The Embrace part 5
Wrapped up in a loving embrace you can't help but feel safe and sound. Like nothing can get you. Because somebody has your back. You're not alone. Somebody loves you. Somebody cares about you. That's what Jesus did on the cross. He showed us how much He loves us, and cares about us, and accepts us. He opened His arms wide and He drew us into Himself and He filled us with His Spirit. He equipped and empowered us with the ability to receive (and release) God's love. He brought us out of the external realm of religion--doing in order to be--and into the internal realm of relationship--doing BECAUSE we be. He showed us who we really are by showing us who God really is. By giving His life for us (and giving His life to us) when we were sinners. When we didn't--COULDN'T--believe that God loved us. When we were God's enemies in our minds because of our wicked works. When we were stumbling around in the dark, and couldn't see where we were, or WHO we were. That's what Jesus came right down into the middle of. He didn't wait for us to "clean up our act." He knew that the most important time to embrace someone is in the very midst of their mess. See, we have this idea where if we show weakness then we're not good enough. As if each and every one of us doesn't have weakness. We all struggle with things. We all mess up. Life is beautiful, but it sure is messy. So what we need is to be able to stop judging each other and start affirming each other. Don't slam someone for making a mess. Help them clean it up. Show them that you're right there with them. "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). Guys, we're all in this together. And we're all a lot more alike than we think sometimes. I don't know why it seems like the best thing we can ever think of to do is to build walls. We always seem to want to separate ourselves from each other, even though what we are really looking for is acceptance. Get in where you fit in, right? But it seems like sometimes we don't WANT to fit in. We look for reasons to disagree rather than reasons to agree. ESPECIALLY in the Church world. Want to know a secret? I'm not terribly concerned with getting you to agree with me. I think Jesus took care of salvation on the cross and there's nothing to fear. It's a shame to me that so many people miss out on what's available to them right now because they're so busy fighting about what might happen someday when (if) they die. But it's not my job to force Jesus down anybody's throat. All that'll do is make somebody choke and gag. My "job" is to embrace people for who they are, where they are. My "job" is to love people the same way Jesus loves me. Period. That's the new commandment. That's why we're here--to receive and release the love of our heavenly Father. To wrap people up in a warm, loving embrace and let the Holy Spirit take care of the rest!