Do you dwell on death or rejoice in life?

An interesting question has been hounding my mind lately and I think it might create some questions for many of you as well. If you are a believer the first question is for you. Do you celebrate Jesus’ crucifixion or His ultimate resurrection? Personally, I celebrate the resurrection but I do want to pursue both sides. Without the crucifixion, there is no resurrection, there is no atonement for our sins, there is no martyr which always creates a much more valuable story. But, without the resurrection, there is no Christianity. Everything in history proves that Jesus walked the earth as a man, spoke prophetically, was a great leader with many loyal followers, and that the Romans beat him with whips and hung him on a cross on which he died. Now, according to theologians, the resurrection has been proven as well by the mere number of people who witnessed the walking, talking, breathing Jesus many days after he was pronounced dead. For me, there isn’t any doubt but I see another view on the story that relates to the present day. As a child, every first Sunday of the month at our church we would partake in communion in remembrance of that influential period of time. As we took the bread representing Jesus’ body and drank the grape juice (a much anticipated time for every child in the building) which represented the blood He shed on the cross, I remember making myself go back to that time as if I was there. I would make myself sad thinking of the pain He must have endured and it often brought me to tears. It was so dramatic and the worst part of it was that I never really understood the purpose but I learned to dwell on the bad part of it all. The crucifixion was a horrible thing to think about but we were almost forced to reflect on it if we were true Christians. Now, I have learned to rejoice and I don’t need to dwell on the pain and suffering, I just choose to remember the triumph. Jesus lives…in Heaven, yes, but He lives! Jess and I, months before we knew each other, chose to celebrate the lives of those we lost. They were horrible days but we chose to look past death and into life, their life on earth, their new life in Heaven, and the promised life that was yet to come. It is not an easy task especially in the culture we live in where death and destruction sells and when someone speaks up and says we should move on, they are often viciously attacked. I know from experience how painful that can be. I have moved on and I have no guilt. They are not forgotten but they have been let go just like Jesus’ crucifixion is not forgotten and I can honestly say that I’m not sad but joyous because I know He rose and lives in Heaven and in me. So, here is the question for anybody, believer or not, do you dwell on death or rejoice in life?