During communion yesterday, I kept repeating over and over and over to myself this simple phrase: By His wounds, even my heart was healed.
who do you say i am?
The question Jesus asked His followers is one we need to answer as well. "Who do you say I am?" My whole life is an answer to that question. While I know I fall very short, my aim is that the thread that runs through my entire life parallels Peter's response. "You're the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
That's loaded. And life-changing.
But I need to flip the question around, too. I need to get eye-to-eye with Jesus and ask Him, "Who do You say I am?"
And my whole life should be a reflection of His answer.
four-minute friday: he held both
Go. I can't shake this thought, even though it's really hard for me to dwell on right now:
Jesus hung on that cross to take more than my own sins. He also hung there to carry the sins of others that hurt me deeply. And in that same instant, He hung there to carry the pain and sorrow I feel because of those sins against me.
In the very same moment, He held both. Wept for both. Bore the eternal burden of both.
So that both of us could be free.
Done.
psalm of my heart
Does the blind man ever forget he can't see? Does the woman who lost her child ever not remember her loss? Does the broken heart ever forget its scars? Hurt hangs close, like a thick heavy fog. It's ever present. Always close. All encompassing.
I know God's hand reaches through pain. I know His light pierces darkness. I know His voice reverberates in emptiness. But there is still pain. Still darkness. Still emptiness.
Reach far, God. Shine brightly. And for heaven's my sake, speak louder. Because I need to feel You, see You, and hear You more than ever before.
bear hug me
I've got something for you to watch. If you're like me, you might shy away from immediately watching videos as you quickly breeze through the blogs you read. I assure you this is less than two-and-a-half minutes long. And it sums up the prayer of my heart just right.
I dug all I could and this was (sadly) the best video I could find. So apologies in advance for the poor quality. Mostly I want you to hear what's being said, so the yucky video shouldn't matter too much.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMeySMME6Dg&fmt=18
]
How does that resonate with you?
twenty-five: of december
This year, I'm struggling to find Christ in Christmas. Not in the "Of course He's the reason for the season" kind of way, but in the "He's working evidently in my life" sort of way. Yet I know He’s there. Just like the wise men knew as they followed a star toward what they could not see.
I'm choosing once again today, just as the magi did, to follow hard after Him. Even when I don't see, or feel, or---at times---even believe.
The words of a friend have been marinating in my heart and mind all week: God wasn't in the hurt, but He will be in the healing.
That's the whole point of December twenty-five, isn't it? That's the essence of Christmas right there---God reaching down to bring us healing. Coming to us when we couldn't come to Him.
I think I just found Christ in Christmas. I'm glad you were along for the journey.