FIFTEEN DAYS TO EASTER!
Reading for today:
John 12:20-50
When I adopted my 'reading plan' I meshed a few different online resources, plus info on the final days of Jesus life from one of the charts in my Bible. It took all day one Saturday to do that. Now I am frustrated that too much is being shared too soon. I had a plan. I wanted it to be a logical, sequential journey toward the cross and beyond....walking in parallel time with what Jesus was walking and experiencing in +-33 AD. But I am in too far to change it now. With that as a disclaimer, I'll leap into the moment!
My first thoughts today were of Melanie and her struggle against the ravages of cancer. I want her to be healed. I have pleaded with God for that miracle. In my script her healing would honor Him and be a blessing beyond belief. That is true - but it is also true that for she and her husband to maintain their faithfulness to God no matter what the circumstances is also a huge testimony. I grapple with being torn between what I want and what might be. The song that pierced its way through my early morning thoughts was "This world is not my home; I'm just a-passing through...."
Then, when I came to my reading for today, of all things it is this: "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." It is a statement of relativity. We aren't supposed to actually 'hate' our life - - but in comparison to eternity, we have to have a proper perspective. This life is short no matter how long compared to eternity - and we need to have an eternal view for life here to make any sense at all. Life is fragile and transient and without any actual securities. Eternity is forever. For our eternal destiny to be secure is the most important pursuit of this life - - the only thing worth pursuing. Jesus life on earth was a mere 33 years. He knew what it felt like to face human death.
Jesus was about to become the kernel that fell into the ground so there could be a harvest of many seeds. We pray to be like Jesus, and then when things get tough we question why. When one of my dear friends lost her pastor-husband, one of the silver linings was that there were people who accepted Jesus the promised Messiah as their Savior because of his death. Beauty was born from the ashes. Often, it looks like Satan has won a battle - only to find that God redeems the sorrow and pain in some amazing way. The pain is still there - but God gives a peace that passes understanding, and the faithful still follow - no matter what the circumstances.
John quotes Jesus saying that his heart was troubled. He had to face the cruelty of the scourging and the cross before he could fulfill what He had come for . . . to be the sacrificial lamb who would take away the sins of the world. While He knew in advance He would be raised from the dead (literally raise Himself - for as God He had the power to lay down His life and the power to take it up again) he still was fully human and faced the dread of what was to happen between about midnight Thursday night and Friday afternoon. He faced His future with resolve, but we clearly see His struggle. It was not easy facing what He had to face - and He was God. When what we have to face is not easy, the wonderful confidence we have is that God walks with us through it through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promise is that He would never leave us or forsake us. It isn't based on feeling. It's a fact of faith. We have that assurance from Him - and can hang onto that with confidence in spite of the ferocity of the storms we face.
One thing I note today in this passage is that when God's voice spoke, some of the people only heard thunder, while others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus tells them the voice was for them, not for him. Still, not everyone was receptive to hearing the voice.... When God speaks today it is the same. Not all hear.
I'm not ready for this passage yet. It is out of sequence. I'll leave my fragmented thoughts as written. I am blindsided by today's message being out of sequence. But - I realize that the issue is my being torn between the joy of the first day of Spring and another opportunity for 'new beginnings' and being thrust too soon into the realities of what Jesus (in linear time) will be experiencing in just another week.... Even in 'real time' it was on his mind. He has already predicted his death - - and resurrection - - 3 times. It is a reminder that I often struggle with the process of life in working toward the final result - - and it is a fresh reminder of how much Jesus understands in walking that journey alongside us. My challenges pale in comparison. He bore the pain of the whole world...and then left it up to us to choose whether or not to accept.... Yes, even 15 days before, His destination was on His mind....
Humor for today:
Some years ago before men joined their wives in the delivery room, a man was sitting in the waiting room of a hospital with a few other expectant dads, waiting for the happy news following delivery.
A nurse walked out and said to the man sitting on his left, "Congratulations, Mr. Smith. You're the father of twins!"
"How about that? I work for Doublemint Chewing Gum." With that the man got up and followed the nurse back to see his twins.
About an hour later, the nurse entered the waiting room and announced to Mr. Jones that his wife had just had triplets. Mr Jones was incredulous! "I work for 3M Company," he proclaimed. And he left, following the nurse.
The 4th man in the room turned very pale, then got up and started pacing the floor - and as he started to leave the room, the first man asked him what was wrong.
His reply: "I think I need a breath of fresh air. I work for 7-up."
In real life:
Yesterday included wonderful visits with various family and friends in various locations. Our last stop was our middle daughter's house. She told me a cute real-life story about her 3 year-old. Bryn knows that Jesus lives in her heart. This past week she turned her face toward her heart and said, "Hi, Jesus." Her Mommy said, "And what does Jesus say to you?" And Bryn, without missing a beat, said in her deepest mimic-male voice, "Hi Bryn."
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