I love Bible stories. I grew up attending Sunday school, and went to Christian school for many years. I love to read the stories turned into novels. I love to read books about the characters in the Bible, Charles Swindoll’s series of books on people from the Bible are some of my favorites. Many times I wish the stories in the Bible were developed more. I grew up with David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale, and Moses and the Ten Commandments, but the Bible stories of my childhood included the grislier ones also. I learned about Jael and the tent peg through the temple of Sisera. Ehud and Eglon, the left handed soldier that killed the fat ruler. The bears coming out of the woods and mauling the children after Elijah was taken to heaven.
But what I have always loved best are the stories of Jesus. All of them are so fantastic, unbelievable, really. He walked on water. He turned water to wine. (MacGyver couldn’t do that). He took 5 loaves and 2 fishes and turned it to a feast with leftovers. (Paula Lee has yet to make that happen). He ascended into Heaven without the help of a spaceship, (Star Trek anyone?) he defeated Satan with only the Word of God (Keanu Reeves movies The Devil’s Advocate and Constantine, Keanu fought much harder than Jesus did. Personally, I think Jesus is the ultimate fighter, and could have taken Satan in combat too, and that day is coming). He loved children. He didn’t judge loose women and tax collectors. Sinners that were looking for repentance? He gave it. He showed mercy and compassion, and that is hard. WHAT A MAN. When you read the Gospels, the stories of Jesus’ life on earth, how can you not fall in love with him over and over again?
I thought of this Wednesday night when I was at Dillon’s on my way home and saw the people with the ashes on their forehead, signifying Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I have never observed Lent. Never fasted from anything during Lent. I understand the concept, and I know why it’s celebrated, (and even respect people’s participation in it) but I was raised Baptist, and we never did. What would I give up for 40 days to commemorate the sacrifice Jesus made? I would never make light of this, because I know how important what Jesus did for me was, my eternity rests on it, but this is a lot of why I don’t commemorate Lent with fasting. I have shared before that I was a bad girl, a rebellious girl. The shame and guilt that I have over being that girl and her actions is a heavy weight sometimes. There are days where Satan really drags me down with my past and who I was and what I did. I know I caused Jesus to feel this same guilt and shame and the weight of MY sin. This weight is more than I can stand up under without returning over and over to prayer and Scriptures. But Jesus didn’t have that when he felt my shame. He had no one to lean on, no where to go, and he also had all of your guilt and shame at the same time too. I can’t give up anything that would show how important this gift of eternal life was, what his suffering did for me and means to me. I don’t have anything worth that much. He set me free. Really free. And the best way for me to show what His sacrifice meant to me is not keep what he did for me to myself. Not making my life a life of sacrifice and “what are you giving up for Jesus” and giving the idea that I’m losing something by following him. I don’t feel like I give up anything to follow Christ. I gave Him everything I have a long time ago, and got so much more in return.
Back to my Bible stories, I love the stories where Jesus healed people. We have TV shows like House, ER and Gray’s Anatomy where the doctors diagnose and heal diseases and illnesses, they perform surgeries that border on miraculous. They even talk about playing God, or even being God. But even on the TV shows, none of them heal everyone, they can’t. And none of them heal just by touching, or even better, just by being touched. And this is with some of the best writers in show business. Even they know that’s too much. He brought people back to life. Not just after they had been dead for 30 seconds on an operating table, but after they had been buried long enough that they were starting to stink. Jesus does heal the physical ailments of our body. But most importantly, he heals the inside. He makes lives that are broken and diseased whole.
When I touched Him, I was healed.
No comments:
Post a Comment