He crossed the expanse between heaven and earth. God became flesh.
He overcame in the wilderness, He walked the dusty roads, and He crossed the stormy seas. He walked on them. He spoke to them and He calmed them.
He taught in the fields and fed thousands. He ate at the tables of sinners.
He shared and laughed with people in their homes, on the streets, by the well, on the shores.
From home to home. Town to town. City to city.
Each place bringing Him closer to the hill of Golgotha.
The CROSS.
The path was always leading Him to that hill, the hill where He would be crucified.
He knew what was coming, yet He stayed the course.
What lay ahead for Him did not deter Him from seeing those He would encounter on His way.
His eyes met with the eyes of those for whom He’d give His life. Some would love Him and follow Him. Some would betray Him and curse Him. Some would have ears to hear His Father’s heart and eyes to see His Father’s love. Some would close their hearts, their ears, their eyes and turn away with bitterness, hatred, and denial.
He still went to the cross for each of them.
All along His journey He healed, He taught, He delivered, He spoke, He forgave, He saved.
And as He approached the garden outside of where He knew He would be crucified, He prayed and He wept.
And then carried His cross up that hill, wounded for our sins, beaten for our burdens, whipped for our wrongs, crushed for our iniquities, stripped for our shame.
He bled. He cried out. He died. For the joy that was set before Him, you and me, He endured!
He went into the grave so WE could be brought out of our own.
His love didn’t stop there though.He crossed that chasm once again as he did His greatest work in secret.
Beyond the tomb when all was dark, when others thought all was lost and hope was gone, Jesus was still at work. It was in that place, between the crucifixion and the resurrection that Jesus conquered sin and death.
When life gets hard
When I am feeling down
When the wrestle is real
When my shoulders feel heavy
When my knees are feeble
When I’m feeling unsteady
When joy is hard to find
I look to my Savior.
I don’t have to strive
I don’t have to pretend
I don’t have to muster up strength
I don’t have to put on an act
I can be real with where I’m at
Because It’s HIS JOY that STRENGTHENS ME It’s HIS JOY that CARRIES ME It’s HIS JOY that LIFTS ME It’s HIS JOY that wins the wrestle, lifts the load, relieves the heaviness, clears the fog, and steadies my feet on the path.
THE JOY OF THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH. He has plenty of it. And as I focus on this truth, I am reminded that I AM THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM AS HE ENDURED THE CROSS. WE ARE HIS JOY.
And then, I begin to feel His delight, His joy over me. It covers me. His love covers me. And we walk down the path, towards wholeness & healing together, hand in hand – Me being real and Him pouring out His very REAL LOVE & STRENGTH. He leads. I follow. Down the pathway to JOY.
In the season of transition, that in between place of leaving behind the old in order to walk into the new, it is easy to get consumed by all of the unknowns and figuring out how to navigate this new part of our journey – Making plans and researching options. Weighing the facts. Listing the pros and cons. Feeling overwhelmed with the choices. Writing out the questions and waiting for the answers. Wondering if we are ready or not. Feeling rushed to get through it in order to reach our goal, our destination, our vision. The transition itself has so much potential, so much opportunity, that we want to keep that delicate balance or pursuit and drive while still enjoying the journey along the way. We must learn to trust the transition itself and not rush it.
We can get so lost in what is to come or overwhelmed with all of the unknowns, the waiting, the pressure of reaching the goal, that we miss the very moments of here and now. Being consumed by the vision, or the transition, does not make the vision more fulfilling or arrive any faster. In fact, it can make the transition itself feel heavier, longer, and a dread. We get our eyes fixed on the future, the dream, the vision that we lose focus of all that God is wanting us to experience and learn and enjoy today. There is always so much more going on around us, and in us. God’s bigger picture far outweighs the glory of our own. There are endless opportunities for learning and growing and enjoyment during the actual journey of getting there, the transition, and we will miss them if we don’t allow God to lead us to the vision in His timing, His way.
Talk about major transition! I love the picture of the disciples following Jesus. He called. They followed. No questions asked. Without being consumed with what was ahead, they instead looked to THE HEAD, Christ. Those who followed entered a time of transition. Stepping out of the world they had known and into one with a million unknowns. To walk with the One Who was not yet known. They left their places of comfort and stability to follow One who did not have a place to rest his head. The Bible doesn’t say they asked Him where they would be going or how much money they would make or what they would be doing. It doesn’t mention the disciples asking for plans with bullet points or a list of options A, B, & C, although they may have. There was no cruise trip or vacation promised, no retirement fund or money incentive laid before them. Their reward was knowing Him and discovering that they were KNOWN BY HIM.
They answered the Lord’s invitation to follow Him, without the future being mapped out for them. They left it all behind, without getting caught up in the need-to-knows or worrying about the who-to-knows. They hadn’t even had the revelation of knowing fully who HE was! They fixed their eyes on Him and they followed. They learned as they followed. They grew as they followed. Step by step. Day by Day. Every moment brought a new lesson, a value to hold onto, a character quality to grow in, a challenge to overcome. They lived in the NOW. The TODAY. The MOMENT. And each one taught them something so valuable for their future.
There were wow moments and whoa moments. Cowardice moments and courage moments. Moments of fear and moments of freedom. They were free to stretch and grow, free to learn at their own pace, just as who they were, learning through every experience with the one who led them. They experienced miracles and mercy. Provision and promises. They grew in trust and triumph. They learned how to lean in and lean on their friend, Jesus. They learned how to pray and how to heal, how to repent and how to forgive. They learned how to submit to authority & walk in authority. To confess and rest. To fear the Lord. They learned to love the sinner and love themselves.
Their journey of transition was filled with valuable tools and treasures. They laughed. They argued. They got things wrong. Got things right. They asked the questions. Shared their thoughts (even when Jesus knew them before they even spoke a word). They were free to mess up. Free to speak up. Free to wonder. Free to be. They were just – free. They stepped out in faith and followed. And so they learned. What a great reward! The place of transition became their greatest classroom.
They walked with Him and talked to Him. Each step He took, they took. They did not know where they were going, only that they were going wherever he led them. No G.P.S, just J.E.S.U.S. They must have trusted Him. They must have felt something when they were with Him. They must have heard the authority in his voice when he called them, that calmed their nerves and quieted the questions in their minds. They would have seen the depth of love in his eyes that wooed their hearts and canceled the “what-ifs”. His voice must have carried peace and power and promise. And so they followed.
He still gives this invitation today. To each of us. First to give him our lives and our hearts and then to follow Him daily in little ways and big ways. To learn, to grow, to lean in and lean on. To trust. To obey. To watch. To wait. And everything that He stood for and carried then, every bit of authority, every bit of peace, every promise, every bit of love that he had for his disciples, he still carries and offers to each of us today. And where He does this the most, is in our transition! Today, for whatever transition you are currently in or are eventually coming into, you are invited to follow. To follow the footsteps of Jesus, keeping in step with Him. He invites you to look past the planning, the lists, the agendas, the stress of trying to figure it all out. Beyond every unknown and every question and instead of being just driven to follow the dream, hurry the transition, get caught up in comparing or distracted by following a blogger, a ministry, a pastor, a cause, fix your eyes on the ONE who leads out of love, knows you best and knows the road ahead. The One who has a whole lot to offer during the journey of getting there. This will empower you and enable you to TRUST IN TRANSITION and embrace it in its fullness.
Life Interrupted 