Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. Countless things make this time of year beautiful to me, but absolutely nothing compares to the Time we set aside to Remember what Christ did for you and for me. When I look at this image of the mountain with trees mostly blooming closer to the ground and with just a few scattered green trees at the top, it makes me think about the day of the Crucifixion of Christ and the overall Journey of Faith. I’m sure the ground was filled with spectators that day, some of them salivating in anticipation of Jesus being Crucified right before their very eyes, while some watched in horror. No doubt, a few of them made their way closer to the top of Calvary, just like some of the green trees are closer to the top in this image. But the truth is, the closer we get to the Cross, the fewer people we see because so many professed Christians would rather be spectators than “defenders” of the Cross. Isn’t that the way you see the Journey of Faith at such a time as this too?

Soon it will be Good Friday, and I’ve often wondered how it got its name. The “good” is the end result of Jesus dying on the Cross so that we might have Hope and a Future, but there was nothing good about the way it came to be. Good Friday is a solemn day in my Heart each year as I consider the human side of what Christ did for me. He was brutally beaten to the point of being unrecognizable. He was flogged until the skin tore away from His body. He was spit on. His hair was torn out from His head and His beard. A crown of thorns was placed on His head as they mocked the “king” and the thorns pierced His skin. And then, there’s that long journey carrying His cross naked and bloody right through the business district for everyone to see until He was finally hung to die a slow and miserable death on the Cross. Solemn? That doesn’t begin to describe what my Heart feels, and I have a hard time referring to it as “Good” Friday even though the GOOD came ONLY because He was willing to endure what He did. I don’t want a place in the “cheap seats” in my Journey of Faith, and I’ll never be a spectator. I want to keep climbing my way closer to the Cross all the days of my Life. Sadly, the closer I get to the Cross, the fewer people I see.

I pity the ones so focused on Easter egg hunts and beautiful bunnies that they fail to teach their children about what Good Friday is all about. I feel sorry for the ones who gloss over His Crucifixion as if a child can’t understand suffering. I’m appalled by the ones who focus only on the Resurrection while they whitewash all He endured for mankind. Without Friday, there wouldn’t be a Sunday, and without Easter, there wouldn’t be a Christmas. Even our churches are shying away from being too descriptive about what Christ did for us to avoid “offending” anybody. I used to take my kids to a passion play hosted by a nearby Bible church every year at this time. People traveled far and wide to attend. It was graphic. It was so realistic that it wasn’t easy to watch. I can still remember my kids crying as they “nailed” the spikes into the hands of Jesus. Many adults left the sanctuary because they couldn’t bear to watch even a portrayal of what Jesus endured. The actor portraying Jesus was “bloody” and he groaned as he walked down the aisle being beaten. It was heart-wrenching. He was hung on the Cross and it looked so real…and then He was Resurrected! Yes, it was “scary” for my kids to see, that’s for sure, but it drove Home the message of the Cross within their Hearts, and none of them have ever lost sight of what Christ did for us. It was worth it to share with them. Sadly, today, that play is an entirely different story because all the “offensive” scenes have been removed. No miracles. No beatings or blood. No sign of the Price He paid for you and me. Today, it’s a whitewashed portrayal of the Greatest Event the world has ever known. Yes, the closer you get to the Cross, the fewer people you see, and sadly, some churches are taking multitudes with them to the cheap seats to teach them how to be good spectators instead of climbing closer to the Cross.

This is the most important time of year for me. It’s bigger than Christmas or milestone birthdays. It’s bigger than the celebration of new life or a new job. Nothing compares to this time of year! You won’t find me whitewashing what it represents with pastels and candy. I’ve got a front-row seat before the Throne of a Mighty God who sent His son to die for me, and I’m not budging! The closer I get to the Cross, the fewer people I see, and THAT’S what keeps me busy sharing Jesus Christ with the world all year long.

How about you?