Lamb

The past few days I have been studying the Passover. In case you aren't familiar with it, the Passover was when God told the Israelites that each family needed to slaughter a 1 year old, undefected lamb and smear its blood on the family's door frame. Then, that night God would pass through and the Destroyer (the angel of death) would kill the firstborn son and animal in each household that didn't have the blood on the door frame- namely, the firstborn Egyptian sons, as God had provided a way for His chosen people (the Israelites) to be safe from this fate. You can read the story for yourself in Exodus 12.

In the Beth Moore study I'm doing, called "Jesus," I was reminded that Jesus was crucified the day after the Passover celebration- a celebration that Jewish people have continued to celebrate since the original Passover occurred. Basically- God is brilliant. Way, way back in the days of Moses he was already preparing His plans to send Jesus to save us from eternal death. Since God is holy- without sin- and we aren't, we pretty much needed help or we'd be screwed. Forever. Luckily for us, God is Love. Sometimes I find myself forgetting what all of God's seemingly crazy laws were all about... but again I am reminded that they served a purpose... to set us up for Jesus! The Passover instructions seemed completely random to me when I first heard them... but now I see what an awesome picture it creates of what Jesus is for me... and you. He is OUR lamb, the one who's blood we need in order for the angel of death- eternal death- to pass over us. But how WONDERFUL it is that God even provided our lamb for us... all we have to do is believe in Him and have faith that Jesus' blood spilt for us is enough to grant us life- abundant and eternal.

Today I am thankful for God's provision of Jesus in my life- the fact that I have his blood covering my "doorway," so that I don't have to fear what lies ahead. His grace is sufficient for me. 

Lucky

Have you ever felt like you were in the presence of greatness? I know that I have been around someone in the past that I thought was really awesome for one reason or other, such as for their musical talent or their athletic ability. But this week I had the privilege of spending time with one of the greatest people I think I may ever have met. And she came in the form of a tiny, fourth grade girl who can't walk. Well, at least not on her own. She has to use a walker. And she is AMAZING. "How are you today Mrs. Gorsuch?" she asked me, as she does each time she sees me. "What a beautiful table cloth!" she exclaimed at the sight of the floral, plastic table cloth covering the table in the school counseling room. I listened as she created a menu out loud, something she likes to do in her spare time. "We'll start out with a tossed salad. And then, how about lobster, on a bed of pasta, covered in an herb-butter sauce." How can you not smile at the sight of a tiny little girl dreaming up a gourmet meal, the type of meal that she has probably never gotten to experience? And then, the best part of all came. She offered to sing for me. "Can you close the door Mrs. Gorsuch? Now which song would you like me to sing?" I knew that singing was a special thing that she does, and it's a way that she works through the death of her father. My heart soared at the thought that I was actually lucky enough to have met and spent time with this special girl, and best of all, that she would sing for me. 

This week was a good week. I truly feel that the image of God is so evident in this little girl's life, and somehow, by spending time with her, it was almost like spending time with an embodied piece of God Himself. What a privilege!

Psychology + Christianity = Lots of deep thoughts!

So I just got back from a coffee date with a friend (well a tea date I guess, if you want to be specific :) ). Our conversation floated to the topic of mental health and the methods that God chooses to heal mental illness. This is a pretty complex and important topic to me, seeing as how I'm studying counseling at a Christian institution and I have dealt with some mental health issues in my life, along with the majority of the population at large if we are all honest with ourselves. In one camp are those that see mental illness as a strictly spiritual, maybe even demonic issue. Those in this camp may take the position that if one simply has enough faith in Jesus and prays for healing, perhaps with some scripture thrown in, the depression, bipolar, etc. should magically disappear, and in the occasional case, God does seem to choose to heal someone in an instant. But, what are those who are not healed in that instant supposed to think? That their suffering is all their fault? That if they were just a better person, a better Christian, less of a sinner, than God would love them enough to heal them? Sadly, this is the message that they might be hearing, only adding to their guilt and shame.

While I do not doubt God's ability to heal nor the work that Jesus accomplished on the cross, my education and understanding leads me to think that more often than not, God allows one's healing to be more of a process- more of a journey toward freedom. A person is a complex being, with biological, emotional, relational, and spiritual components, which all interact in intricate ways with one another. To ignore the complexities of humanness often seems to only minimize both the problem and the person. 

And yet, God most certainly always plays a role in our healing, whether we know it or not. I can look back over my life and see how God used different people, different experiences, and certainly many prayers and His Word, to over time bring restoration and healing into some of the broken areas in my life. This is not to say that I am complete and that I am 100% healed and free from the damage that this world causes. And that's OK. Because suffering, struggle, and brokenness are ripe opportunities for growth, for compassion, for community, and for humility. And if we allow it to, suffering can put us in perfect position to run into the arms of the One who knows suffering unlike any other and who loved us enough to die for our freedom- Jesus.

I know that these thoughts are sort of scattered, probably because I don't have it all sorted out in my brain. And I very well may never. Because God is a lot bigger than my understanding, and His creation is a lot more complex than I have the capacity to grasp. All I know is that we should not have to feel ashamed or guilty about our pain, but instead we should strive to create a world in which people can feel safe to run to us, and ultimately to God with their pain. He loves us just where we are at, but He also loves us enough not to leave us there. So, too, should we love people.