Today is my favourite day of the whole year. No doubts.
It's been a great family day, a great week. Lots of work being done and making me happy to be home with the fam...church and a long walk on Cannock Chase involving a distinct lack of directional sense and a horse were high/lowlights of the day
Also, a day off of revision made things a bit more relaxed to muse over things like:
THE TOMB IS EMPTY!
I try to spend a every day of my life reflecting on and living in the good of the significance of what we remember today, but the culmination of thanksgiving in overflowing gratitude and celebration on this day is a brilliant thing.
I'm struck by so many things today that I will struggle to put them all down into words....and I suffer from chronic verbosity and jargon-use, so as usual, it's a case of searching for the pearls in amongst the rubbish.
Firstly, in reflecting on the purpose of Easter and existence as a whole, I'm filled with a humility that comes with the amazing realisation that the I AM created me and gave me a smaller 'I am' that I.....well...am (!)
(Does that make sense? In other words, He gave me everything I have, including my very self that I call me)
What makes me absolutely amazed is that even though that same 'I' rebelled and was twisted almost beyond recognition of what it was supposed to be- scandalous, preposterous grace, love and desire to know us drove the I AM to a horrific death to deal with my own rebellion.
He was scorned by the ones that He came to save, so that the 'I am',that deserved nothing less than death, could be suffixed with 'His' forever. I am His.
It seems ridiculous that anyone would go to those lengths to be in relationship with me, let alone Him.
Faced with the hugeness and holiness of God, the crushing realisation of how far I fall short nearly makes me to miss the fact that the point of the whole plan was not condemnation, but the gift of knowing Him.
Despite my navel gazing, He gently lifts my eyes from my own shortcomings upwards to His sufficiency in victory.
We were never going to make it on our own, and relationship with Him means acknowledging our helplessness on our own, and falling into His open arms.
Like a stumbling toddler being caught by a father, we can then be taught how to stand straight and walk, run and dance in the new life He came to give us.
'How refreshing to know you don't need me, how amazing to know that you want me.'
Casting crowns, you speak the truth.
I also love this line from a song we sung this morning:
'See God's salvation plan, wrought in love, borne in pain, paid in sacrifice'
I think the challenge is living in the full belief, knowledge and conviction that it both has significance to our lives now, and that the sacrifice was big enough to cover everything that makes us fall short.
It makes me so sad seeing some Christians (often the one in the mirror) not living as if this amazing gift makes any difference, and/or racked with guilt to the point of incapacitation.
I resolve to constantly remind myself;
He did not knock on the door, only for you to open it and then make Him sit on the front step.
He has major renovation to be getting on with......regardless of me saying that I want to be a little quaint, comfortable cottage.
I may let Him into the downstairs loo to fix a leak, sort out some damp and cover up some cracks on the walls, because it makes the cottage nicer to be in.
But it hurts when He starts knocking through walls, pulling out the wiring and doing it again, putting up towers and courtyards and extra floors....because it's so far away from what I expected or even wanted.
Then I see that the purpose of all the work is not to make the cottage comfortable for me, but to create a grand palace that is fit for the King that is coming to live in it.
I love that analogy...kudos for CS Lewis for nicking it from Chesterton.
I must end because I could go on and on.
Just some things to leave you with:
There have been a few other songs that have captivated and impacted me at this time, and I considered typing out the lyrics, but I think links to go and listen to them yourselves is a better idea.
Theif- Third Day
Why- Nichole Nordeman
King of Love- Delirious?
Message of the Cross- Delirious?
I'll finish with one line from King of Love.
It sums up the response I want to have to all that I have been impacted by today.
We will take up the cross and follow you
Now we live for the glory of God
Easter love, hope you've had a great weekend and enjoying the holidays.
Ciao amigos.
PS...stuff on Timothy coming next time...it's typed, but still some things I want to think and pray about first, which links in with the whole 'what loving people actually looks like' thing...I'm thinking a lot lately about the balance between love, tolerance and boldness and the way our attempts of love may be perceived wrongly. should be good.
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