love heals

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Oh how I love this...

"You will appreciate the mastery of Jesus only to the degree that you understand the minefield he walks.  He is advancing against the prince of darkness in a bid for the human heart.  The whole situation is booby-trapped.  Satan already has the upper hand - he took our hearts captive when we fell, back in Eden.  Some he has snared through abuse, some through seduction, others by means of religion.  Oh, how hard it is to rescue the human heart, to dislodge people from their chosen means of survival without toppling them into resignation, despair, or defensiveness.

Jesus won't take the shortcut of a power play.  He doesn't force anyone to follow him.  He seems rather reluctant to do his miracles.  He never overwhelms anyone's will with a fantastic display of his majesty.  He woos, he confronts, he delivers, he heals, he shoots straight, and then he uses intrigue.  He lives out before them the most compelling view of God, shows them an incredibly attractive holiness while shattering the religious gaze.  But still, he lets them walk away if they choose." (Beautiful Outlaw, John Eldredge)

He is kind, and strong, and loving, and real!!

I gotta say this makes me take a step back and think about how people treat each other...on both sides. Christians can do terrible harm to Christ, His church and people.  We can be abusive, judgmental, un-loving, and darn right mean.  

But so can the other side. Christians are judged and condemned for what they believe, scorned for having their own thoughts or opinions.  

If only....if only...

Jesus offers life, real life.  

In my lifetime I will make numerous mistakes...I will be un-loving and judgmental at times.  My hope lies in the God that changes hearts.  As He continues to change my thought patterns, and as a result my actions I am becoming more aware of the pain that lies underneath the faces people put on. 

Really, we are all more alike than different.  We all want love, acceptance, freedom, and affirmation.  

I want to say, "Dude's, can't we all just get along - even with our differences?"  

But the truth is, there is an enemy of our souls that does not want peace.  

Okay, I know not all of you believe that...but allow me to have my beliefs, just as I allow you to have yours.  

My deepest desire for all of us is freedom, real freedom.  That includes freedom from ourselves and the ways we have so desperately tried to fill the large aching hole in our hearts and souls.  

There is someone who does just that.

His name is Jesus!