Followers

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

"Jesus Lived in the Grey Areas"

"Jesus lived in the grey areas" 
someone said to me the other day.
We were discussing 
my son,
which wove in and around
life,
God,
music,
school, 
relationships, 
 challenges.

It was one of those conversations that I wished could go on for hours.
The kind where you want to curl up on a comfortable couch,
 sipping a glass of wine
with time stretching out before you.

I've been ruminating over his words for days now.

That's the problem with Jesus,
I've decided.
He lived/lives in the grey areas.

The grey areas aren't safe.
They aren't predictable.

Like shadows, 
grey areas spill outside of the box.

And it's hard to see in the grey areas.
Not quite light, 
but not quite dark either,
it's in between, 
causing me to grope about,
squinting even
trying to move forward.

Jesus hung out with the people of the grey areas,
people on the fringe. 
Those that need "doctors",
(His words)
those in most need,
which truth be told
 is EVERY single one of us.

And through it all,
He loved,
and loved, 
and loved,
unconditionally,
but with Truth. 

I used to live in the black and white.
It was safe,
concrete,
certain,
clear,
simplistic.

The problem was there wasn't any grace.
Grace is Jesus's middle name, 
I think.

Legalism kills.
Grace nurtures.

I know God is not just Jesus.
I mean, 
as Christians we take the three in one approach,
the Father (God), 
the Son (Jesus)
and the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit)
all together,
wrapped up in one grand package
the THREE equaling the ONE.

Yes,
 it's hard to wrap my brain around.

God the Father,
to me is the Old Testament One.
The One who struck people dead
for accidentally touching the Arch of the Covenant, 
for example.
Or the One who told the Israelites to commit genocide,
wiping out entire groups of people, 
men, 
women,
children,
even infants.

Then the Son, 
Jesus.
The Creator.
The Word,
who became flesh.
Jesus, 
the one who KNOWS 
what it is to be human,
to suffer.
The one who gets us,
warts,
greed,
brokenness,
pain,
evil hearts,
good deeds,
everything.

And the Holy Spirit,
the nebulous,
the inner conscious,
the one who Jesus promised,
the still small voice.

Somehow,
I am to wrap all three together
creating a picture of the One
the Being,
the Universe,
the Truth,
the Creator,
the Essence of  the Something
that has to be. 

But it's Jesus
that stands,
for me.

It's Jesus
with his grace,
unconditional love,
Truth,
humanness,
that I connect with.

It's the grayness of Jesus I love. 

The problem with Jesus,
I've decided
is the beauty of the grayness.














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