Walking in Freedom: How the Resurrection Changes Everything
“Get here. She’s not doing well.”
Those are words no one ever wants to hear...especially when they’re about your spouse.
The next thirty-six hours were a blur . . . ER visits, hospital rooms, and a thousand unanswered questions. Doctors finally diagnosed a clot that was causing a mild stroke. Thankfully, they cleared it quickly, and the side effects were minimal. We were grateful it wasn’t worse. But the weight of it all was crushing.
Nothing reminds you how powerless you are like watching someone you love suffer and knowing there’s nothing you can do to fix it. These moments shake you. They strip away the illusion of control. But they also point you to something deeper and someone greater.
As we reflect on Easter, I’ve been reminded that the resurrection of Jesus doesn’t just offer us hope for someday, it changes everything about today.
In that hospital room, when fear crept in and peace felt far away, the truth of the gospel met me once again. That truth? Because Jesus is alive, I’m not walking through any of this alone. He’s with me. He’s for me. And His love shows up in the most unexpected ways.
One of those ways? Through the people He places in our lives.
As I waited for news about my wife, I sent a few text to coworkers, to our small group, to the circle of friends who have become more like family. Their response was immediate, tangible, and full of love. They prayed. They checked in. They asked what we needed. They showed up.
What could’ve been a dark, isolating, and overwhelming stretch became a living picture of what freedom through the resurrection looks like:
Freedom from fear, because we were surrounded by people full of faith.
Freedom from isolation, because our community stood beside us.
Freedom from despair, because hope appeared in the hands, hugs, and hearts of Jesus’ people.
The resurrection gives us so much more than a holiday to celebrate, it offers us a brand-new way to live every day. Jesus didn’t just take our sin to the cross; He walked out of the grave, forever breaking the power of sin, death, and setting us free.
Free from carrying burdens alone.
Free from trying to hold it all together.
Free to be seen, supported, and loved...right in the middle of the mess.
Free to engage in open, honest, and authentic community...where it’s okay to not be okay.
That kind of community doesn’t just happen; it’s built. It takes time, intention, and vulnerability. But when you have it, when you invest in it, it becomes something more than support...it becomes the living, breathing evidence that God is with you.
Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” That’s exactly what our friends and church family did and are still doing for us. They didn’t just say they loved us—they displayed it. They became the hands and feet of Jesus in our hardest moments.
The resurrection changed everything, not just for the world, but for you and me. And one of the clearest ways we live out that freedom is by carrying one another, just like Jesus carried us to the cross and out of the empty grave.
So, as you reflect on Easter, maybe the invitation moving forward is this: Don’t Walk this Life Alone.
If you’re in a season of strength, be the friend who shows up and lightens the load for someone else. And if you’re tired, hurting, or unsure, be bold enough to let someone in.
And if you don’t know where to start? Start small. Walk into church this weekend. Text a friend. Say yes to a community gathering. You don’t have to have it all figured out, you just have to be willing.
Because the freedom Jesus offers isn’t just forgiveness, it’s belonging. It’s hope. It’s the kind of love you can feel through the people He places in your life. And it’s available to you, right now.