Geronimo!

I’m always asking God for specific answers, but in the end the answer is always the same. Just trust me.

One of the most fascinating things about Jesus was how much time he spent with people. You would think that God in human flesh, knowing his time on earth was short, would have spent every minute expounding theological thoughts and doctrinal discourses. But Jesus took time out for people: good people, bad people, hyper-religious people, self-condemned people, sick people, even a few dead people.

Jesus made friends with disreputable sinners, people that society rejected: Zacchaeus, Matthew, the woman caught in adultery, the thief on the cross. He made friends with invisible people, those that society ignored or undervalued: Peter, James, John, and the rest of the disciples. He reached out to the blind and the lame and the lepers, and he healed them with no strings attached.

Keep in mind that Jesus came to show us the father (John 14:9). In other words, how he dealt with people was exactly how God deals with us. Jesus smiled at people because God smiled at them. He healed people because God wanted to heal them. He hugged people because God longed to hug them. He ate fish and chips with alcoholics, he played hide-and-seek with kids, he cracked corny jokes, and he forgave sins left and right because that’s what God would have done in his place.

He wasn’t faking anything. He wasn’t putting on a show so we would think more highly of him. He wasn’t trying to look relevant or win votes. He actually loved people.

We have to grasp this truth. Jesus didn’t come into the world to condemn it. He came to save it. He wasn’t out to highlight his holiness and shame those who didn’t measure up. He came to find sinners and offer them a way out. He came to give hope to desperate, lonely, hurting people. He came to replace our quiet desperation with righteousness and peace and joy.

Estou de bem comigo mesma. Aprendi a gostar do meu sorriso e até daquele fio de cabelo que esta sempre em pé. Também gosto da forma como eu me visto. Gosto como prendo o cabelo. Me aceitei. Acho que finalmente senti um amor próprio avassalador, criado por mim mesma, cultivado por mim mesma e em pró de… De… Ah! De mim mesma!