Easter is More than Just Bunnies

It is that time of year when many people focus on Easter and Good Friday. Various events are happening at schools, such as Easter parties, Easter egg hunts, Easter baskets, pictures for Easter, and Easter dresses. There's a lot going on with that. However, Easter also holds a very specific meaning for the Christian religion, which is the resurrection of Jesus.

We all probably have memories of Easter growing up. One of my favorite memories is going out to a campsite with my cousins. The adults would hide eggs throughout the campsite, and the ones we really wanted to find were the money eggs. Back in the eighties, they would put pantyhose into egg containers that women wore. After the women used the pantyhose, we had these eggs. My family, including my parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, would fill these eggs with money—dimes, pennies, and the ones we really wanted, quarters. These eggs were hidden, and it was a huge deal to find them. Even though we were younger, we had to really scrap to find these money eggs. It was the highlight of the day.

Even now, my kids are older, but we still have Easter egg hunts. We have confetti eggs that we throw and break on each other for fun. May is a specific month where we focus on mental health and bring attention to it. I want to bring up something specific regarding mental health. When interviewing people going through dark moments, depression, or suicidal feelings, we talk about protective reasons not harming themselves. Many people point to their religious faith or something bigger than themselves as a reason not to harm themselves. For Christians, Easter is a huge holiday that culminates with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

I want to appreciate that people's faith is important. Easter helps people understand more about their savior and their religion. Jesus claimed to be the son of God, which was considered blasphemy by the religious leaders. They had strong laws against it, and Jesus was given over to be crucified. Vicious scourging followed, a crown of thorns was put on his head, and he died an excruciating death on the cross. Jesus' followers expected an earthly kingdom, but Jesus was creating a spiritual kingdom. His resurrection proved his power and showed that he was about spiritual things, how we treat one another, and what should be important.

Easter celebrates the resurrection, where Jesus' tomb was found empty. In the US, Easter is very commercialized with traditions like eggs, bunnies, and confetti. However, the religious holiday of Easter is important. Schools take off for Good Friday in honor of Easter. My podcast, Muscular Minds, focuses on how people's faith and religion help them when they struggle. Faith can guide people through dark moments and strengthen them.

As a clinician, I don't push faith, but people bring it into their lives to deal with their struggles. The Easter story shows that Jesus understood struggle and pain. He was in torment in the Garden of Gethsemane and sweated droplets of blood. Easter teaches us to focus on things bigger than ourselves, recognize our brokenness, and seek renewal and second chances. The Easter story encapsulates these lessons and helps us build resilience.