Another’s Arms

This morning my bible study was on the blood of Christ. It’s a sticky subject, one that brings up a lot of squeamish feelings yet this blood we  so often wash off is what saved our life. The blood that washed away my shame and sin is the same blood I forget to drink in daily. Now i’m not going all twilight on you just follow me for a minute. Jesus shed his blood so you could have a second chance at life. He did this gruesome thing so you could live a life filled with his blood, so you don’t have to live a life of empty sin. So often though we reject it, we forget the price paid and the blood he spilled and we fill our lives with the emptiness of sin. We drink in temptation, addiction, lust, anger, greed, and so many other unpleasant things but when he offers his blood to wash us clean we turn our heads in disgust. Essentially we reject our father.

What hit me the most though was the question posed at the end of my study. Its a simple one really but it hurt me to the core.  Here it is

“Have you ever considered the massive rejection God set himself up for when he created us? What does this stir in your heart?”

All I could think of was my little nephew, Isaac. He went through a stage where he wanted anyone but his sweet mommy. It didn’t matter what she did he would always chose his daddy over her. Its a common thing for little boys but it hurt my sister in law to the core. He was rejecting her love. It hurt even more because Kerri labored to bring Isaac into this world. She spent months in pain, hours in contractions, all to bring this beautiful child to the world only to have him choose another’s arms over hers. It hurt to say the least. In time though the stage passed and Isaac happily chooses his mother over me any day of the week.

What a picture though, its what we do so often to our loving father. He holds out his nail pierced hands to welcome us in and we run the other way. We run to so many things that will never satisfy. We run to others, alcohol, relationships, so many things that will never love us. We reject the God who gave it all so that we could have life and for what? We run away thinking something else might love us, fill us, and satisfy us.  Yet unlike any human he doesn’t turn away hurt. He doesn”t close his arms and turn the other way he leaves his arms open. He waits, knowing one day you will realize that the arms you ran away from are the ones that can save your life. The blood you rejected is what will wash you clean.

(Bible study is Tammie Head’s Duty or Delight)