At the Foot of the Cross

If I had been at the foot of the cross that day when Jesus was dying to save my soul from the pit of destruction, what group would I have been in?

Would I have been next to His mother, letting her squeeze my hand through her agony, and use my sleeve to wipe tears of sorrow away? Would I have been among the women who followed Him with all of their hearts who would not leave Him in the hour of His great suffering?

Would I have been standing with the mockers with the word "crucify" still lingering on my tongue, with my heart brimming with satisfaction as I watched Him carry a cross loaded with the invisible weight of sin upon His torn and mangled back?

Or would I have been with those gambling for His garments, the ones wanting to take home a souvenir? Would I have been willing to gamble and feel lucky should I walk away with a piece of cloth that He had worn? After all, wasn't this the garment that the sick touched and were healed from? Surely it would be a priceless treasure someday. Would that have been enough for me?

Perhaps some of the ones who mocked were the ones He had passed by, the ones who still had sickness in their homes, or loved ones who had been buried. Perhaps they had not been protected from the storms and tragedies of life. Perhaps He had walked passed them on the street and did not heal their blindness, or sorrow, or cover their shame. But He was dying for them on the cross. Their sin was included in the invisible load. Their eternity was being purchased with His blood now spilling before their eyes.

How long did the garments survive that they stripped from Him that day? One thousand years? Where are they now? Does it matter?

What perspective do you have at the foot of the cross? I have been imagining myself there with the various groups who were once gathered. As I reflect upon this horrible/wonderful day in time, I am perplexed of heart and soul. Whatever group I might have gravitated to at the foot of the cross, whatever place I would have chosen for myself, my Lord Jesus would have died for me. He would have carried the weight of my sin to the cross so that I could be saved from my sinful self, my life of destruction, despair and darkness. He would have gone to the cross so that I could have eternal life . . . Even when I was rejecting Him, He was dying to save me.

Jesus is a giver. What do I want from Him?

I want to know that He is near.

I want to have something to give . . . something deeper and more precious and more eternal than a piece of His garment.

I want to love Him enough to share with Him in His suffering.

And I want to share my eternal life with Him.

Can you imagine yourself with me on that day when Jesus suffered? You and I are standing at the foot of the cross.

Did you just hear Him say, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Can we do anything but run to Him?


I am reposting this as a submission for a She Speaks scholarship contest. She Speaks is a ministry of Proverbs 31 Ministries which is designed to  encourage women  who are commissioned by God to write, speak, and lead women, equipping them to become more effective leaders. Ann Voskamp , from Holy Experience has offered this possibility. I read Ann's blog which are some of the most inspiring moments of my day. Her book One Thousand Gifts is destined to be a Christian classic. Other contestants.   Please check out the other contestant's blogs. I am certain you will be blessed. Thanks for stopping by. Cheri

Living Proof

One daughter and her husband are moving through this day with heavy hearts. Their friend didn't think he could take it here anymore. He was angry with his parents so he decided to climb the rails of a bridge and jump off. He would kill himself. That would hurt them bad enough! He never thought about the other people in his life that he would hurt.

I wonder what he is thinking now. Would he undo this if he could?

How can one get to this point?

Life is stinkin' hard sometimes! Is it not?

Have you ever wanted to ascend the rail of a bridge and end it all?

Have you ever been that discouraged, hurt, or angry? I hope not!

I sit here and ponder, how can I encourage you?

I must admit, there have been hard times in my life. And a time or two I begged the Lord to end my life and take me home! I did! I really did! It was in desperate times, times that I really couldn't see up or down or in or out or any other way around hard! It felt like life was going to be that way forever! But it wasn't. The devastating season of hard finally came to an end . . . oh, not the screeching halt I pleaded for, but gradually it all got better. Right now I am in the season of happy and fun and good. And THANKFUL for the Lord being  my anchor in the season of hard, because if He had not, I would have probably found my way to the rail of a bridge and would not be writing this right now.

Is today another hard day? Are there seemingly hundreds of hard days behind you and as far as you look you cannot see anything but hard days ahead of you? Can I tell you more about my Anchor? The One who kept me from the rail of a bridge? He can walk you through to happy days. I am living proof!

Winner!!!!

Dear Sweet Ladies!
I have a winner!!!
Thank you all for leaving a comment. I LOVE hearing from you more than I love writing! My husband drew the name for me and Susan, you are the winner!!! I will be sending the book to you very soon! I hope that you all will read it and be extremely blessed.
A young woman stopped by my house the other day and saw the book on my end table. She asked  my thoughts about it. She had heard the audio version of the book and was tremendously inspired!!! I wish I  had read such a book when I was in my late teens! I might have chosen a different course in life. I am thrilled for her!
We chatted about it for awhile and by the time she left we were all stirred up again! Let's live RADICAL for Jesus!!!
Blessings to all!
Cheri

Divine Encounter

Some encounters are designed to change your life forever. Today I had such an encounter. I met Andy Barrick via phone and in the first short minutes of our visits I was certain that I was experiencing a Divine Appointment. Please watch the video link that tells the story of his family's  testimony. I promise, no matter where you might be in your walk with the Lord, it will draw you closer. Watch to the very, very end, past Del Tacket's final word. Be blessed in every way. I am confident you will.
The most important encounter we will ever make is with Jesus. Do you know Him? If not, He is wanting you to. Run into His glorious embrace. You will never be sorry that you did!

http://bcove.me/xss1ru15

Radical

I am reading the book Radical by David Platt. It is messing me up, shaking some stuff loose, jolting my theology all over the place. I ordered ten more copies to share with others. Would you like one? Leave a comment below and I will have a drawing this next Friday. The winner will receive a copy.

I talked to a friend this morning who has not read this book, but he is living radically for Christ. He has a joy in his voice that is rarely expressed in most Christian voices. He is lost in love with Jesus and His Word and His people and His Work and he can't quit expressing and testifying to what he is witnessing in his life. He is living a radical lifestyle for Christ!!!

There is freedom in this kind of living.

There is tremendous joy in this kind of living.

Why do we hold on to so much?

Why am I holding on to so much?

This little book is so good, I promise you will not be able to put it down. It is on the New York Best seller list.
Thank God!!!

Your thoughts?

Unconditional

I hardly ever get to see her. It is a busy season for her at work now and I barely get to hear her voice. The mug she gave me the last time I saw her sits on the cabinet, every day, I cannot bear to put it away. 

When she was growing up, we had a red plate with a message on it. A white pen came with the plate so that you could write special occasions or achievements on the back of the plate recording the reason for the use of it on special days.  We never wrote on the back of it. We never used it for those kind of days, we wanted it to be far more special than that. The pen is forever lost without ever having been used.

We believe that you are special every day so every one in the family could have used the plate every day, but we only had one plate. So, we, with joy would bring out the plate and surprise someone when we were setting the table on ordinary days. It was never planned, always random, always fun. It was one way of demonstrating unconditional love. It was a blessing to the recipient, one of our seven, to come to dinner and find the you are special today  plate at their place at the table. Just because!  

Sometimes the plate was set before a special visitor. 

 I was a young mom when I first used a red "you are special today" plate.  Aunt Jane set her red plate at my place when I was a visitor in her home. I don't remember how I purchased our plate, nor do I know where.It might have been a gift from Aunt Jane.  I really can't remember. It has been in our family so long it is part of home in our house. 

Ashli, my daughter, was asked about family traditions by her mother-in-law, "We had a red plate . . ." she began to tell the story, minutes later, they entered a gift store and there was a table fully set with red dinnerware, all saying "You are Special Today".  Cups, plates, bowls, pitchers . . . everything! Her mother-in-law had never heard of the Red Plate. Ashli had never heard of the whole set of dishes.

Ashli said that she wanted to buy the whole set, but of course resisted,  but  "had to"  buy the mug for me.

When you come for tea, I will be happy to share my red plate with you and pour you a steaming cup of flavored tea in my new red mug. 

Thank you, Aunt Jane, for sharing your red plate idea with me so very long ago! My family has benefited greatly. Thank you, Ashli, for purchasing a mug for me. When I see it I think of you and how special you are to me!!!