I Must Be Brave

The heart of a child who has lost her best friend, broken and overcome with grief.
The tears of a child sting as they fall, remembering his final words.
The child...asleep on the grass, exhausted from crying, not caring, just wrought by this loss.

I must be brave.

~~~

Yeshua. He was a friend to me, I mean, no one else wanted anything to do with me. I am just an orphan, a dirty street urchin. I sleep hidden in whatever spot I can find. He saw me early one morning before the sun rose. He didn't yell at me and call me names, he called me to himself. It was the first time that I was not cursed upon sight. He invited me to walk with him and he even shared some bread and drink with me. We talked about many things...we talked...no one ever wants to talk to me, no one cares to hear what I have to say, but he did and he did not call me stupid or tell me to shut up...he listened...he cared. After a while, he did something I had never seen done before, I mean, not the way others did it. He prayed. He invited me to stay and He prayed to God like he knew him personally...and I listened...I cared. I wanted to know this God who he so obviously loved. I wanted to pray like him, not like the others who rhymed off scripture and boasted of their good deeds so that God would hear them. Yeshua prayed with confidence, like he knew his prayers were heard...and he prayed for others! Oh, the concern for others...he even prayed for that horrid blacksmith and his family!
...And he prayed for me...no one had ever prayed for me before. And then he did something unthinkable! He asked me if I would like to pray! I mean, me, pray?! I wanted to, I really did, but I didn't know what to say...He smiled at me and placed his hand upon my head and suddenly I was warm all over and I began to speak! I don't remember what I had said, but I do remember Yeshua smiling at me and lifting his arms towards heaven...and at one point, I was sure he was going to laugh at me, but he began to sing instead. He was so happy...and I was happy! Oh, I didn't want it to end! We sang together songs that praised God, we danced, and we laughed. It must have been quite a sight, but I didn't care. I was warm and happy and...and loved! I just knew I was loved!
That is how my friendship with Yeshua began. And now...I am cold. I am sad. I am tired...but I remember what he said...He will return. I don't know how, and I don't care! I believe him, with all of my heart, I believe him! He told me to be brave, not to be afraid and to trust him. I do trust him! He will be back...he said so! It still hurts though...and I am cold, and tired...but I will be brave...I will be brave...
Yeshua...I love you! So much...I love you! Please come back soon...

 Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. ~John 19:18

Describe Jesus...Part 2

Describe Jesus in one word.
Thank you for the responses!

It is an odd thing, isn't it...describing Jesus in one word. If I asked you to describe your partner or your parent in one word, would it be easier or more difficult? I mean, we know the "right" answer to describing Jesus...something positive...something glorious, right?! Are we brave enough to analyze our relationship with Jesus with the same scrutiny as we would describe our partner or our parent?

That aside, do we have a relationship with Jesus?

For quite some time now, I have been paying attention to different churches locally and abroad. I have been listening to their message, watching...

The thing that has struck me the most in many circles, is that we are not being taught about having a relationship with Jesus so much as having a relationship with the church institution and with each other. Now, this is not entirely a bad thing, but it does leave one left to engage in a lonely search to discover who we base our faith, our life/lifestyle, morals, and ethical existence upon. We are Christians...Christ-followers...Jesus Christ. But who exactly is He?!

Who is Jesus? I mean, who was Jesus when He was on the earth in human form?

To determine that, we need to go to the Bible and read...not just read, but investigate context. I think that many of us read the Bible looking for the do's and don'ts, the promises, the hope, and we when we look at the story, we only skim the surface.

To know who Jesus was/is, we need to understand the context of the story and of the words written. Basically, we need to dig deeper and learn about the history and culture. Sounds like work? Don't sweat it! Remember, we claim we have a relationship with Jesus, shouldn't we want to know Him better...wouldn't you learn all you can about your partner...why would you not do the same (and more) for your God? It does take time, as with any relationship, but it is worth it!  God wants us to know Him, He desires a deep, loving relationship with us, not a superficial "I'm God and your not - so suck it up and do as I say" existence.

My challenge for you today is to pick one of the 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) and begin to read and investigate the text. Pick the scripture apart, imagine yourself there as part of the story, question things that just don't make sense to you and find out who Jesus really is!

This is not a challenge that you should partake alone. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide and teach you and do speak to others about what you are learning and what you question...and let me know what you find.

May you seek and find, learn and grow, and experience Perfect Love...and share...all to the Glory of God.

Describe Jesus to Me in One Word - Part 1

What do we need in our lives right now?
A RELATIONSHIP with Jesus.
Have you really given that much thought lately? I know we give the whole "personal relationship with Jesus" thing some mildly convincing lip service, but do we really pursue knowing who the person Jesus really was and is?

If you had to describe Jesus in one word,what He means to you, right now, what would it be?
Radical?
Freak?
Gentle?
Holy?
Prophet?
Friend?
Crazy?

I want to know.

Describe Jesus to me in one word.