Sunday is here.

I often think of the despair and heartache the disciples felt on Friday as they watched Jesus on the cross. Taking His last breath, I imagine they looked on in disbelief. How could this have happened? The Messiah they had waited for, dead. Hope for freedom, gone. As they retreated to their safe place of hiding, I imagine they would have felt a heartache so deep, they felt it to the depths of their soul. As I read the gospels, I want to scream at them to hold on because hope is not lost. We know what they don’t; while there is despair on Friday and defeat on Saturday, Sunday is coming. And with it, hope. Life.

I can understand how they felt. As I look around at my life in this moment, and the lives of many around me, hope feels lost. Medical diagnosises that I never thought I would hear. Broken relationships. False accusations. Heartbroken friends. Barrenness. It is too much to bear and it feels heavy. So heavy.

But Sunday is coming.

And because Sunday is coming, hope is not lost. Fear will be defeated. Pain will be defeated. Hope is not lost. It doesn’t seem like it, especially when we are in the midst of the valley squinting to see even the slightest glimmer of light. But the Cross means that hope is not gone.

The Cross means that the story is not over; our story is not finished because of what He finished on the Cross.

When Jesus uttered the words, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He didn’t mean it was over for us. Quite the opposite; it was just the beginning. It was the beginning of a new life made whole in Jesus. It was the beginning of a new heart being restored and healed through Jesus. The Cross was the beginning of the old being made new.

If only the disciples knew what we knew as they watched Him hang on the Cross. But really, we are no different to the disciples, because in the midst of our pain and despair, we forget the promises that He made. We forget that because of Sunday, hope is far. We struggle to remember that the resurrection means that He who defeated the grave; He who defeated death, is able to breathe hope into our situations. He is able to bring beauty from ashes. The One who conquered the grave can conquer our battle and move our mountains.

This Easter, whatever you may be facing, hold onto the hope that Sunday bought. The tomb is empty, which means nothing can hold Him down or hold Him back. Hold onto hope. Hold on to Jesus. Even if you’re holding on by your fingertips, hold on. Because the Cross means that no matter what you are going through, He who is seated on the right hand of the Father is watching over you and fighting for you. Just hold on.