Annie Sloan, the creator of chalk paint, writes in her book, Quick and Easy Paint Transformations, "start the painting with the table turned upside down."
A few months back as I ventured into my first chalk paint project, I did as Annie suggested. As I sat on my heels looking at the progress of my upside-down chair, I heard, sometimes God's greatest transformations happen when our lives are turned upside down.
"Yes, that's been true in my life," I thought.
Since that day, this saying has popped in and out of my thinking, but this morning there was a slight difference - a comical edge. I woke up with "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" song in my mind. One line in particular keeps repeating. The part where the Fresh Prince, Will Smith, sings, "my life got flipped-turned upside down."
The incessant repetition lead me to think of Jesus' disciples, specifically Peter.
I know, I know .... I'm taking you on the wild journey that is my mind.
Painting.
Upside down.
Transformation.
Fresh Prince.
Peter.
It appears quite random, but if you'll stick with me, it may make sense by the end!
Many years ago, I read my first Easter devotion about Saturday, the day in-between. I grew up hearing about Good Friday and later in life developed a deeper sense of the magnitude of Jesus' sacrifice. As an adult, I finally understood the true meaning of Easter - Resurrection Sunday - and how Jesus being raised from the dead changed absolutely everything.
But, I had never given any thought to Saturday. A day when the lives of the disciples must have felt more turned upside down than any other time in history. And I think that's why God brought my focus to Peter today.
Can you imagine? Everything you believed in, accepted, claimed, stood on, and hoped in was buried in a tomb with an impenetrable barrier rolled in front of it.
I find I'm a lot like Peter - driven by emotions, gung-ho when my eyes are on Jesus, but sinking in fear and despair when my eyes turn away, ready to step out in faith without a moments hesitation, and then wondering where I went wrong when things don't turn out the way I thought they were supposed to.
I'm taking some liberties in my last statement about Peter because the Bible doesn't tell us anything about how he was feeling the day after the crucifixion/the day before the resurrection.
I can't fathom the depth of despair Peter most likely experienced, but I have lived through many times of in-between where I've cried out to go back and do things differently or move forward into something new, but not to be left in suffocating, stagnant limbo.
Sadly, dwelling in that space, I've lost almost all hope, but not all hope.
As it says in 2 Corinthians 4:8:
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (NIV)
On this day, March 31, 2018, we have a hope Peter and the other disciples did not have. Even though Jesus spoke to them about being raised from the dead, they didn't fully understand. They didn't know Sunday was coming. They didn't have that hope to cling to and rejoice in on Saturday.
But we do ... or we can.
Saturday is a day to remember Friday. That without Jesus dying on the cross, we would not be free from sin.
Saturday is a day to look forward to Sunday. To acknowledge that without Christ's resurrection we would not be free from death. We would have no hope of newness of life.
Let's not despair on Saturday, but let's not rush past it either.
Let's just sit.
Sit in front of the cross.
Sit in front of the tomb.
Let every bit of it sink in.