This photo was taken by Robert Aichinger posted at http://www.sxc.hu
How do you see the cross?
I am blessed and thankful to have found this photo as it reminded me figuratively on how I tried to foolishly, mistakably and unmindfully, several years ago, see our Lord Jesus Christ from my perspective not His. I tried to find and see Him then, from how I wanted to visualize Him. I took our Lord in the past to suit and magically answer my needs not borne out of love but out of possible answers more often founded on wants and quick fix solutions. I practically focused on the cross and Jesus as my “genie” which often ended up in frustration. Why, because the more I prayed then my way towards God, the more distant and unresponsive seemingly He was to me. I was developing a prayer attitude with wrong motives and not seeking His will and wisdom perfectly fit for me and His purposes. I forgot that He is God and my Creator and I was just fashioned by Him for His glory.
Realizing this, I humbly asked for His grace that He may reveal Himself more meaningfully. What I had with God during that time, was a mechanical often empty relationship founded on traditional religiosity and not out of true love.
Then by God’s loving grace and mercy, I finally saw Him not from my eyes but this time from my heart, as God Himself says in Romans 10:10
“for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation”.
The same blinding flash of light blocking my viewpoint to see the empty cross in the picture, ran parallel to the selfish priorities, bondages and “barriers” in life that became distractions from my focus on God. Not only was my viewing angle blocked but I totally almost missed out on the saving sacrifice that Jesus did for me and all of us on the cross, 2,000 years ago by His death and victorious resurrection.
In John 14:6, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
As the beautiful song Amazing Grace puts it: ” I was blind but now I see”. Can you “see” the cross amidst the distracting flash? I pray that you do just like I did years ago. See from your heart and not from your eyes. Morever, I pray that you do not only ponder but more receptively, believe, trust and confess that Jesus is Lord and Saviour. Make your relationship with Christ a personal one.
Believe you me, the journey with Jesus shall indeed be life-changing. Only from a see-thru viewpoint of the empty cross can you experience why God’s saving grace is hands-down amazing!
Have a blessed week ahead!
About me
Firstly, the photo displayed for my profile is not my picture. I chose it though to always remind myself have an attitude of thanks and praise to our dear Lord Jesus Christ.At my age of past 50 years, I could not stop but pause, look up with thanksgiving how gracious and loving our God is. Everytime I open my eyes every morning and see that I breathe free air that comes from Him, I can’t stop saying thank you Lord for this life you have lent and extended me that I have so often taken for granted in the past.
I see my wife and 2 daughters and I can’t help but say thanks further Lord for my family. Then the rest of the family, relatives, friends come across my mind that all the more add up towards an attitude of appreciation.
I act like this because the past years have been the lowest points in my business and corporate life yet these are the most meaningful and joyful moments when our good Lord has enhanced my perspective, values, priorities and walk.
A dear first cousin of mine in the US, gifted me with a book called, Grace Walk Experience by Steve Mcvey, and indeed it was a walk-thru that molded and humbled me further recognizing the amazing unmerited grace that God has extend me and everyone of us who responds to His word.
Well, as I hopefully continue on blogging, re-blogging, sharing and posting with tumblr, my prayer is that I may be able to enthusiastically (which by the way, was originally taken from the greek “en-theos siasm” , meaning in God’s Spirit) talk about things from an outlook of how God wants me to see things from His perspective.
