I am an Oklahoman by birth, a Texan by current living situation, but claim the world as my playground.I love to travel and hope to someday soon take our family on adventures to far off lands, where we can share God with others and experience all the wonders He has created.
I am a mother of 5 crazy, homeschooling children ages 10 & under, wife to an amazing man, and daughter of the King of the Universe!I enjoy reading, making my kids laugh, cooking, all things natural, learning to play guitar and dusting off my piano skills.One day I hope to run again, but until then I’m learning patience.
I have some of my grandma’s perfume. Whenever I take it out and enjoy it’s scent, all these wonderful memories come flooding back. I feel her warmth and love. Sometimes, the scent alone brings tears to my eyes. She has been gone a long time but her scent still lingers.
The Scent of Jesus that Lingered
I can’t help but think of how Jesus must have smelled the day he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Just the day before Mary had poured “about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume” on Jesus feet. Surely, the scent would have lingered to the next day and been wafted in the air by those who were fanning palm branches, laying the branches down before Him and yelling “Hosanna!” and “Blessed is the King of Israel!” How that expensive, rare scent must have stood out and made a lasting impression on all those who were in his presence that day!
Who knows maybe the scent even lingered with each step he took towards the cross. What a beautiful gift Mary gave to Jesus and all those that came in contact with him the days following. Without knowing it, she was preparing Jesus for the day of His burial just a handful of days away.
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him,objected,“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
Jesus’ Fragrance Lingers Today
Christ has been gone from this earth for thousands of years but his scent still lingers today! Others can smell it through us – his disciples on earth!
For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?
2 Corinthians 2:15 -16
Just like Jesus, our life giving actions and words will be a sweet and wondrous smell to all those who accept it and will reek to those who reject it. No matter how it smells to others, know that it is a pleasing aroma to God and we should be proud to wear this eternal scent. Let us praise His name for all He has done.
Prayer Over Our Hearts
Lord, you have given us everything including your One and Only Son! Through Him we have life and hope everlasting. You’ve given us the gift of your Holy Spirit to guide us through this life and have even given us the scent of Christ himself! Praise you, Lord, for all you have done and will continue to do throughout the generations. May those we reach out to in your name take hold of you and impact generations upon generations for you too! It is our hope and prayer that we will be a pleasing aroma of Christ to you. In the One who pleased you with His sacrificial life – Amen!
When reading the scriptures detailing the death of Jesus Christ, believers often acknowledge that they sometimes can be difficult to get through. Yes, our souls celebrate the freedom resulting from that moment, but our hearts also mourn the harshness and pain of it, too. Jen Wilkin has said, “The heart cannot love what the mind does not know.” I get that. Many times I have read through the scripture’s account of everything from the Last Supper to when Jesus cried out His last breath. For a long time, I didn’t love reading it. I didn’t love the words my eyes took in, because my mind did not understand what was there to see. Reading through those passages now, with a desire and purpose to understand, brings about a new meaning.
Many things could be written concerning those last moments before the death of Jesus Christ. For this post, I want to focus on the obedience Jesus displayed. Christ’s perfect obedience to His Father is so powerfully and beautifully laid out; I wonder how I never saw it all those years ago.
At the Garden of Gethsemane, we get a glimpse of an intimate moment between Father and Son. We read the words Jesus spoke aloud to His Father:
Going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will” Matthew 26:39 (HCSB).
Here we see Him not questioning. Rather, in full perfection, He submits to the rescue plan His good and loving Father had set in place since before the creation of the world. The Son lays down His life to His Father, so that He can then lay it down for ours.
The beauty of the Son’s perfect obedience, as scripture shows, is ours to soak up and savor. We acknowledge Jesus Christ’s beautiful and wonderful perfection as He lived, walked, suffered, and died in perfect submission to His Father. By reading these passages, I am fully aware that my obedience to God is not contingent on my own strength or capabilities. It is only possible because of and through the perfect submission of Jesus Christ to His Father.
Our lives could never be the perfection as that of Christ’s. He lived the life we could never live and died the death we deserve. But, what a glorious gift — that His obedience brings us hope. What a thing it is that His obedience perfected is ours gifted. What a marvel and joy it is that Christ’s perfect obedience resulted in our redemption.
For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. -Romans 5:19 (HCSB)
I am a girl who loves to sit with a cup of coffee and daydream. I am most passionate about Jesus, my family, and family ministry. My husband and I live in Oklahoma with our two precious daughters. I spend my days with my girls, discovering and growing alongside them! You can usually find us either in our sunroom, the park, or taking long walks through Target. :)
Easter is such a fun time with little ones! Although they might not be old enough to participate in egg hunts and coloring eggs, it’s still a wonderful opportunity for our babies and toddlers to experience God’s creation and to be introduced to the story of Jesus.
I want to share with you some ideas for celebrating Easter with your baby or toddler. Hopefully, you will find something fun for your little one’s Easter!
Read books that tell the Easter story.
This is one of the easiest ways to keep Easter focused on Jesus. Perhaps you have some books already, but if you don’t, here are some suggestions. My Very First Easter by Juliet David & Helen Prole has been our favorite board book to read about the story of Jesus. The text on each page is brief and the pictures are colorful and diverse. This is a good book for when you want to stay focused on the story. It’s great to read year-round!
Also,there are books which blend the story with thoughts for today, which is nice! We have some books like that as well. Our favorite of this type is The Story of Easter by Patricia A. Pingry. This book has beautiful illustrations and brings together how spring time is so fitting with Easter. The text is not too long, so it will hold your little one’s interest. This book is a treasure!
Let your little ones experience the Easter story! Gather up items which represent different parts of the Easter story. Make sure the items are safe for your child to play with (under your supervision). For our basket we used:
Silk palm leaf
Toy donkey
Toy grapes (to signify the last supper)
Plastic cross
Strips of white fabric (optional: spray with perfume or drops of essential oils) to signify that Jesus was wrapped and prepared for burial
A small decorative “rock” to represent the stone in front of the grave (use a real rock if you have one!)
Purple fabric to signify that Jesus is our King
A pink foam heart because God loves us so much that he sent his son to save us
Our Easter story book
Use whatever items you can gather up to help tell the story. It doesn’t have to be the same items we used! For example, you could add some silk flowers because Jesus prayed in the garden before he was arrested. Read the story in the Bible and see what you have around your house! Place the items in a basket and let your child discover the different textures of the items. You can talk about their meaning as your child plays with them. I liked reading the story to Kate and pulling out items that correlated with each page. If some of your items were not designed for baby/tot play, remember to supervise your little one while they play with their discovery basket. This is a fun activity to do together!
Our little girl loves sensory bottles. They are a great way to expose babies and tots to the wonders of creation! We like to use small water bottles (with the cap glued on), but you can use clean peanut butter or applesauce jars, or if you’re brave, a glass jar. Kate loved her sensory bottle last year, but she still plays with it now too! These will last you a long time. Here are some different ideas for filling your sensory bottle:
Water and silk flowers
Here is a little song we sing about flowers: (Sung to “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)
“God made all the beautiful flowers, beautiful flowers, beautiful flowers.
God made all the beautiful flowers.
Thank you God for flowers.”
Fresh coffee grounds (NOT used) and toy insects
(Sung to “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)
“God made bugs to crawl in the dirt, crawl in the dirt, crawl in the dirt.
God made bugs to crawl in the dirt.
Thank you God for bugs!”
Easter basket “grass” with small craft Easter eggs
(Sung to “Have You Ever Seen A Lassie?”)
“Do you see the Easter eggs, the very pretty eggs?
Do you see the Easter eggs?
They are hiding for you!
Have an Easter Photo Shoot.
OK, so this one is more for you than your child but I promise it’s worth it! I’ve never been a fan of the life-size Easter bunny, and it really wasn’t in our budget last year to do that so I set up a little photo scene at home to do on Easter! I’m an amateur by ALL means. Ideally, it would be great to do this outside, but we had a rainy Easter. I tucked our daughter’s baby quilt into the top shelf of her changing table. Then I opened the blinds to let in what little bit of natural light we had in our apartment on a rainy day! This was MUCH easier than waiting in a long line at the mall!
Fill that Easter Basket!
Last year I had to think really hard about what to put in our daughter’s basket. Obviously, candy was out of the question for a baby! We kept things super simple by purchasing a small basket, but I have plenty of ideas for things to put in your basket, no matter the size!
Books
It’s hard to narrow this list because we’re addicted to children’s books in our house. Here are some of our favorites! Click on the titles for links to purchase.
Pat the Bunny–You can’t go wrong with this darling classic!
Jesus Loves Me! This book is perfect for Easter, not just because the song is appropriate, but the illustrator gives subtle hints to the Easter season throughout the pages. This is one of our favorite books in our whole library.
Tickle, Tickle, Peter!–With different textures to feel on each page and short text, this book holds my daughter’s attention! This book is quite large. It might not fit in your child’s basket, but it will be lovely right next to it!
A Chick that Peeps
Hold the chick in your hand and listen to him peep! I found ours at Hobby Lobby. I can’t wait to see what our eighteen month old thinks of this one!
Bubbles
Can you really go wrong with bubbles? Get ready for the giggles!
Bright Starts Giggling Eggs
These are so much fun! Perfect if you have a large basket you are trying to fill. You can purchase them here.
Crayola Egg-Shaped Crayons
Perfect for little hands. Even if your baby is not ready for them now, they will be before you know it! You can find them here or look for them wherever Crayola products are sold.
Bath Toys
Rubber ducks or other spring-themed bath toys make a great addition to an Easter basket!
Melissa & Doug Slide and Seek Egg
This is perhaps my most favorite basket item yet–so cute! Because it’s a quiet toy it’ll be great for our church bag. It is double-sided, with a hatching bird on one side and hatching chick on the other. You can find out more info here. The toy is currently out of stock from the manufacturer’s website, but I picked one up at Mardel. You can also find it at Amazon, but at a higher price.
Small Stuffed Animals or Puppets
We love to sing songs with our stuffed animals. Kate’s favorite is her bunny puppet. We sing the following to the tune of “Grump Went the Little Green Frog”:
Yes, I know empty eggs sound boring, but honestly our daughter loved playing with them! I used the decorative kind that don’t come apart.
This year I’m going to fill a couple of eggs! Here are a few ideas for filling those eggs since jelly beans might not be in your tot’s diet!
Socks
Annie’s Bunnies (It’s like they are made just for Easter or something!) You can choose cheddar bunnies, graham cracker bunnies, or even fruit snack bunnies. You could also use goldfish, or whatever special treat your child likes. Even fresh fruit!
Play Dough–Homemade would be really fun! Just squish it into one side of the plastic egg.
Stickers
Egg Shakers–Fill eggs with rice and use decorative tape to keep closed. (Supervise your little ones with these.)
Remember the Meaning of Easter
I hope you’ve found an idea or two to use as you celebrate Easter with the babies and toddlers in your life! It’s easy to get overwhelmed with trying to create the perfect holiday for your children, so don’t feel pressured. Do what works for your family and don’t feel guilty if someone else seems to be doing more!
Remember that Easter is about the forgiveness and grace lavished on us through Jesus. Take time to worship God, and remind your kids how much Jesus loves them. Many years from now, that is the best memory your child could ever have of Easter.
What things have you done with your little ones this Easter season?
I am an Oklahoman by birth, a Texan by current living situation, but claim the world as my playground.I love to travel and hope to someday soon take our family on adventures to far off lands, where we can share God with others and experience all the wonders He has created.
I am a mother of 5 crazy, homeschooling children ages 10 & under, wife to an amazing man, and daughter of the King of the Universe!I enjoy reading, making my kids laugh, cooking, all things natural, learning to play guitar and dusting off my piano skills.One day I hope to run again, but until then I’m learning patience.
Every year, our family looks forward to celebrating the Easter story and helping our kids understand what it truly means! It’s a time of mourning our sinful nature but joyfully accepting Christ’s amazing sacrificial gift of forgiveness and love.
When I contributed to the Oklahoma City Moms Blog, I wrote about a couple of our Easter Traditions. These traditions help our family focus on Christ’s sacrifice for us during the Easter season. In this post, I detailed how to make resurrection cookies and shared some wonderful videos and books we use.
If you have never made resurrection cookies before, you are in for a special treat. These cookies are deliciously scrumptious! Also, the preparation process helps connect Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection with actions and scripture neither you nor your children will forget. Check out this post to find resources to help explain why Christ chose to die on the cross.
Resurrection Eggs– This is so much fun! We hide a few eggs with money (because we were bought at a price) or candy (to remember this sweet gift). We also hide these resurrection eggs. Each resurrection egg contains a symbol of the Easter story. After the kids gather all the eggs, we sit down as a family to open our eggs. The kids get excited about what we found, and then we use the Resurrection Storybook Cards to tell the story. As we read the story, we have the child who found the item we are discussing hold it up and show it off. We even have the kids retell the story by putting the found items in their proper order.
Celebrating Passover – This is a tradition we started several years ago. Celebrating Passover has given us a whole new understanding of how Jesus is the perfect sacrificial lamb. He is the ultimate sacrifice. Read the powerful story of the Exodus and share with your children how amazing God truly is and how He sent Jesus to redeem us from the bondage of our own slavery–sin!
You might even check around the city you live in to see if anyone is hosting a Passover meal you could join. I highly recommend celebrating it with a group of Christians or Messianic Jews because then you get the true understanding of how the Passover points not only to Christ’s first coming, but his second coming as well!
Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper aka communion during the Passover meal!
There are so many fun ways to celebrate Easter and Christ’s Resurrection.
What are your family’s favorite traditions?
How do you bring the focus back to Christ’s sacrifice?
I am an Oklahoman by birth, a Texan by current living situation, but claim the world as my playground.I love to travel and hope to someday soon take our family on adventures to far off lands, where we can share God with others and experience all the wonders He has created.
I am a mother of 5 crazy, homeschooling children ages 10 & under, wife to an amazing man, and daughter of the King of the Universe!I enjoy reading, making my kids laugh, cooking, all things natural, learning to play guitar and dusting off my piano skills.One day I hope to run again, but until then I’m learning patience.
Everyday our hearts get to rejoice as we celebrate the fact that our Savior is ALIVE!
We had a fabulous weekend celebrating how our Savior conquered death and rose to the right hand of God! But let’s remember to carry His power of sin and death with us EVERYDAY! He IS the way, the truth and the life and we can bring that to everyone we come in contact with.
Who could speak, and send the demons back from where they came with just one Name?
What other heart would let itself be broken every time till He healed mine?
You. Only You could turn my darkness into dawn; running right into Your arms
Alive! Alive! Look what Mercy’s overcome; Death has lost and Love has won Alive! Alive!
Hallelujah, Risen Lord, the only One I fall before I am His because He is
