I’ve always loved spending time coloring eggs during Easter with my family. When I was ten years old, I went on a camping trip with Erin, a friend from Girl scouts, and her family. We went to the Colorado River. We were only going to stay a few days, but Erin’s parents decided that they wanted to stay until the day before Easter. I was so homesick those last couple of days, I told myself that at least I would be home for Easter.
Well, we pulled up to my house just as my parents were leaving for Church on the Saturday night, before Easter Sunday. I can still remember my Mom leaning down and saying, “We waited as long as we could, but we had to color the eggs without you.” I was crushed; I cried and cried. To me coloring those eggs was a special time our family spent together, and I missed out.
A few years ago I found some interesting information on Easter eggs. This information said that, only within the last century were chocolate and candy eggs exchanged as Easter gifts. Spring time exchanging of real eggs, is an ancient custom predating Easter by many centuries. Back then, most cultures believed that the egg signified birth, and resurrection (ex. The Greeks would place eggs on top of graves). One Roman proverb read, “All life comes from an egg.”
I’m not ten years old anymore, and I have a bunch of kids of my own. My family and I still get together and color eggs, and it’s a fun time for all of us. But more than anything is the joy we feel knowing, that because Jesus died and was resurrected, we have re-birth, and joy in knowing because He lives, we have hope.
