I'm definitely a collector. Not quite a hoarder, although......... my husband invites me to clear out my empty box collection semi-annually.
No one quite understands what I treasure or why. Maybe I'm not consciously clear on why either. The Scottish dancers, a photo of a dog that I can't remember its name and I never met, the hula dancer painting, the ratty desk lamp, Snow White cake decoration.... The list goes on.
Reminds me of the song, from the movie Sound of Music, entitled "My Favorite Things." The chorus gives me a clue to why I collect and find it so hard to part with these curios. "When the dog barks, when the bee stings.... I simply remember my favorite things... and then I don't feel so bad."
My strange keepsakes bring me comfort, remind me of good memories and focus my attention onward. I've disciplined myself to not assign too much emotion or power to these items because they are temporal, very temporary. Eventually they will all end up in a trash bin but for now, they have a function of steering my course of life.
As I progress through my blog journey of The Abundant Life and my meditation of the fraction of verse 10 of John 10, "I came so they might have Life and have it abundantly", I have deliberately stalled on the first word- "I".
Jesus is The "I" in the sentence and my thoughts. I have a collection of my favorite things about Jesus. I don't offer a theological treatise or a proclamation of His divinity and authority. Just a random collection of my personal observations of who and what Jesus means to me personally.
Luke 7: 11-15 is the top of my list of "AHAs" about Jesus. Jesus and disciples enter a town called Nain. As He arrives a funeral procession is exiting the village as He is entering. The funeral is of a young man whose death leaves his mother alone, totally alone, a widow and now childless in a society that didn't provide for the survival of women in such a state of aloneness.
Jesus knew her situation and her future because, well, He was God and knew. He was on Earth so He understand the breadth of her tragedy. He knew what she had gone through, was going through at that moment and what her future would be because He was God.
Here's my favorite part: His heart went out to her. He had compassion, great compassion. He knew. He was the only one who truly knew.
So He spoke to her... Spoke to her son and GAVE HER SON BACK. How cool is that?
Jesus understood her need, made a personal contact and changed her destiny. In one moment, this woman was ending life as she knew it. In the blink of an eye, touch of God, she had a completely new future.
AHA: This episode taught me that
· Jesus has great compassion for my circumstance,
· Jesus has deep love for humanity, even me, and
· He is able to be in control of my future.
Life is full of entering and exiting experiences. My AHA of Jesus in Nain reminds me that He is The source of my abundant life. I can't control those entrances and exits. I am never alone in those comings and goings of life. He is with me, and you, absolutely always. He loves me, and you and will give us each an abundant future starting today!
If I acknowledge His gift of abundant life I gain comfort from One who is full of compassion because He knows about real life and He is a "game changer", a life changer.
This AHA gives me perspective to remember life has not always been bad. It's been and will be a great life, I have the treasures to prove it.
I can't control life changing but He can. He has the ability to change death to life. He is the One who holds my future, and it's really, really spectacular.
AHA from Nain: Jesus gives me comfort, security and perspective....the abundant life! (and it's eternal not temporary like my curious treasures!)
What verse gives you a glimpse of how much Jesus loves you? Got a "treasure" to show it? There's more to Jesus.... I'm not quite ready to move on from my pondering of I, Jesus... more later.
