It’s not even light out, but you have somewhere to be…
Originally published at Dancin' In The Wind.... Please leave any comments there.
I’ve pondered a lot today.
Despite the fact that I already murdered my sleep schedule by managing to sleep over 15 hours, today still seems redeamable.
Why do I feel the need to shove out my advice, my opinions, my experiences? Shouldn’t I let people just ‘be’ in their moment sometimes?
How do you know when to be quiet, and just be there for someone, and when to offer up your take on things? It’s a rather confusing thing when you stop and think about it.
I watched a movie tonight called “The Perfect Stranger”. It wasn’t the best in the world, production-wise, but it blew me away. It was about this lady who was an atheist and got an invitation to meet with “Jesus Christ” at the nicest Italian restaraunt in the city. She goes, thinking it’s a joke, and meets some very nicely dressed man, who looks nothing like any Jesus you’ve ever heard of (just very…today looking- blonde hair, suite, tie, etc.).
Anyways, she doesn’t believe him, but they talk. He asked her to believe him, just for that night. To believe that she really was having dinner with Jesus Christ. Eventually, she took advantage of it- throwing out every possible question you could imagine. Creation, murder, divorce, crucifixion, contradictions in the Bible.
Surprisingly, at the end, it wasn’t overly sappy. It ended very tastefully, having made the point that she believed in Him, but didn’t like…flip out and go way ‘TBN’ on all of us (though it was indeed on TBN lol).
But yea, like…it was a weird movie, but the ‘Jesus’ guy, he really impressed me. His answers to her question weren’t lame, or even what you would expect from a movie of the sort.
His answers were honest.
It reminded me of who I believe Jesus to be. The Jesus who looks at a persons heart, and not the outside. And by that, please don’t be fooled into thinking that I mean what they’re wearing or whatever. I mean, Jesus sees through the fake religious zealots. He knows who’s serious, and who’s doing it for show, or for money, power, whatever they think they may find.
Jesus sees straight through me. And I like that. I need that. We all do.
I just…I don’t think religion works. Religion, in my opinion, is based on rules and standards that are impossible to live up to. Spirituality…Loving God, living for Him, that’s based solely on love. Love of the Father makes us want to be around Him, and do good. His love saves us. Love works. True love works, and true love is God.
In the movie I watched, while he was in the restaraunt, a few waiters recognized him. The lady asked at the end if he went there much. He said it was his first time. But he was talking to these waiters as if he went there every day.
And that’s when it clicked in me. This is my Father…and my Father just happens to be God. He’s not a distant guy…He’s not some big almighty smiter. I mean, don’t get me wrong, He is indeed like…bigger, and holier than words could begin to explain, but He’s so intimate. He’s so close. I believe that God should be feared. And the best fear in this sense, the fear of respect and awe, is true, deep, intimate love. Love played out in someones life.
These men were able to recognize Jesus because of who He was and is, not because of what He looked like, or was wearing.
Would I be able to do that? I don’t know. I know I want to be able to.
I don’t know…maybe it sounds lame, and more of a joke than something serious, but I am indeed serious. But the whole ‘no one plans to fail, they often just fail to plan’ thing has been on my mind lately. And I think that’d be a good plan for the ‘here and now’ instead of just having a plan for the future, this is something that I’ll notice growing stronger daily.
My goal- to know the Lord so deeply, that if I were to see Him in public, looking as ‘middle america’ as you could possibly look, that I’d still recognize Him.
Yea…I think that would rock. *sighs* I often find myself having sappy moments with God. Very ‘Dad’ moments, very much as though He was here with me physically. I think those moments are my favorite of them all. When you feel Him so deeply that you know you’re not the only one in the room…where you really feel as though He’s on the chair, watching you sleep on the couch, just waiting for you to wake up and talk to Him, but keeping you safe through the night. Yea…He only rocks beyond belief.