"Break Through to Jesus"

"When they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through...". Mark 2:4

Second service ended, the sanctuary doors flew open, and within seconds, the lobby of the church resembled my last experience at Walmart on a Black Friday. I know I'm not the only one who longs for more space. Ever since I was nearly trampled by a stampede of people in Chicago years ago, my instinct is to avoid wherever crowds gather.

Not good for a pastor's wife.

But there are many pictures given to us in the gospels where people would have to make a brave decision to press through, crawl under, climb above or shout over the crowd of people that surrounded Jesus to reach Him. I can just imagine Zacchaeus hoisting up his Pharisaical robe, strapping his leather sandals tighter, and getting a splinter while climbing up a road-side tree to get a divine view. Can you feel the pointed pebbles and dust that pressed into the knees and scraped the palms of a woman weakened by years of hemorrhaging, merely to touch the hem of the Savior's seamless robe? I can hear whispering condemnations and feel the disapproving glares that a sinful woman had to endure as she wept in front of a crowd. Her perseverance enabled her to hear Jesus' audible affirmations of forgiveness that blanketed her shame with grace and rebuked all self-righteous and religious rejection.

What do you need to press past today to get to Jesus? What obstacles stand in seeming defiance to your reaching Him? Are you craving for a spiritual "break through"? Though the Lord's presence fills heaven and earth, even Jesus would rise before dawn to go to a solitary place to be with His Father (Mk.1:35). Every day will have its obstacles, (maybe not a rooftop that needs to be disassembled) but I pray your heart presses past, through, over and above to meet with Him. The One that has and is and always will be; the answer to every problem, the supplier of every need, and the filler of every longing in our soul.

"And there I will meet with you, and I will commune with you 

from above the mercy seat...of all things..." Exodus 25:22

What Is Love?

A little lisp snuck up behind me at the kitchen sink and said "I have a thur-prithe (surprise) for you Mommy! Squash your eye shut!"

The out of breath commander just lost her first two teeth and every word snares my attention. With both eyes obediently shut, I spun around with exaggerated excitement and responded, "Is it another dead worm?! Or a cool bug?! How about a stick..."

"Mommy! Thtick out your handth!"

It wasn't the familiar texture from the soft, spring dandelions I wanted to see, but the crooked-toothed smile beneath eyes yanked so wide open, it was easy to gaze on her perfect hazel eyes fully encased in white.

"WOW! These have to be the most beautiful spring flowers I've ever seen" I said honestly.

(Presume lisp) "Put these in water quick or they'll die. I picked them because I love you. More than the whole wide world. They're like the flowers in Edam and Ave's garden."

"Oh, I see. The same Edam and Ave you studied in Sunday School?" I asked with a restrained giggle.

But now I was talking to the back of a pink OshKosh shirt running away waving goodbye. I chased her with "I love you" and something sounding similar echoed in return. Didn't matter though. I got flowers.

I plucked down a shallow glass bowl from the cabinet to plop the flower heads in, added water and watched as the sunlight prismed (it's a new word) on the deck when i set it down. So this is love. It couldn't be more beautiful to this Mama's heart and yet such a perfect picture of MY love to my heavenly Father. A mixture of well-intentioned weeds with delicate flowers.

I smiled up at the sun and bathed in the grace of that thought. Then a dandelion prayer of praise with a bouquet of thanksgiving came from my heart as I handed it to my Father and said "I picked them because I love you."