Me vs. He

John 12. Jesus' triumphal entry.

"Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour?' But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name."

In the midst of conditions that have troubled his soul, Jesus has a choice. He can pray for himself, to have his soul not troubled; or he can pray in accordance to God's will. Jesus chooses the latter, "Father, glorify your name." It appears as if the Father cannot contain himself at that point; he's so pleased that he speaks right up.

I've had some things troubling me lately and I'm learning how to say, "Glorify your name, Father." The hard part about that is wanting the same thing God wants, but also trusting that he is even involved. He is; "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."

Blinded by the Light

John, chapter 9 - Jesus encounters a man blind from birth.

The disciples want to assign blame - who has sinned here, the blind man or his parents? At the end of chapter 9 we see the Pharisees do the same thing, telling the man he was "born in utter sin" and casting him out of the synagogue.

Jesus, on the other hand, seeks not to assign blame, but to glorify the Father and free the man through healing. I don't know about you, but I like this approach much better. At the end of the chapter, Jesus says, "I came into this world that those who do not see may see and those who see may become blind." It is clear from his later statement to the Pharisees that all of us - everyone - is spiritually blind and needs to be healed by Jesus. But the ones who refuse to confess this, and rather say that they can see, exclude themselves from grace and demand judgment.

Twisted Tree

Twisted and gnarled
Blemished and stained
Ugliness is your beauty
Imperfection your elegance

Dismembered and disjointed
Arms frame God's seascape
And form pathways for those
Who call you home

Bumps and crags
Become beauty and function
In you old tree
Is it true for me?

Rest

Oh my. We've hit the motherload of relaxation!