I have been on an incredible emotional journey over the last couple hours or so. Right in the midst of my praise and worship over the birthmark, The Holy Spirit caused me to reminisce, while at the same time Jesus was speaking in my ear.
Years ago, when I lived in Atlanta, right before returning to Houston, for what would be revealed as, not simply a homecoming, but the assignment (of a lifetime), I would visit the "Stations of The Cross Garden" at a Catholic church, near where I lived. The Garden was beautiful and very serene, and I usually visited on weekends. Yet, it never seemed to fail that, no matter how often I visited, everytime I got to station nine, I would break down weeping; sometimes almost uncontrollably. As The Holy Spirit was reminding me of that beautiful time in my life, Jesus began speaking to me. He told me that, despite the many sufferings He endured, what hurt Him most was that the very ones for whom He was suffering, and would also die, sought, not only to strip Him of his dignity; but to likewise deny Him his deity. Thus, the crown of thorns. And so I began to cry all over again. Just a weeping mess.
It dawned on me that this wasn't just some random occurrence, but Jesus was "following up on," so to speak, or rather acknowledging and infusing some concreteness into my recent entry regarding His suffering on our behalves. Moreover, because I do not believe in coincidences, it has also not escaped me, that this revelation, imparted through a birthmark, surrounds that other topic, in the same post, regarding legitimacy and birthright.
Now before you jump down my throat, as some have been known to do, in "straining out the gnat, but swallowing the camel whole;" there's a difference between worshipping and acknowledging. I do not worship statues, mine was simply a spiritually compassionate reaction to a touching depiction of Jesus's journey. No different, I supposed from those who bow before the cross, or wear a crucifix as a piece of jewelry. What matters is the position and condition of our hearts.
God never ceases to amaze me in the ways that He chooses to communicate with me. There is so much more that He has imparted recently that there doesn't seem to be adequate time to properly relay it all.
Years ago, when I lived in Atlanta, right before returning to Houston, for what would be revealed as, not simply a homecoming, but the assignment (of a lifetime), I would visit the "Stations of The Cross Garden" at a Catholic church, near where I lived. The Garden was beautiful and very serene, and I usually visited on weekends. Yet, it never seemed to fail that, no matter how often I visited, everytime I got to station nine, I would break down weeping; sometimes almost uncontrollably. As The Holy Spirit was reminding me of that beautiful time in my life, Jesus began speaking to me. He told me that, despite the many sufferings He endured, what hurt Him most was that the very ones for whom He was suffering, and would also die, sought, not only to strip Him of his dignity; but to likewise deny Him his deity. Thus, the crown of thorns. And so I began to cry all over again. Just a weeping mess.
It dawned on me that this wasn't just some random occurrence, but Jesus was "following up on," so to speak, or rather acknowledging and infusing some concreteness into my recent entry regarding His suffering on our behalves. Moreover, because I do not believe in coincidences, it has also not escaped me, that this revelation, imparted through a birthmark, surrounds that other topic, in the same post, regarding legitimacy and birthright.
Now before you jump down my throat, as some have been known to do, in "straining out the gnat, but swallowing the camel whole;" there's a difference between worshipping and acknowledging. I do not worship statues, mine was simply a spiritually compassionate reaction to a touching depiction of Jesus's journey. No different, I supposed from those who bow before the cross, or wear a crucifix as a piece of jewelry. What matters is the position and condition of our hearts.
God never ceases to amaze me in the ways that He chooses to communicate with me. There is so much more that He has imparted recently that there doesn't seem to be adequate time to properly relay it all.
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