By Rob Sigler

Oxford EAGLE/Editor

As a Christian, Easter has very special meaning to me. It marks the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and is the foundation of the Christian faith. And today my family and I will have the opportunity to celebrate our faith without the fear of persecution.

That certainly isn’t the case in other areas of the world when it seems more and more Christians outside the United States are physically attacked for their belief, especially around celebrations this time of year. That was the case a week ago when two Coptic Christian churches in Egypt were targeted by Islamic extremists, killing nearly 50 people with bombs as they worshiped on Palm Sunday.

I thank God that I live in a nation that is tolerant of other religious beliefs and will say a prayer today for those who are not as blessed as myself or you.

I hope you took advantage of the opportunity to worship, and I also hope you invited someone to attend church on this most holiest of Christian holidays.

The other side of Easter is spending the day with family hunting Easter eggs, eating Easter candy (jelly beans are my favorite) and having an Easter feast.

Easter also brings back memories in my mind of a time when my now grown adult daughter was a child. The picture I see in those memories is a pink dress with bows and holding her two-year old hand as she walked around the yard searching for Easter eggs.

It’s a time I miss and cherish to this day. And although she’s grown and married now, I can still feel her tiny hand wrapped around my index finger. I see her looking up at me with those beautiful blue eyes and faith and hope as she smiled that we would find plenty of eggs.

She solidly believed in me and it was unconditional.

Just like that feeling I have of unconditional love in Jesus Christ that He is alive today and despite the atrocities that take place regularly on Christians, I believe in Him.

Happy Easter.

Rob Sigler is managing editor of The Oxford
EAGLE. Contact him at rob.sigler@oxfordeagle.com.