Who are they mad at?

Earlier today, as the news coverage of the bombing at the Boston Marathon began to unfold, my 5 year old had lots of questions. Some were the same that all of us asked following another senseless act of violence. Some were very "5 years old". But one stood out. One really made me think.

"Mommy, who are they mad at?"

At first I thought maybe she was referring to someone on TV. But when I asked who she meant, she said, "The people that blowed up the bombs. Who are they mad at?"

I told her they were just mad people. People who needed Jesus. That answer seemed to satisfy her. But it really didn't satisfy me. These evil people had no one person in mind, just destruction and chaos. Their anger (and whatever else fuels them) took lives, injured hundreds and probably changed thousands of lives. And caused many of us to re-think how safe the world around us really is...or isn't.

As I sat and thought about this misdirected anger and the damage the explosions caused, God began to speak to me. He asked me how many times my misdirected anger (or frustration or impatience or...) has wreaked havoc on those around me. How many times have I allowed the explosion of mouth to bring emotional casualties?

In so many ways these two things are completely different. But the visual of what we've seen today really is what it looks like emotionally when we come unglued and allow our mouth to explode with harmful words.

I've never considered myself an angry person. But truthfully, I've probably just called it frustration, exhaustion, impatience...maybe even conviction. But whatever you or I call it, the results of it are the same. A verbal explosion that rips and tears emotionally, often at those we love the most. A path of destruction that can take days, months, even years to "clean up".

Tonight my prayer is first for the people who have experienced something too horrendous for words. My second prayer is that I will be more mindful of my words, my reactions, my moods. That my actions and words wouldn't leave people asking "who is she mad at?" but saying "she speaks in love".

Proof

Proof. It's something that we seek throughout our lives, sometimes intentionally, sometimes totally unaware. And it's something that the world looks for in us. In those of us who call ourselves Christians. Proof. Proof of His love.

There's a song (shocker!) that I absolutely love by For King and Country, "Proof of Your Love". There's one particular release of it that I could keep on continuous loop all day. It's a release with a spoken part about I Corinthians 13 (at about the 2:30 mark in the video). Maybe it's the Aussie accent, maybe it's the interpretation...but it gets me every time. And reminds me that without love to back all that I say, all that I do, all that I accomplish, all that I learn, I am bankrupt.

Bankrupt.

It would be like Jesus performing all of the miracles, teaching all of the great sermons, socializing with outcasts. Then skipping the cross. Skipping the part that was the proof of His love, His identity. It would all have rung hollow without the promise of eternity being fulfilled...by His LOVE.

When He allowed Himself to be beaten and hung on a cross to die, like a common criminal, He allowed his LOVE for mankind to become fully realized. He set the greatest example of all for us to follow.

So why do we, as Christians, so often forget the love aspect of all that Jesus did. We see things that are contrary to the Bible's teachings and take action. In ways that are contrary to Jesus' teachings. Then we wonder why the world looks as us and wants no part of our Christianity.

Yes, we live in a sin-filled world. A world that will always run contrary to God's word. A world that will always look to disprove its teachings. But why do we provide the ammo they need by the way we respond? Why do we show such a poor representation of Jesus?

As this Easter season is upon us, reflect on His love. Reflect on his teachings. Reflect on his methods. No, He didn't win everyone over. He was still nailed to a cross. But in His unending, unfailing love His prayer even on the cross was for forgiveness, "Father, forgive them. They know not what they do."

What have any of us as Christians, especially in America, endured for the cause of Christ greater than what He himself endured? There's nothing. Nothing greater than what He endured. If Jesus, with all He endured, could act in love while being tortured on the cross, there's no circumstance in our life where we can't do the same.

As this Easter season is upon us, let our LIVES be the PROOF of his love. We live in a hurting and broken world. A world that so desperately needs his love. And world that's looking to us to be the proof. Let my life be the proof, the proof of your love.

Butterflies and Such

Spring is a season I really have to kind of make myself get into. I don't really like the warming temperatures, the pollen, the exposure of my extremely white legs because it's too hot to wear jeans. I much prefer weather that seldom if ever creeps out of the 60's that allows me to live in boots and sweaters. But here I am, in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, welcoming in Spring...a little more enthusiastically this year.

One day last week I took the puppy outside. As I wandered the yard with her waiting for her to do her business, I noticed our trees were really starting to bloom. Lots of new color. Signs of life. Then I saw it. We have this bush/tree thing, the kids call it a peanut tree. Huge lavender blooms were all over it. One stood out. This one bloom had an amazing butterfly on it.



I stood there a stared for a minute. It actually took me a minute to remember that I had my phone in my pocket. As soon as I did, I grabbed it to take a picture. But even after the picture, I stood a watched the butterfly. In the midst of all of the color, all of the blooms, here was this new life. This beautiful, vibrant life. This sign, that after the cold, harsh winter (ok, maybe not so cold OR harsh in Texas) that new life comes.

That beautiful yellow butterfly was such a beautiful reminder to me of God's faithfulness after a dark, cold season. After the winter of life has stripped the color, the vibrancy, the life from everything around you, there is a spring. And in that spring there is new life. There is growth. There are blooms. There is vibrant color. There is a butterfly that has survived the cold of winter, growing and fighting to emerge from its cocoon...full of everything that reminds us that Spring brings life.