When I was 8 years old, I started going to church.

…On my own.

I used to ride my bike down the alley beside my house to sit outside of the same Methodist church where my piano recitals were held so that I could hear the pastor’s messages reverberate off of the walls.

My parents didn’t go to church.

I never knew anything about the Bible.

But something always drew me to that place.

And it was likely because of the story of Easter.

When I first heard about a man who loved me – like, really loved me – despite my shortcomings, I felt … at home.

Something about that love – as crazy as it is – always made sense to me.

Think: The tradition of Easter has evolved into parents purchasing gifts for their children without gaining any recognition for them {they blame the gifts on a bunny’s generosity}. That’s what love is …  without receiving any credit – or anything in return – a parent provides.

So, like that, Jesus wasn’t hard for me to comprehend.

But, in examining other religions, I realized I wasn’t good enough for them.

And nothing felt as genuine as the story I heard while sitting outside of that church during those years.

I couldn’t grasp being the daughter of Something that didn’t want me the way I was created – that constantly asked things of me.

So, I stuck with the notion of Jesus.

Sometimes, I was questioned for having beliefs that didn’t seem valid. And no matter how much logic I could attach to this soul-connection that I felt, those questions from others still remained.

Sure, although the New Testament was written in first century A.D. (more recent than other manuscripts), and there are some 20,000 manuscripts in existence (thousands more than any other ancient writing) with the internal consistency of the documents at about 99.5% and the earliest textual evidence having been copied only 100 years after the original, that wasn’t always enough “proof.”

Yet, manuscripts like Caesar’s Gallic Wars and Aristotle’s Poetics were written B.C., not even A.D., each having 10 or less manuscripts (Aristotle had 5!), and the earliest textual evidence for both was over 1,000 years after the original.

I’ve struggled to understand why my logic was sometimes considered illogical when many of us quote Aristotle’s manuscripts.

But, I think it’s because Jesus seems too good to be true.

Because his love is too good.

But just because it’s too good – just because a parent providing gifts for his or her children without wanting anything in return is too good – doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.

And because of that, today will always remain my favorite holiday.

Easter is love with skin on.