The incredible details of Easter are still floating around in my head today. Each year there’s much to think about, because familiar Scriptures have the ability to make us notice one thing one year and another thing the next.

This year our pastor mentioned something I’d never thought about, despite hundreds of readings through the Easter story. Jesus apparently rose from his dead state some time before sun-up that Sunday morning, leaving his tomb shortly thereafter. But three women who had dearly loved him began walking to the cemetery/garden “just after sunrise,” carrying costly spices and perfumes to anoint his badly battered body.

As they got closer, they began discussing a possible obstacle to their mission: would they find anyone to roll the large stone away from the entrance? Though they didn’t have an answer, they kept going.

As I sat in church on Easter, I wondered about the rest of us. We all come up against obstacles as we try to get to Jesus. But are we as forward-moving and determined as these women? Or do we say, “I know this obstacle is too big for me to move, and I don’t see anyone else available to move it, so I guess I can’t make it to Jesus.”

Last weekend I thought of the many obstacles Jesus encountered on his walk toward the cross, beginning with his intense discouragement in the Garden of Gethsemane just before being arrested. His enemy, Satan, was working overtime to derail the plan of salvation. And Satan still works daily to keep us from that plan and the Lord who established it.

As we walk toward Jesus, the devil puts obstacles in front of us to hold us back, just as the heavy stone sealing Jesus’ tomb would have kept the women away. In our Mary’s case, cancer is the obstacle, and the tempter is hoping she’ll be unable to get close enough to Jesus to maintain her strong testimony of his sufficiency. Since she’s made her faith public and it is encouraging many to walk toward Jesus, he is anxious to discredit her. It’s possible her agonizing decision about chemotherapy was made all the more difficult by this enemy of all Christians. He’d rather isolate her in defeat.

The three women in Scripture didn’t let the obstacle of an immovable stone stop them from proceeding toward Jesus anyway, and Mary hasn’t let cancer keep her from him, either. Actually, she’s been walking toward him with more resolve than ever, tough decisions and all.

Salome, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and our Mary are all fine examples of what to do when obstacles come between us and the Lord: trust him to figure out how to move them out of the way.

“They saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.” (Mark 16:4)

Mary’s Prayer Requests

1. Praise for a good meeting with Rush Hospital oncologist today
2. Praise that weight was up a couple of pounds on the hospital scale
3. Praise for friends who’ve signed up for the Pancreatic 5K Walk
4. Continued request for clarity on where in Chicago to have chemo