Hope. Redemption. Freedom.
These are the words that come to mind when I think of Easter. The fact that Jesus loves me. Me; dirty, not worthy, and messed up as I am.
He loves me enough to die on a cross.
He loves me enough to die in an electric chair.
He loves me enough to be shot at by a firing squad.
He loves me enough to have lethal injections shot in to him.
He loves me. He loves you. He loves everyone.
Sometimes I can't really get over it, the grace I am shown everyday. That should've been my cross, my chair, my bullet wounds, my needle.
But that wasn't the case. We weren't left high and dry to just try to find our own way to God. No, God came to us. What kind of love is that, that He would come to us just to die, just to be rejected? Jesus says to his disciples, "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." Are we really capable of showing that kind of love to every single person we encounter? This question humbles me and makes me question whether I love people like this.
His love for us didn't end on Jesus' death on the cross though. Which is really crazy awesome exciting stuff. He didn't just stay dead, end of story, the end.
He risen. He's alive. He's going to come again.
Hope. Redemption. Freedom.
I guess this is huge reason why I am so excited to go on the World Race. Because as big of a deal this story, this love, has played in my life, there are people who have never heard it before. There are people who don't know that God loves them. There are people who don't know what grace means. There are people who don't know love.
One of my favorite songs to listen to, to be reminded of this love by is "True Love" by Phil Wickham. The lyrics are brilliant and display the love that Jesus showed for us all by dying on the cross, but also the hope, redemption, and freedom that comes from that.
