Spoken 3: Real Life

Here He was, rich in agony - physically, mentally, spiritually... and so rich in His provision of love for His mom.  Mom, here's your son.  Friend, take care of my mama.

I hear compassion.  I hear gentleness.  I hear great care.  She had other kids.  Surely they would have taken care of her.  Couldn't she sew?  Or clean?  Couldn't she find someway to live?  Couldn't she make it on her own?  

from craigmod.com

I know that being single sometimes seems like the bucket of blessings is empty.  That you've been forgotten.   That you've been left behind.  That you've not even had the chance to choose the short-end-of-the-stick.  And even when you hear Jesus's care for His mom, you think - well, at least she got to have a husband and kids...

But can you hear her heart, too?  Do you think she was surprised?  Taken aback?  Here, her firstborn was dying tragically, horrifically - and yet He gave breath to her daily life?  The life of laundry and food and of sweeping the floor?  Do you think these words startled her?  And if she was still treasuring all this in her heart, did it make any sense?

I think I have the temptation to believe the Gospel is all about the good news of eternity.  But, how can it be about eternity if it doesn't have tendrils into today?  Into my daily bread.  After all, Jesus is the same today as He was that day on the cross (Hebrews 13:18).  His love that redeems us for Heaven, redeems our todays for His glory out of His compassion.  Even though He knew He was this close to the place He really belonged, He was was taking care of the less glorious here on earth.

And, I don't want to pass this up.  I don't want to think - yah-yah-nice-of-Him.  I want to see His humanity.  His heart for humanity.  I want to see His fully God fully man compassion.  And I want you to see it, too.  I want you to be overwhelmed with the fact that Jesus reached out to touch people no one else would touch.  That He came to heal the wounds that had no hope.  That He came to wrap His glory around misfits and outcasts and the people who didn't have it all.  And He spoke eternity into their mundane.

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.