There is a local shut in living on the children's street. A man of mystery. A boogyman whose appearance and activities, in the absence of real facts, has taken on a Freddy Krueger style mystique. It is said of him that he is disfigured, has bad breath, rotten teeth and eats raw squirrels plus all the cats he can catch. The children spend entire summers trying to lure Boo Radley into the light.Cut to the finish it is Halloween and Boo has come out of hiding to save the children. Institutional pallor evident, he stands next to the injured boy he has rescued. He pensively looks down upon the now sleeping form. With encouragement, "Would you like to pet him?" Boo reaches out to barely brush his hand against the boy and finally lays his hand on Jem's head. That connection reverberates through anyone watching the movie. With that touch it is Boo who comes back to life. A precious connection has been made and "Boo" the curiosity, the squirrel eater, becomes "Mr. Arthur" who might now be lovingly and tenderly folded into community life-with consideration for his shy ways.
Love shapes life. No doubt about it. Without it we are all disconnected squirrel eaters hiding something. Worse than the wisdom of this world would have us believe and a little less than our own terrors tell us we are. Shut out all the same.
Enter Jesus into this best seller Our Father is writing. Enter love and grace and restoration. Enter our true and eternal self. Our loved self. The self that is part of a community made up of God, saints, angels, plans, dreams, a future and more.
Jesus opened the door, became the Door into this new and communal life. The Spirit filled us with body gifts. Home isn't just a hope. It is a reality. A reality in the midst of suffering or confusion or failure. Home is a way. A new direction. Home is the truth in an untrustworthy world. Home is Jesus saying to us of the Father, "Would you like to touch Him?"
"God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun." Romans 8:29-30 The Message
"We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in Him."
We are restored through the sacrifice of Christ.
We visiualize our intended life.
We are named.
We have renewed relationship.
We are established.
We experience Divine fellowship.
We are glorified.
We are completed.
Our story which God is writing is ongoing. New pages and chapters are being produced every day. What an adventure! What a delight! The Creator of Life and Light has pen in hand and us in mind. I can hardly stand it! He isn't doing this in His off hours. He is the most enthusiastic one on the project. God is just tickled to be writing the story of you! The story of me! How about we tell Him to take full editorial rights?
Love shapes life and God is all there is to know about love. Jesus is all the proof I need. His love is forever. For "He stayed with them to the end."
Would you like to touch Him?
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Dedicated to one of God's favorite sons in his walk of Faith. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. – Jeremiah 17:7
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"Love shapes life and God is all there is to know about love. Jesus is all the proof I need." Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes! And anyone who has not yet seen that proof needs only to ask.
ReplyDeleteThis was wonder-full. -K