Seeing through His eyes

I talked with a very sad lady the other day. Somewhere along our conversation she asked why she keeps doing the things she does. I told her, you need to believe that you are worth being loved. She is not currently at a place where she can believe that.

She also wondered why, if God has forgiven her, she cannot bring herself to forgive herself. I said that in my life, that is a matter of pride. She said that couldn’t be it, she had nothing she was proud of about herself. I explained that I meant a different kind of pride –that I focus on myself:  He may forgive all the sins of the world in one lump. But this particular one is impacting me, is significant to me, it at front-and-center in my life and bound up with my thoughts and emotions. It’s all about me…and my focus.

I told her that many, many times throughout each day, I have to stop and ask God to let me see things from His perspective. 

What I was talking about is not just the long-range view verses immediate-gratification view. I mean the others-centered perspective of Someone who loves well* and is outfitting His children to live in a totally different environment. He invites up to participate in that kingdom now, with different goals, different wants, different desires, a different mission.

I guess she figured that that sounded easier for me than it would be for her, because she said “but you’re so sweet.”  -Y’all, if I was looking at that from my own eyes, I would have wrecked the car!  But, not being focused on myself for the moment, I could just say “No, I’m not. I am self-centered and easily annoyed.” Another friend, who I’ve known a little longer said “Well, you sure don’t show it”.  {This was the only thing she said in that whole conversation, but THANK you! – this was my point: When I am asking Him to give me His eyes, I’m not. From my heart I trust Him and I can believe that what He says is true.}

I believe my new friend had enough to process by then, because she said with a smile, “Well, I’m never going to mess with you, then” and sat back and looked out the window.

Lord, let me decrease so that they can see You magnified! 

*I’m not sure if you're supposed to put an asterisk in a blog post, but what I have to say about what we’re learning in Philippians about this could end up being a whole other post itself and I didn’t want to post a different post in the middle of the other post, so I thought I’d better put it down here:

Philippians chapter 2, verses 3-8:Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death -even death on a cross!

You know what, never mind. I think these words speak for themselves.

He Knew

Y’all, He knew!

He knew, yet He went to Jerusalem anyway.

¹⁴ When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. ¹⁵ And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer"; 

He knew, yet He went to the Garden anyway.

³⁹ And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. ⁴⁰ When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” ⁴¹ And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, ⁴² saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 

⁴⁶  [The soldiers came and] they laid hands on Him and seized Him. 

⁵³ They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together. 

He knew that He would be humiliated.

^64b And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. ⁶⁵ Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in the face.

Mistreated.

¹⁵ Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate.² Pilate questioned Him. Pilate said to the crowd, "Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?" ¹³ They shouted back, “Crucify Him!” ¹⁵ Wishing to satisfy the crowd, after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Abandoned.

¹⁶ The soldiers took Him away into the palace ¹⁷ They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; ¹⁸ and they began to acclaim Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ¹⁹ They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. ²⁰ After they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him.

²² They brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. ²⁴ And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. ²⁵ It was the third hour when they crucified Him. ²⁶ The inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

²⁹ Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, ³⁰ save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” ³¹ In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. ³² Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

He knew that He would be put to a torturous death.

³³ When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. ³⁴ At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  ⁴⁶ And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, yielded up His spirit. 

He knew! Yet He came to Earth anyway!

⁵¹ And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. ⁵² The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. ⁵⁴ Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

He came that people living in darkness might see a great Light.

He came to remove the barrier of our sin, our choices,  our very nature that separates us from the God of the Universe.

He came to give life to the dead who would believe.

He came that we might know God.

²⁹ The next day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” 

³⁵ And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.

Happy Easter!

(Texts taken from Matthew 27, Mark 4-15 , Luke 22-23 , John 19 , John 1, John 3  The Bible New International Version)