Christians and non-Christians alike can benefit from the lesson of Easter. When Jesus rose from the dead, He proved His teachings were practical; the proof of the pudding, so to speak. This is why Easter is the most important holiday in the Christian religion: It is the recognition and celebration of the Christian Messiah overcoming all the "obstacles" to Truth. The resurrection was the culminating act of an incredible life.

Easter is the symbol of resurrection and rebirth. Rebirth is an important motif in many religions and spiritualities. The snake is revered in many religions because of its ability to shed its skin and be reborn bigger and better. For centuries before Jesus birth, the moon was revered in pagan religions for the same reason: every new moon is a symbol of rebirth. Even the timing of Easter on the modern calendar is meaningful; it was chosen because it coincides with the beginning of spring, when nature rises from the death of winter with new growth and new beginnings.

In being crucified, Jesus was anything but unique. Vast numbers of people were crucified in Roman times. The Roman Empire used public crucifixion as a form of crime prevention: to see someone crucified would give anyone second thoughts to "cross" the empire and commit a crime against it. Crucifixes were almost as plentiful then as road signs are today. The thing that made Jesus unique was that he was resurrected afterwards. After all, a slain Jesus would not be considered much of a Christ as he would be proven the same as all the others crucified along the Roman thoroughfares: just a man who should bow to the Roman Empire ahead of all gods.

One of the most important themes of Jesus' teachings was that innocence, love, forgiveness, and kindness supercede all earthly laws. If His death on the cross had been the final chapter of his life, His teachings would mean nothing, his life would have been a lie, and the lesson of Easter would have been a very limited one. By rising from the dead, Jesus proved that there was something more powerful than the Roman Empire (a truly radical thought at the time.) Jesus' resurrection proved that true power lies in innocence, forgiveness, and love and that they are more powerful than all the armies and might of the most powerful earthly force. The lesson of Easter became a simple message of immeasurable power.

Luckily, the crucifix is no longer used as a modern day punitive tool. Or is it?

Many of us crucify ourselves everyday. Maybe not publicly on a cross, but privately in our thoughts, beliefs, and self-talk. We crucify ourselves when we believe ourselves to be guilty, bad, foolish, scarred, scared, and a multitude of other ways we tell ourselves we are "not enough."

As all His teachings were about love, forgiveness, innocence, and kindness, I believe Jesus would want our lesson of Easter and our association with Him to be based on the message of the resurrection and not the message of the crucifixion.

It is your choice -- every month, every week, every day, every minute, and even every second -- whether the belief system that guides your life has a "crucifixion" reference or a "resurrection" reference. It is important for your own personal happiness to focus on the lesson of Easter as one of resurrection and not one of crucifixion. If you are feeling guilty, pained, unhappy, sick, poor, enslaved, condemned, miserable, or ___________________ (you fill in the blank) then you can be assured your life reference at that moment is the crucifixion. Jesus said, "In my resurrection is your release." So whenever you are feeling any negative emotion, give yourself the freedom of release by picturing yourself being filled and surrounded by love, innocence, and gentle forgiveness. Choose as your lesson of Easter a lesson in total forgiveness and you will enjoy your personal resurrection.

Throw off your crown of thorns and accept the gift of lilies. Let your dark night be illumined by the new moon of forgiveness. Like the snake, shed the restraints of a skin you have outgrown and be reborn greater and free. Leave behind winter's icy death and be the resurrected flowers of spring.

The crucifixion is the symbol for pain and the resurrection is the symbol for peace. This Easter, accept the lesson of Easter to be one of resurrection and enjoy peace for yourself.

To your easier life! Wesley