts about the Resurrection? Did you realize that the stone sealing Jesus' tomb was estimated to be the size of a midsize car? Or that the Roman soldiers, guarding the tomb, were killed if something "unusual" happened to their station? Yet the tomb was empty, Jesus' burial wrappings left behind. Couple that with how many eyewitnesses were still alive when the story of His ascent began to gain momentum and the change in the disciples' hearts--from terror to boldness--, and it takes little faith to realize the eternal repercussions of Jesus coming back to life.

Last time I checked, the Easter bunny had no impact on eternity, yet our very salvation is dependent upon our belief in the Resurrection. In Romans 10:9, we are told how to be saved: "If you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." In other words, you cannot be a Christian unless you believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I don't know about you, but "everything I learned" that mattered was not dependent upon a cute little hare's impact on my life. But the Resurrection? Now that's a different story.