Palm Sunday 2026

This Easter feels really personal to me because it is my first Easter truly knowing Jesus. Not just knowing who He is, not just hearing the story of Easter, but actually starting to know Him in my own life. I am still very new to faith, and I am still learning so much, but this season already feels different than anything I have experienced before. It feels heavier in the best way. It feels more real. It feels like my heart is finally waking up to something that was always there, and now I cannot look at Easter the same way.

Today is Palm Sunday, and I have been sitting here watching a church service, listening, learning, and just taking it all in. The more I listen, the more I feel this pull in my heart that I need to devote myself more to God. That has been the biggest thing on my mind today. I do love Him. I do want Him. But I also know there are still so many parts of me that need to grow. There are still places in my life where I hold back, places where I get distracted, places where I lean on my own strength instead of really surrendering to Him. And today I just felt that so clearly.

Being a single mom, life is already full before I even open my eyes in the morning. There is always something to do, something to clean, something to figure out, something to carry. A lot of my life is taking care of what needs to be done and pushing through whether I feel strong or not. Some days feel beautiful, and some days feel exhausting. Most days are both. So when I say I am learning to know Jesus, I mean I am learning to know Him in the middle of real life. Not in some perfect peaceful world where everything is quiet and easy, but right here in the middle of responsibility, stress, tiredness, healing, and hope.

That is what means so much to me about this season. I am realizing that Jesus meets me there. He meets me in the middle of motherhood. He meets me in the middle of the mess. He meets me when I am tired, when I am uncertain, when I am trying, and when I know I need Him more than ever. I think for a long time I thought faith had to look polished, strong, and put together. But the more I learn, the more I see that Jesus is not asking me to come to Him perfect. He is asking me to come to Him honestly.

Palm Sunday feels so meaningful to me this year because I am seeing it with new eyes. In Matthew 21:9, the people cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” They welcomed Jesus with praise as He entered Jerusalem. But now, knowing what comes next, it touches me in a deeper way. Jesus was walking toward the cross. He was walking toward suffering, rejection, and death, and He still kept going. He knew what was ahead, and He went anyway. He did that out of love. He did that for us. He did that for me.

That is what makes Easter hit differently this year.

For the first time, I am not just hearing about Jesus dying and rising again as a story I have always known in the background. I am hearing it as someone whose heart is being changed by it. I am hearing it as someone who needs grace. As someone who needs forgiveness. As someone who needs hope. As someone who needs a Savior. And maybe that is why I feel emotional writing this, because I know I am still at the beginning of my faith, but even from here I can already feel how much I need Him.

One verse that has really stayed with me is James 4:8, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” That verse means so much to me right now because that is exactly what I feel like I am doing. I am drawing near. Maybe not perfectly. Maybe not with some great wisdom or years of understanding behind me. But sincerely. Honestly. I am coming closer to God, and I truly feel like He is coming closer to me too. There is something so comforting in that. I do not have to know everything yet. I just have to keep coming to Him.

Another verse I keep thinking about is Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” That one speaks right into my life as a single mom. There is so much pressure in life to figure everything out, hold everything together, and carry more than you were meant to carry. I know what it is like to feel like everything depends on me. But faith is teaching me that I can trust God with the things I cannot control. I can trust Him with my future, my child, my heart, my struggles, and my growth. I do not have to have all the answers to follow Him.

I also love Matthew 11:28, where Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” That verse feels so personal to me. It feels like something a tired heart can hold onto. It reminds me that Jesus is not standing far off waiting for me to get everything right. He is inviting me closer. He is inviting me to rest in Him. He is inviting me to stop carrying everything by myself.

That is really what this Easter is about for me. It is about realizing that Jesus is real, that His love is real, and that I want more of Him in my life. It is about understanding that faith is not just a label or a moment. It is a relationship. It is surrender. It is daily. It is learning to give God more of my heart over and over again. And if I am being honest, I know I need that. I need Him in my everyday life, not just in the big moments. I need Him in my home, in my parenting, in my thoughts, in my fears, and in the parts of me that are still growing.

This being my first Easter truly knowing Jesus makes me emotional because it feels like such a gift. It feels like I am finally understanding that the cross was not just a symbol. It was love. The resurrection is not just a part of the story. It is hope. Jesus is not distant. He is present. He is kind. He is patient. He is worthy of my whole life, not just pieces of it.

So today, on Palm Sunday, that is where my heart is. I am watching church, listening, learning, and feeling God call me deeper. I know I need to devote myself more to Him. Not out of fear, but out of love. Not because I have to earn anything, but because I am finally starting to understand who He is. And the more I understand, the more I want to know Him. The more I want to trust Him. The more I want my life to reflect that I belong to Him.

This Easter is my first Easter knowing Jesus, and I know I will never forget it. I am still new to faith, still growing, still learning every day, but I am so thankful that God meets me where I am. Right here. Right now. In the middle of my real life. And this year, more than ever, I know that I want to keep drawing closer to Him.