Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Spear by Louis de Wohl

This book is about the centurion that pierces Jesus' heart with a lance. It's an excellent book for Lent, because it focuses on each of the characters' faith journeys, and brings them all to Christ.

One scene in particular really touched me. It's right as the centurion takes the lance, and is about to thrust it into Christ's heart

"Raising the spear with both hands, he thrust it with all his strength forward and up, through the crucified man's heart.
For one split moment he thought that he had been hit by a bolt of lightening. Everything around him lighted up with terrifying clarity, and he saw the long, lean body, pale and golden, with its arms outstretched as if to embrace him, and his spear entering it. He heard a thud, and he felt the resistance, either of the body or of the wood of the cross behind it.
Then it was night again, a dark-red night splashing all over him and blinding him completely, and he staggered and would have fallen if he had not held on to the spear in the crucified man's heart.
Blood. He was full of blood. The whole world was full of blood. He was suffocating in it.
From far, far away came the sound of crying. The world was crying.
....The head with the crown of thorns had sunk on the chest.
He must withdraw the spear now. Softly, softly. Blood came flowing again, dark red - and water. Blood and water.
For some strange reason it made him think not of death but of birth."

God isn't dead. He sacrificed everything so that everyone could have an abundant life with Him. He endured horrific pain and torture, and the whole time, He was thinking about you. He forgives you for everything. Death isn't the end. May Jesus' precious blood cover you, as you seek Him everyday. God bless!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

I left the house late, but still managed to arrive at the bus stop 5 minutes early. It seemed liked everything was going my way, because I only had to stop at one, brief red light. However, I waited and waited, and no bus came. Despite all my efforts, I had still missed the bus.

This gave me a chance to be still for about 10 minutes, absorbing the sunlight, admiring the wispy clouds in the pale blue sky, and enjoying the birds' songs. This helped me understand that missing something that I really want isn't necessarily a bad thing. If I had been there on time for the first bus, then I would have missed the opportunity to spend time wondering at God's glorious creation. The best part? I still made it to class early. :)

All this to say that, if something happens that isn't in our plan, God can use that to make us aware of the beauty in our situation, and He cares enough to still get us where we need to be.