For the past few months I have been praying for God to place a topic on my heart to blog about, always coming back void. I sat at the computer screen for 30 minutes one night, only to just go to bed because I had no words to write. What I finally realized was that He was telling me what to write, I just didn’t want to acknowledge it because, quite frankly, some days its still a struggle. After a situation this weekend, however, it shined a light on the reality of our dark world, and the urgency to combat it with His truth. The reality that not everyone has experience His pure joy. The reality that not everyone knows that things of this world only make you more empty.The reality that not everyone knows His hope and His zealous passion for us.
Identity is such a misconstrued concept in today’s culture. To the world, identity is found within. The world says “just love yourself” and “confidence is key”. The unfortunate truth about our world is that it thinks happiness is found in partying, because you only have true friends if they cheer you on while you’re chugging a keg. It thinks happiness is found in sex, because you are only loved if someone thinks you’re hot enough. Once that style of living ends in broken-hearts and crushed spirits, the world then slaps “depressed” and “anxious” on its people and says they need medication and therapy. It says “you just don’t know how to love yourself, so we’re going to teach you” through worksheets and podcasts. The thing is, is that the world doesn’t need more medication and “love yourself” stickers”
The world needs Jesus.
This weekend, I almost lost someone very close to me because of this. I broke down in my car when I heard the news, but on the way to the hospital,God lit a flame in my heart. He showed me His detest, His complete rage at how broken our world is and showed me a glimpse of His heart for our salvation. God doesn’t just “not like” sin, He hates it and went to extensive measures to destroy it. The reality, though, is that this world is full of darkness and the enemy draws us near to the very thing that takes us away from our Father. Yet the more the enemy fights to take us from our savior, his greatest weakness is exposed: the enemy wouldn’t be fighting for something of no value. The enemy understands our value and wants us for himself. He recognizes our worth, but doesn’t realize what the cross meant.
The cross meant Jesus already paid the price.
We cost everything, yet Jesus paid it all. For every fear, there’s an empty grave. For every scar on His child’s wrist, He took a whip so that they didn’t have to. Jesus isn’t afraid of our messy. He isn’t afraid of our junk. He “gets down, in the middle of our panic attack” and holds His child.
The enemy says that we are not worth it, but Jesus says we were.
The enemy says we are too far gone, but Jesus says come home, my child.
The enemy says we are unforgivable, but Jesus shed blood so that we are.
The enemy says God could never love us, but Jesus’ death on a cross proves otherwise.
HEY EVERYONE!!! THE ENEMY IS A LIAR!!!
He takes us away from life. He takes us away from Jesus. As “death and destruction” are not very appealing, he changes its form to look like a simple compromise. BUT I PROMISE, THE ENEMY’S BEST WILL NEVER COMPARE TO JESUS’S WORST.
As I cried during worship this morning at the lack of light in this world, He – oh so gently – asked, “do you trust me?”
God,
You are sovereign.
I know that you love your children.
I know you never forgot them.
Teach me to love like you.
Teach me to see through your eyes.
Show me how to shine your light in this world.
Jesus, show the world that they are priceless.
