The Good Friday Toad

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 18, 2014. Posted in General.

I peaked too early. After this difficult Lent, I’m ready for Easter. Yet, blocking the road to resurrection, sitting there as unattractive as a big green toad, burps Good Friday.
As I stand in this place staring at the toad and kicking the dust, I do not see Easter as “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” I see it as the most common story always told.
My own personal Easter Cliff Notes: when given the choice, humans act like shits; however, do not lose sight of the over-arching good in the world.
If we are celebrating Good Friday to remind ourselves that we are a people who have been intimate with the good and MUST VOW TO NEVER ACT THAT WAY AGAIN, I’m okay with it.
If we are celebrating Good Friday because we love the narrative (see above), count me out.
Each day, we carry our Good Friday choice with us: to act like a shit or not?
To make political decisions.
To go along to get along.
To lie if we must to protect ourselves from ridicule.
To wash our hands of consequences because it wasn’t our job in the first place.
To use intellectualism and analytical questions to justify our hard hearts.
To join in with the mocking because it makes us feel good to berate someone other than ourselves.
Every day, when these choices present themselves (and they just flat do), I hope to remember Good Friday. Is that who I want to be, a Good Friday type person? Or do I want to be a child of Easter? One who acts irrationally, inexplicably, indefensibly to spread more good in the world.
We shall see.

here’s to creative synthesis . . .

a greater good, Good Friday, The Easter Story, The Good Friday Toad, The Greatest Story Ever Told

Comments (4)

menomama3

April 18, 2014 at 2:23 pm

Sometimes black and white is very clear: “Each day we carry our Good Friday choice with us: To act like a shit or not.” Nothing to argue with in that statement. It’s simple and clear.