Influence

-
Image
It has been a long while since I have posted anything here. I have been busy completing three years toward my B.A. in English and my senior year is underway. My current class (Creative Writing) has finally given me the space to take off the tight harness of academic writing rules, and it feels SO GOOD!! After reading my first assignment, Mom and Daddy gave it their thumbs up and suggested I make it a blog post, so here it is. It is my story and their story. It's a little longer than my usual posts, but as with everything I have ever posted here, I pray it encourages you to run "up the sunbeam to the sun" (C. S. Lewis). "Follow my example,  as I follow the example of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV I sat above them on the stairs. Looking down through the window-like openings in the partition between the living room and the stairway, I listened to the basketball players, football players, baseball players, wrestlers, track athletes, both the lettermen

Extreme Love

-
-- His name is synonymous with BETRAYAL, his life an emblem of greed, ambition, and cold-hearted, self-serving treachery. Unwilling to adjust his expectations of how life should be, he chose bitterness in response to disappointment. Ultimately, when faced with his own wickedness, he chose to take his own life rather than to bow at the foot of the cross he so despised.
JUDAS.
"As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night." John 13:30 NIV
It was as dark as night within the heart of Judas too. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HIS name is Love. HIS name is Way, and Truth, and Life. HIS name is I AM, Word, Lamb, Light! His life is the the exact representation of God. Despite all that, rather than to cling to the privilege of Deity that was rightfully His, in humility, He gave up all His expectations and chose love in the face of betrayal. Humankind had betrayed Him, first in the Garden, then all down through history, to the very moment when Judas betrayed with a deadly kiss and beyond to our every day. Ultimately, when faced with the choice to save Himself or die for betrayers, He chose the via crucis, the way of the cross.
Jesus.
"In him was life, and that life was the light of men." John 1:4 NIV There is no darkness in Jesus . . . at all.
Wonder of wonders, when Jesus had all the knowledge of the ugly raging thoughts of evil swirling in the heart of His follower-turned-traitor, Judas, Jesus just loved him. Time after time Jesus gave Judas opportunities to respond in faith and love. That is about as extreme as love gets! Jesus walked a line that we find so very hard to follow. With only the smallest of slights, real or imagined, we feel so entitled to our indignation and our right to react, to stand up for ourselves, to make sure no one gets over on us!
That. is not. like Jesus.
If we want to be like Him, (and I do, don't you?!), then we have to be as gracious in the face of these moments as Jesus was. If He could love dark-hearted Judas, how much more should we be patient and kind and loving and forgiving of the people in our lives, most of whom don't even mean us any harm? A lot more!! When we love like Jesus wants us to, waves of His grace wash away every trace of the offense and leave relationships whole and healthy and alive.
Thank you to Hero Husband for reminding me of this truth this week. I love you!!
How can you give grace to people when they slight you in some way? How does Jesus example inspire you?

Comments

Post a Comment

I love feedback and look forward to your comments!

Popular posts from this blog

Love Wrapped in Flesh

-
Image
Word became flesh . INCARNATION The Flesh-wearing Word lived and breathed and moved among us, sharing our space-and-time existence, for a span of 33 years.  In that mere blink of history, He spanned the chasm between divine love and human desperation. Christmas . . . His coming.  We so easily envision His birth, the praising angels, the Joy to the World, the Peace on Earth, the Good Will to Men, shepherds, wise men, drummer boys--the Christmas card comes to life in our mind's eye.  But do we rewind a little further, go back to the moment where He took off His glory like a glistening robe and left it hanging on a hook in Heaven's hallway?  Do we envision the moment He handed His crown to His Father and said, "Don't worry--I've got this!  I'll go!"  Do we reckon with the sacrifice it was for Him to limit all that He had always been to the permanent wearing of humanity, just so He could rescue us from the dragon . . . and ourselves . . . and our ugly sin
Read more

Stacking Lack or Gathering Bounty?

-
Image
Northern California is rainy this time of year.  While many of you are eagerly anticipating the beauty of a white Christmas, here we get rain .  Some people don't like it and can't wait for the return of the sunshine, but I like the break in the monotony of weather that doesn't have 4 distinct seasons to follow.  Rain is also lovely for turning the hills an almost Irish shade of green (at least how I imagine Ireland to be).  Then there's always the fact that I hate it when the powers that be talk about drought and rationing water and expecting me not to flush toilets--so yessirree, I do love the rain!! This week brought rain, really more heavy mist than rain, but so heavy you could actually hear it. It soaked and soaked and soaked into everything.  For a day and a half it lingered.  It gave some people all the reason they needed to complain.  I just listened to the lovely soft sound it made and breathed it in.  The morning it stopped, I drove up a street that is lin
Read more

Simple Simplicity

-
Image
I love Christmas lights!!  I love the color and dazzle they bring!  I love that they illustrate the truth that Jesus came as the Light of the world!  Every year there are a number of houses I can't wait to see decorated! Some of them are so elaborate, I think the people must have to start around the 4th of July to get all those lights in place for the next Christmas season!  I love it that there are people who will go to these lengths, but it makes me tired just to think about all that work!!  Here is a video of one such magical place (I've never been there, but would love to see this in person!)--more power to 'em!! Pretty great, huh?!!  I think so too! Of all the houses that I love to see decorated, there is one house I look forward to more than all the others.  They came through for me just this past weekend, much to my delight!!  My son called me a "creeper" for going and lurking in front of this house, quietly snapping pictures to capture it, but I LOVE
Read more