I don't have a picture of myself on this blog... Yet. To be quite honest and frank about it, I am not sure I ever will. Not because I am overtly shy or have three ears. No, I am not sure I will have a picture because I don't want this blog to be about me.
Seems antithetical, doesn't it? I mean, most bloggers blog because it is about them. I have one of those kinds of blogs as well... This blog isn't about me, per se - It is about our inner Bag Ladies or Bag-Persons, as it were. That part of us that we are not sure we want any one to know about or look upon, but that definitely lurks beneath the surface of who we are. The parts of our personalities that don't match up with who we are on the outside, the parts that don't look very "Christian" to the naked, untrained eye.
Maybe it is shame that drives the hiding, or maybe it is pride - Frankly, it doesn't matter. We know it is there and more importantly God knows it is there, there simply isn't any hiding from Him.
The most amazing part? Although He knows it is there, He doesn't see it. He sees his children as the bright and shining image of his son, Jesus Christ.
God recognizes we are flawed in our sin, but He never holds that against us like we hold it against ourselves. God doesn't flog us in our self-hatred like we do to ourselves. Don't get me wrong - He will and does discipline us. But His discipline is just, while ours is just ineffective flailing, not accomplishing anything but more shame, more self hatred and more hiding. His discipline creates in us a haven and a rightness that breeds light, not darkness. It is still discipline and sometimes incredibly painful consequences arise from it, but it is what God is referring to when He tells us He will work all things together for good to those who love Him (Rom 8:28). With His discipline comes a peace where we would place self-loathing, joy where we would produce shame, and reconciliation where we would still be mired in conflict.
It is our inner Bag Lady that I want to examine here. The person who so desperately needs to wheel her cart into the Throne Room and have it emptied of its filthy contents that seem to drag at her and keep her tethered to this earthly image of herself. It is at the feet of her saviour that she can lay her burdens down and exchange them for the true gifts of fellowship and acceptance with the one true God. It is in the Throne Room that she can become the "most favored of God", "the one whom God loves".
We are that special to our Lord, you know... He considers each and everyone of us His favorite. It is in that status that I can truly understand why John always referred to himself as "the one whom Jesus loves". He wasn't being arrogant, as it might appear. He simply understood that in that very special and hard to comprehend relationship with the Almighty, he had Jesus' undivided attention and unconditional love. He knew at his core Jesus would never be too busy to answer his call or look at John with contempt as our human counterparts often do. He understood his relationship with the Lord was built on more than that and he didn't have to understand it all to feel incredibly grateful for it.
When you open yourself to a relationship with Jesus Christ you become a favored child, just as if you were the only child of God. He waits anxiously, as any parent would, to have you sit at His feet to learn, to share and to unburden your soul. God is the Creator of all things and He alone is worthy of handling all you can throw at Him. Won't you come and lay down your burdens today? He is waiting.
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