Good Friday: More Than a Pause

Growing up in my family, Good Friday was never just a day without meat on the table. It was a sacred pause—a day set apart on the Christian calendar to remember the suffering of Christ on the cross.

At noon, my siblings and I were sent to our rooms. From twelve to three, there was to be no noise. No playing. No talking. Just stillness.

Those three quiet hours marked the time Jesus hung on the cross.

As children, we didn’t fully understand the depth of it. But we felt it. The hush. The weight. The sense that something holy—and heartbreaking—was unfolding. Scripture gives us a glimpse into that moment: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” —Psalm 22:1

In that cry, Jesus bore the full weight of the world’s sin. Forsaken by the Father, He experienced the separation that humanity deserved. This wasn’t a loss of faith—it was the fulfillment of His mission. He endured divine judgment so that we would never have to. And in doing so, He stepped fully into human suffering.

He knows what it feels like to be abandoned.
He understands grief, pain, and silence.
He meets us there—not from a distance, but from experience.

But this was not the end . . .

Three days later, He rose from the dead and now sits at the right hand of God as our Savior. And through faith and belief in Him, we too are given the promise of eternal life.

Good Friday is more than a day when the stock market closes or business slows. It is an invitation to pause…to remember…to reflect.

Today, I invite you to take a few quiet moments—just as I once did—to pause, reflect, and thank Him for the love that made a way for you to be with Him for all eternity.

With You on the Journey ~ Penny