"I'm so sorry for all that you've had to endure."
"How are you dealing with all of this?"
These are some of the statements/questions I deal with on a daily basis.
Our community is large, but still small enough that lots of people know about the year I've had.
(Or maybe I just know A LOT of people...)
Sometimes, I think I don't know how to answer that question.
How do you deal with losing both parents, unexpectedly, within three months of each other?
But I know it's not a question of "how".
It's a "who".
Jesus.
Now before you think I'm getting all spiritual on you, and you click away, I want to encourage you to keep reading.
This post may look different than you think.
You see, I know a lot of people don't want to hear people talking about Jesus.
It makes them uncomfortable.
Because maybe they've had a bad experience with 'Christians' before.
Or maybe they assume we think we're perfect or better than everyone else.
(Which, let me clarify, isn't true!)
There could be lots of reasons.
But let me tell you about the Jesus I know.
The Jesus I know is solid as a rock.
When everything else was crazy, He was constant.
He was the One that never left.
His love never failed me. Not even once.
It's like an ocean that never goes dry. I could swim in it the rest of my life and I'll never run out of His love.
That's what True Love looks like.
Because at some time, everyone and everything will disappoint me. My husband, my kids, my friends...life.
But not Him.
His love is the *only* thing that I can count on forever.
And that's what has carried me, (literally), through this past year.
Another thing about Jesus,
The Jesus I know loves you.
He loves you just the way you are. Right now. Without changing one thing about yourself.
He is wide open.
He is ready to catch anything you can throw at Him.
Doubt? He's got it.
Insecurity? No sweat!
Anything else? Already covered.
You see, the things that keep us from Jesus is our stuff. It has nothing to do with Him.
He doesn't ask you for anything.
The only thing you need to do, is fall into Him.
He'll take care of the rest.
If there's something in you that needs to change, He'll do that.
No need to wait until you're perfect or until you've got it together.
Because you never will.
That's what He is for.
But I can promise you that once you do Fall into Him, you will fall in love with Him.
You will be so carried away that you can't imagine life without Him.
You will know a joy that you never imagined.
Even in the most horrific of times.
Because His love trumps all of that.
If you don't know His love in this way, then you don't know the real Jesus.
And if you don't know the real Jesus, then why not?
What are you waiting for?
Don't let another day go by without experiencing True Love.
Talk to Him.
Tell Him you want to know that kind of love.
His love.
He'll take care of the rest.
