The Most Important Question
Easter is rapidly approaching! Have you ever considered just how much we spend on candy or the traditions behind it?
After Halloween, Easter is the second biggest candy month. The largest chocolate egg in the Guiness Book of World Records weighed 16,000 pounds and the largest Easter Egg Hunt occurred in Florida with 500,000 eggs. More than 92% of Americans will celebrate with chocolate and candy. Despite a tough economy, in 2024 we spent over $3 Billion on Easter candy. Consider these other astounding facts.
During the Easter Holiday, Americans bought:
- Over 91 Million chocolate bunnies
- Over 91 Billion chocolate eggs
- Over 1.5 Billion marshmallow Peeps. (In 1957 it took 27 hours to create one… now it takes just 6 minutes!)
- Over 16 Million jellybeans—enough to circle the world 3 times.
(These were first made by a Boston candy maker who urged people to buy them and send them to soldiers in the Civil War.)
So, who brought us the chocolate Easter Bunny? German immigrants are credited with this as a symbol of new life for spring. The Easter Bunny has been the recognizable Easter symbol since the 1700’s and in Germany is called the “Osterhase.”
But the greatest Easter gift is not candy at all. Instead… the greatest gift you can give anyone is a true understanding of Easter. Over 35 years ago…and just a month before Easter… someone explained this to me. Having attended church religiously for almost 30 years, I thought I had things all figured out. But what I heard over the next few minutes, shared in a most loving and sincere way, changed my life forever. That’s why I’m sharing my Easter story with you.
So, what’s the Most Important Question?
Hang with me for just a bit and I’ll tell you.
Despite living in the most churched city in the nation, with over 59% of Chattanoogans attending church, many people go spiritually hungry. And despite Chattanooga being named the most Bible-minded city in 2017, many people are unaware of God’s plan for mankind.
Now, I’ve been asked a lot of questions in my lifetime…but this one MOST IMPORTANT question changed my entire life. I’d never been asked this before…and maybe you haven’t been asked it either. So, here it is
“If you were to die today, on a scale of 1-100, how sure are you that God would let you into Heaven?”
I distinctly remember hitting the pause button after hearing that. I took a few moments to silently reflect on my life so far. I’m still shocked that I responded, “I think I’m 65% sure God would let me into Heaven.” Mike, who I was having dinner with, asked me, “Reen would you like to be 100% sure of where you’ll spend eternity?” With the utmost candor, I leaned across the table and said, “Mike, the way my life has gone so far…I at least want to know for sure that I’ll get into Heaven.”
Over the next few minutes Mike explained the central message of the Bible to me in the clearest of terms and the simplest explanation I’d ever heard. He explained that after the failure of Adam and Eve by rejecting God’s directions and choosing do life their own way, we all followed their example. We turned aside from God and ran our own course. Since God was not willing to leave us to our own destiny, He sent Jesus, His only Son, to die on the cross and pay the price for all our decisions to make bad choices and disobey God (sins). When He rose from the dead on the third day (which we celebrate on Easter Sunday), He broke the curse of sin and its consequences, eternal death.
And do you know the best part? You can’t earn your way to Heaven by being good enough, giving enough to charity, or anything else. All you can do is turn your life over to God by praying a simple prayer of surrender. It says in Romans 10:9, “If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This is what it takes to become a Christian. Giving up your decision to go your own way and do your own thing, and surrendering your life to following and obeying God’s unique plan for your life. It’s the only way to find peace in this life.
Now, I’ve been a Christian for over 35 years and went on to earn my master’s degree in Christian counseling just so I can help people. If you’ve never been asked this question….and would like to learn more about this….why not email or call me so we can sit down over coffee and discuss it. This will be the most crucial decision you will ever make and there’s nothing more important to me than helping you understand it.
If you are reading this and are already a Christian…why not share this article with your friends who may not be a Christian? Or ask them the “Most Important Question” yourself and have this conversation with them. And, by all means, feel free to forward my article and share my story.
Happy Resurrection Sunday!
