The beautiful day--the sunshine, the warmth, the gentle breeze--yesterday--it was as if God was creating a literal picture of the grace He purchased with Himself 2010 years ago on the cross...the gift of Himself...that He would so desire us...what he humbled Himself to live out for us--to die for us--to take on for us--the ultimate rescue--"How can it be? That YOU, oh,LORD would die for me?"...I am... head-over- heals in love with Jesus... Continually awestruck ...by new wonders of Him...So lovesick for the Bridegroom...Come Quickly, Lord, Jesus!... This is coloring everything I am about--driving my heart--energizing/ structuring my days...
We spent our morning--as many other families in our area did--at a Ressurection walk. As there have been many firsts in our foster kids lives this year, this was another--to hear so much of the story of God's rescue of us for the first time--to see it through their eyes too...
The "walk" was at the back of a large church in a great field meandering along the border of a gently flowing river. Stations were set up under white tenting with church members acting out the Easter story.
One favorie moment was when M. refused to have his feet washed. He was SO Peter-like! Stubbornly he looked with distain at the water in buckets next to the haybale "seats" and then back at his cool sports shoes which are a part of his identiy. "NO WAY. NO one is washin' my feet."
'Oh yes they are, M.!' I side-hugged him, 'and its going to be me!'
...There's such a sweet dimension to my relationship with M., one of mutual honor and love--he never refuses "Mom GG". I love this boy-man child!!
He plopped down on one of the haybales--trying to find a dry spot to settle in, trying to maintain alot of Jr. High dignity as well.
First foot was a bit of struggle but by the time we got to shoeless feet and he was assured that the shoes were going to be safe--he was much more keyed -in to whatever this was about.
He smiled that golden, heart-melting smile as I picked up the first strong foot.
We talked about his salvation and how beautiful and strong the Bible calls these feet that are going to carry him down the road of his destiny in God and on the way to tell many more about Jesus.
By the time we dried it off we were laughing over the story of Peter who I informed M. was so similar to him in gifting and personality.
--so superly used by Jesus.
--so loved by Him.
--How Peter had refused to be served by Jesus.
-- How Peter had been embarrassed to humble Himself, to reveal the dirty, more homely, more simply human parts of himself to receive this gift of cleansing from his Master and Lord--
'Why... I should be serving YOU, Lord!'
BUT when he 'got' how incredible it was to be washed/cleansed/loved by Jesus he said,
"Don't just wash my feet God!--you can wash ALL of me!!"
(Just LOVE This guy's raw enthusiasm!!)
--Ah, no thanks Peter...Just this much is enough for this object lesson...thanks though!! :)...
We got M.'s shoes on and one by one, with MUCH delight, each of my little children discovered and announced that M. had gotten his feet washed by MOM-- somehow it brought out adoration and star status from them--he was glowing :)
...Then came my turn to be "Peter".
'Mom, I'll wash YOUR feet' from M.'s sweet sister.
And I revealed feet that really show how busy a mom I actually am these days--with red marks from my sandals and dust from the days' walk all in places that I would have personally have liked to wipe away rather than someone else. It became a precious love moment.
This child already is washing people's feet and hearts each day--especially since she recently accepted Jesus as her savior...sweet encourager, generous giver--she reminds me of John, who Jesus leaned on...Beautiful, precious child of my heart...How our Father must adore us as we lean down to serve Him--as we wash HIS feet by serving others...
We dried off and I squeaked off in wet sandals now (kinda trying hard NOT to think about all the stuff floating in that wash water...AH! my human heart--gets in my way too often!!)
We sheperded the kiddos to the next stations the trial and stripes--the cross...
This time as I heard the snap of the whip, as I held a nail steady for my children's weak hands to pound--careful not to get in the way of the hammer for even their blows could cause injury--as I heard the words "why have you forsaken me?"--TEARS--choking love--blinded eyes beneath my sunglasses as the pretty day became blurry under a veil of love and tears and worship for MY Jesus. My Bridegroom. My strength, MY life, MY bread, MY wisdom, MY fountain of cleansing, MY confidant, MY hope, MY total forgiveness and covering from ALL my sin, MY sanity, MY confidence,MY love, My anything good that ever comes from this girl, MINE...HIS...SO... in LOVE...
Blessings as you consider HIM today.
"I am the Way the Truth and the Life--no man comes to the Father except through me."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And here's a gift of a story, given to me from my Father- in -law, Dad T.
I love you, Dad T.!
This story tells who we are because of what Jesus did through us on the cross. Because of God's love for us--He would not be apart from us--He provided a way to be close to us again...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An eye witness account from New York City , on a cold day in
December,
some years ago:
A little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway,
barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold.
A lady approached the young boy and said,
'My, but you're in such
deep thought staring in that window!'
'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,'was the boy's reply.
The lady took him by the hand,
went into the store,
and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked
if he could give her a basin of water and a towel.
He quickly brought them to her.
She took the little fellow to the back
part of the store and,
removing her gloves,
knelt down,
washed his little feet,
and dried them with the towel.
By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks...
Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes..
She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.. She patted him on the head and said,
'No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'
As she turned to go,
the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and
looking up into her face,
with tears in his eyes, asked her.
'Are you God's wife?'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Love to God's beloved today...
Love, Gillian
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