What an interesting question. It’s one that has honestly shaped my life. Can we reach Jesus? What does it take to get to where He is and truly be friends with Him, get to know Him, etc.? Have you ever thought about that?
Does He ever seem “just out of reach”, behind some cosmic metal bars that hold you back from your prayers being heard or really feeling like He loves you?
I felt like that.
I really did – for most of my childhood. Just like that picture, I acknowledged that He had died for me, that He was the Christ, that He was God, etc.; however, I still felt a deep, impassable chasm between us. It was my guilt, my shame for the sin that I knew I was carrying around.
Yeah, I was a “good kid”. I felt like Paul when he listed his credentials to the Philippians sometimes. I was home schooled, brought to church from birth, believed in “Sola Scriptura”, a moderate-Calvinist-Armenianist, and concerning the law – blameless; however, that still didn’t take away that feeling in my heart that there was something missing, something I needed to fulfill, something I needed to earn.
Jesus is my Savior.
Ok – what does that really mean? Does that mean that He was a really good guy and we can pray to Him or in His Name? Does that mean we should follow His example? Does that mean that He is God, and we should worship Him?
No.
Don’t get me wrong – those thing are all true! That’s just not what “Savior” means. “Savior” means that He saved me from something. It means that I was helpless, and He helped me.
Why is it so easy to forget this stuff? To not be blown away by it? To brush it off and say, “Eh – I’m a good person.”
No you’re not!
None of us is a “good person”! We’ve all missed God’s standard of a good person – perfection, but that is why He sent Jesus to die for us! I had it all wrong growing up! I didn’t need to come to Jesus – He came to me!
Jesus came to us, because we couldn’t make it to Him!
Those bars are gone now, because He died to open the way for us. A free gift still needs to be purchased by somebody, and this time it cost that Someone His life. Jesus intentionally sacrificed His own life so that mine would be paid for and I could be with God.
Today, as I was waking up and Katya was still lying there beside me, I was thinking about what true beauty is. My wife is beautiful, and I try to tell her that every day. One of my nicknames for her is “Beautiful.” I think, though, as a global culture, we’ve gotten away from the celebration of true beauty in a person.
David & Katya 