The Embrace part 1
I'm going to start this Rant series the same way I ended the last one: The only way to stop the struggle (of trying to be someone you're not) is to embrace who you really are. So that's what we're going to focus on in this series. The embrace. And I'm going to give it away right at the beginning. Jesus' arms were open wide on the cross in an eternal embrace. Romans 5:8 tells us, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." God wasn't waiting for us to "clean up our acts." He didn't expect us to earn His love. He loved us even when we were sinners (unbelievers). This is so beautiful to me: When we didn't know (or believe) what love was... God showed it to us. In the person of His Son. In the act of laying His life down for us. Giving His life for us, and giving His life to us. Opening His arms wide and drawing us to Himself. Not telling us what to do. Not telling us how bad we were. But doing it Himself. Telling us how good we are. How beautiful we are. Presenting us to Himself as a bride without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing. From the moment Eve listened to the hissing of the serpent in her ear and swallowed the lie that says you have to do in order to be, from the moment Adam ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, all of mankind has been trying to earn something it thought it didn't have. And in order to earn it, man has been trying to be something it's not. Trying to be a "good" Christian. Trying to follow in the foot steps of Jesus. Trying to earn Daddy's love. But love can't be earned. It is a gift. And a gift can only be received. And that's where faith comes in. Because while Jesus' arms are open wide, He's not grabbing us. He stands at the door and knocks. But we have to open the door and let Him in. His arms are open wide, but we have to let Him hug us (if I can say it that way). That's the difference to me between "believers" and "unbelievers." Believers know and, well, believe. Unbelievers don't. And to me that has nothing to do with a place of eternal damnation called hell. It has to do with experiencing what's available to us right now. If you believe God loves you, then you'll stop struggling to earn His love. You'll accept His embrace. It's that simple. WE are the ones who make it hard. WE are the ones who set up all kinds of hoops to jump through in order to "deny ourselves" and be someone worthy of love. Which is what it comes down to. If you believe God loves you then you don't need to change into someone worthy of love. Then your worth COMES FROM the love that you already have. It's not about what you do, it's about who you are, and who God is. God is our heavenly Father. We are His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. My son, Logan, has taught me one thing more than anything else in the almost four years since he's been born: the most pure way to show someone that you love them... is with a big hug. A loving embrace.