Have you ever wondered what would happen if, one day, you just didn’t show up? Would anyone at work miss you? Would the people at church even notice that you’re not there? Would your friends have a fun night out on the town without you there to share in the laughs? Sometimes, it’s easy to feel that you just don’t matter, that life would go on without missing a beat even if you weren’t around. But the truth is, you do matter to God, and the resurrection of Jesus proves it.

Mary Magdalene must have felt as though she didn’t matter. She was no one important in the eyes of the world. Her past was filled with suffering; she had once been possessed by seven demons. That is, until Jesus set her free. Even still, she was a woman. Her testimony didn’t even count in a court of law. Who would care if she just disappeared one day? Jesus. That’s who. When He rose from the dead on the third day, He chose to appear to Mary before he revealed Himself to anyone else. Mary was the first eyewitness, the first evangelist, the first one to proclaim the good news! Because of the resurrection, Mary knew she mattered—and so can we.