Reason #345

I had the craziest morning ever. New neighbors moved next door a week or two ago. They have a black cat that seems to feel more welcomed at my house than its own. Each morning when I wake up, I open the back door to let Scout out. She's not one for mornings either, so I just leave her in bed and let her go out when she's ready. I have a storm door on my back door, so she uses a dog door to get outside. Well, I woke up late this morning (as is the norm) and was rushing to get ready. I took a quick shower and as I turned off the water, I heard a loud crying noise. I was startled as it was a noise I was unfamilar with. I opened my shower door only to be greeted by the neighbor's black cat who had let him/herself through the dog door and was now in the bathroom with me. Of course, I didn't quite expect that and so I was totally caught off guard. I began to yell "GO! Shooo!" but the cat just stood there and stared at me. The only thing I could think of was to try and usher said cat back out the same way it came in by using my towel. Well, this cat was determined to stay inside and so it began to run around my bathroom. I was having no luck. It finally darted into my bedroom and began jumping all over my furniture. Scout kept herself hidden under the covers as I made many unsuccessful attempts to guide this cat back outside. The cat jumped up on my desk, and I realized I was going to have to actually pick it up and carry it outside. So, being a little nervous that I might be met with claws and sharp teeth, I grabbed him/her around the middle, held him/her out as far as possible from myself and threw him/her outside. Of course, looking back, I see how I might have over-reacted. I just hope I made a believer out of that cat and that it doesn't attempt this little trick again. And, if that weren't enough to throw a kink into my morning routine, I also happened to be a second late grabbing my hand-held mirror as it slid off the counter and shattered into tiny little pieces all over the floor. It's a good thing I'm not superstitious... and that today wasn't Friday the 13th.

I did make it to church in one piece, thank goodness, but I was frazzled to say the least.  Last night, as I was getting ready for bed, the song "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" was stuck in my head. I wasn't sure why, but I sang it to myself over and over before falling asleep. This morning, as the church service began, a few of the choir members gathered to sing this song. They sang acapella and did an incredible job. I love when God does this! I love when He places a song in my mind at night and then lets me hear it in the morning. It's almost as if He is singing a love song to me. And as I listened to the words, my heart was at peace. My frazzled feelings quickly melted away and I sat there praising Him for always taking the time to remind me how much He loves me.

Come thou long expected Jesus

Born to set thy people free

From thou fears and sins release us

Let us find our rest in thee

Israel's strenght and consolation

Hope of all the earth thou art

Dear desire of every nation

Joy of every longing heart

 

I know a lot of songs, and I know a lot of Christmas songs. I am a self-proclaimed Christmas music junkie. Love it! Actually, I'm pretty sad that I only have 2 more days to soak up Christmas music. Anyhow, this is a song I've known for a long time. But this is a song that has taken on a new meaning for me.

 

We're all born with a purprose. There is a reason He knit us together in our mother's womb. No mistakes, maybe surprises, but every life intended. Some of us are born to be doctors, teachers, service men and women, nurses, bankers, parents, missionaries, construction workers, and on and on and on. And each of us are necessary. Each one of us matters because we each play an important role whether or not we see it. We're needed and it's up to us whether or not we live out our purpose or if we choose to waste it. And so this expected Jesus as born with a purpose. A big, big purpose. A lot of responsibility was placed on those tiny shoulders from the moment He appeared. And we see here, as the song so plainly states, He was born to set us free. Born to die... to set us free. But do we really understand what that means?  He was born to set us free from shame and guilt. To free us from the ways of this world. To free us from harm and evil, despiar and grief. The things that scare us, haunt us, pull us down, entagle us, He came to set us free from those. To break the chains. To free us from addiction, from lies, from sin and ultimately from death. To free us so that we were not bound to or by anything in this world, rather we could experience freedom no matter what we faced. And this has been new for me. Because I fell victim to shame and guilt. For too long, I allowed myself to be weighed down by these feelings. And I realized that He bore those things for me so that I didn't have to carry them around. Yes, He bore my sins but He bore it all so that I didn't have to feel the weight of the world. He came to set me free. And what joy there is when one realizes that, when you realize that you aren't required to walk around burdened by shame, despair, guilt, or fear, but can trade it all in for freedom and abundant life. He came to do that. To release us from the grasp of this world and into the hands of the Creator. To give us rest and hope. That was His purpose. That's why He came, and our purpose is to live the free life He came and died to give us.

 

Our strength and our consolation. Comforter. One who knew we would struggle to live in freedom and would bind ourselves, so He came to comfort us as He freed us. Because sometimes freedom is tough. As much as it is desired, sometimes it's difficult to achieve. Almost all freedom comes at a high cost, and He knew that. And I think about myself, about the freedom I so desired and what I had to do to achieve it. What I had to let go of, what I had to give up, what I had to entrust to Him and it was hard. Scary, too. But as He freed me, He comforted me. As He freed me, He gave me strengtb to walk away from the things that weighed me down and continue on moving forward into abundance. But that was part of the purpose, yet another reason that He came.

 

And so I'm grateful for that. Grateful He came to free girls bound by chains of disgrace and shame, like me. For coming to give me strength and comfort as those very chains were broken and new life was experienced. For giving me hope and being my joy. How I thank Him for giving me a purpose, too. And I'm grateful that the long expected One came bearing a big purpose and choosing to fullfil it.

 

#345 - Beacause He came with a purpose to set us free.

 

"I, the Lord, made you, and I will not forget you. I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.” - Isaiah 44:21-22