After the popularity of books like Jesus Calling, there’ve been a lot of things written in Christ’s voice. It’s a slippery slope – and I don’t blame those who consider it blasphemous – but, just like trying to walk a mile in another person’s shoes, you can realize surprising things about Jesus by attempting to view the world from His perspective. 

Without further ado…

They usually don’t see me. All they have – and even this varies from person to person – is a gift of knowing I am present, as I sit patiently on the floor in front of them. The moment they give themselves to me is an unbelievable moment of joy, tinted and brought into even better focus by the memory of when I suffered for them. Countless people have come to me now, but the intensity never diminishes. And there I am, a weeping mess as I hold them, a mom told that her stillborn child is no longer dead, and she can bring the baby home now.

Even with all the waiting and worrying until then, sometimes the process is as sweet as the reward. There is no sweeter love.  Everybody gets to form their own relationship with God, and every single one of those unions is unique. The months – and sometimes years – of turn-taking between us can be especially sweet in the way it builds on itself. Like dripping water in a quiet cave creating stalactite and stalagmite alike, we build the beauty of love one little piece at a time. I bless them, they decide to entrust something new to me and let my blessing take hold, and that blessing leads to a new blessing, and a new piece of their trust. And by the time the building is done, and they have entrusted everything to me and have nothing left to hide, then the connection is a strong pillar of stone, beautiful and made to last. Or in another way, it’s like taking turns digging a tunnel through stone with just one small tool. We take turns chipping a little bit away, slowly but surely, until we dig the tunnel all the way through the stone and arrive at the center of my Loved one’s heart, where we can be together, miles away from the surface world, looking at one another, our eyes growing accustomed to the light. 

When salvation is preceded by suffering on my loved one’s part, I’m even more moved, even prouder… There is nothing in the world like having someone who had been abused, who is filled with reluctance to ever be vulnerable again, yet open their arms to me, and place their life in my Hands. Or when a woman who’s suffered rape, who’s become wary of all men, is yet willing to sit alone with me – a man – and let me carry her heart in my Hands.

This kind of courage moves me to the very marrow.  Love is unspeakably beautiful, but the process of getting there is slow, and the journey is unsightly and fragmented. My blood is the only trail marker.

Much like a Jewish couple breaks a glass at a wedding ceremony to commemorate the end of the temple, every joyful event in my life is woven closely into how I suffered as a person. I was crucified for you. I want you to always remember that. Not to shame you, but to lift you out of your shame. Whatever you have done, remember that as you are right now, sinful and hurting, I was willing to die for you. 

There’s a misconception some people have that somehow I hate them because I suffered for them. But the opposite is true. My labor was long and painful, and you — right here as you are, this very moment — are the newborn infant I hold to my chest. I could not love you more!  

Putting broken things back together is the joy of my life. 

scriptures:

Deuteronomy 4:29

James 5:8

Acts 17:27