A Love Named Jesus
I know some people think it's impossible or, at the very least, downright silly, the notion that God would come into this world, live a flawless life and then die for all our shortcomings, wait a couple days and then actually rise from the dead so we could spend forever together. Especially since we don't have to do anything to deserve it, just accept it as the precious gift that it is. It sounds crazy just saying it, but when you really pause to think about it, we are all a part of crazy every day.
There are insane miracles happening all around us at all times...the amount of things that have to go right just to operate the human body, or the way a female body changes and adapts to bring life into this world, or spend time in nature with all its beauty and wonder and you can’t help but notice the odd similarities between a leaf and a lung or the way the sound of the ocean crashing on the shore sounds very much like our own inhale and exhale of breath, look at the kindness of a dog or the freedom of a bird. I mean, I still marvel at that fish with a light on it at the bottom of the sea or the fact that we can make bridges over large bodies of water that can house the weight of our cars. Can you refrain from smiling when you see the pure joy and innocence of a child? Does it blow your mind that we're made up of and will return to star dust? We're spinning how fast on this tiny dot of a planet in vast open space yet we have cell phones that answer questions when we talk to them, airplanes that take us around the globe, rockets that send us to the moon and microscopic surgical equipment that save lives. I mean, are we surrounded by anything BUT miracles when we actually pause to take in the life around us?
I think about the people, places (even the food) that I love most in this world, and there's one thing above all else I want... just to be with them. To savor them. To love them. To know them and to be known. In a world full of miracles, is it so impractical to think that a God made of love who created us from love for love wouldn't want to join us here in the flesh to show us what it means to really love? To take away our suffering, our shame, our insecurity, our guilt and free us up to love like He does - unconditionally and full of grace offering a peace that surpasses understanding or circumstances? I don't think it's as big of a stretch as we sometimes think.
Made in His image, we are constantly creating. We crave connection, hope for something more, question coincidence and come alive with romance, adventure and of course love... It's just hard to imagine we're truly worthy of it, especially from whatever force created this whole sha-bang.
It's unfortunate that religion, legalistic theology, hypocrisy and even some well-intentioned "church people" have given Christianity a bad name. By throwing stones of personal judgment, exclusivity and unfortunately even bigotry, we've kept people from truly knowing Jesus Christ - even if it was never out of ill intent. Ironically when Jesus was here, He went after just that. He ridiculed the religious type and contradicted cultural norms. He preached a message of mercy over judgement. He became friends with the outcasts. He gave to those in need, healed the hurting, forgave those who couldn't forgive themselves, and not only taught but LIVED a life of radical love. He willingly faced unfathomable hate, torture and suffering so that we wouldn't have to pay the price for our actions. The ultimate get-out-of-hell-free card, He became a human sacrifice to bridge the gap (formally known as sin) between the sacred, perfect force of creation and well...us.
Through our personal life experiences, we've all developed baggage, fear and some type of insecurity. Who could blame us, we live in a fallen world. It's not as it was intended. We are separated from perfect love. We've been hurt, so in return we hurt. An eye for an eye, sometimes without even knowing it. But If justice is rendered, we will find ourselves on the wrong side of the fence. By definition, it requires ground or reason in fair play and we've all screwed up in some capacity, and with that comes the weight of consequences. We are perfectly human and in that imperfect and flawed, despite our best intentions. If we want justice, we first need forgiveness. And to find forgiveness, we need truth. And I believe the truth is that we really are loved beyond our capacity of understanding. It's a love that is not bound by time, dimension or space. A love that never changes, never quits, never leaves and never ends... No matter how we act or think about it. There's absolutely nothing we can do to change it, but absolutely everything depends on our choice to receive it.
Ultimately it's our acceptance, our faith in God's grace that sets us free. It's the kind of love that, willingly and innocently, goes to the cross misunderstood, but without objection to make the trade to lay down one flawless life for endless life. A love without expectations that says you are enough just as you are because you are mine. It's a love that conquers death for eternal hope.
It's a love named Jesus.
