Tougher Than Nails – Holy Saturday

Yesterday, as always on Good Friday with my husband, I watched "The Passion of the Christ" movie again. Not for entertainment, but for reminding me of the unspeakable price Christ paid for me. I think Mel Gibson got it right because Isaiah 52:14 says "His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness". Our Lord was nailed to the cross and bore every sin we've ever committed. He carried every sickness we have ever had, and will have. He gave His life so that we would live forever and ever with Him. That was His promise, but this day after -- the day-in-the-middle -- the day between Christ's crucifixion and His resurrection, His disciples and followers could only think: "It's all over for us! Life will never be the same again."

This “in-the-middle” day between the crucifixion and the resurrection must have been a dark day for them all. They had forgotten Jesus said: “I’ll be back!” But, praise God, WE KNOW what happens tomorrow – so it’s not a gloomy day at all! We know that Jesus was tougher than the nails that hung Him from the cross. We know JOY COMES in the MORNING!

I googled “tougher than nails” to find a graphic for this blog and a country song by Joe Diffie popped up. I listened to it. It’s about the “toughest man he knows”. Here are the lyrics, and if you’d like a little “country” on this Saturday morning – take a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOE3dnMq9CI

Little boy walks in with a bloody nose,
Got beat up on his way home from school, again,
His dad caught him running out the back,
Tears in his eyes and a baseball bat, oh -- revenge,
Said: “Son I won't stop ya, but before you go,
Let me tell you a little story about the toughest man I know,
You hit him and he just turns the other cheek,
Don't think for a minute he was weak,
'Cause in the end he showed them,
He was any-thing but frail,
They hammered him to a cross,
But he was tougher than nails.

Well he dropped that bat like it weighed a ton,
Father put his arms around his son and said, just let it go!
Believe me I've been in your shoes,
Had to ask myself what would Jesus do, here's what I know,
Whenever I'm in doubt, I look up what he said,
It's all there in the good book, in black and white and red,
Hit him and he just turns the other cheek,
Don't think for a minute he was weak,
'Cause in the end he showed them,
He was any-thing but frail,
They hammered him to a cross,
But he was tougher than nails,
Yeah in the end he showed them,
He was any-thing but frail,
They hammered him to a cross,
But he was tougher than nails,
Tougher than nails, oh, oh, oh,

What does it mean to be "tough?" Though I’m amplifying the real toughness of our Savior – I’d like to amplify the toughness of my fellow “shelter-in-place” friends. The expression "tougher than nails" is generally used to describe someone who is physically strong, but I know physical strength can’t be compared to the tenacity, fortitude, determination and resilience of people during these times. I’m thinking our big Brother, Jesus, must be mighty proud of His brothers and sisters – demonstrating their toughness. You resemble Him.

Jesus set the example for us. Even before the cross – Jesus was tougher than nails. He was constantly mocked, criticized, and ostracized. He was always challenged spiritually, emotionally and physically. But, like Joe Diffie’s song said “He was tougher than nails.” Our first reactions are to retaliate, to have to have the last word, to speak our mind, to prove ourselves right. Not Jesus – He was tougher than nails in His everyday reactions to hatred and loved right through them all. That is what is called “Tougher than Nails”!

Being a devoted follower of Christ is something that can definitely be described as "tough." We may not all have the physical stamina to be on the front lines, but we do have the ability to forgive when someone has wronged us and to love in spite of what is said or done to us. When we follow our Lord’s lead, we, too, can safely call ourselves "tough" in a way that honors the price He paid for us. When we look to our Savior we are strengthened because we remember that we serve the One who was "tougher than nails." Please, make me more like You, Jesus! Tougher than nails.

We’ve Arrived….Well, Maybe Not!

I think back on my life and the times I thought I had “arrived”. I had a boyfriend at last! I’ve arrived! I graduated from high school. I’ve arrived. I landed a great job. I've arrived! I got married. I’ve arrived. I had a baby --- then, two babies! I’ve arrived. In reality, those were never arrivals. They were simply journeys that still continue – even to today.

Once upon a time, I thought being a Christian was a “you’ve arrived kind of thing.” The truth is: I haven't arrived. I am still in great need of my Savior. I must lean on him...24/7. Sometimes I'd like to retreat -- even for a 10-minute nap! To say it’s often a battle puts it mildly. But the crazy good news is this – the battle is good. Good for us. It makes us warriors.

God has the game plan and assures us of a win....eventually. So I’ve come to be okay with the battle. We often get "bruised and battered" in the combat, but the battle makes us wiser and more aware of the same old schemes and tactics of the enemy of our souls. We get stronger. He gets dumber. He is such a loser.

The truth is our faith journey isn’t about arriving. It is about carrying on. We "pick up our cross and follow Jesus" -- no turning back. Our journey is about grabbing hold of the hem of Jesus’ garment and hanging on for dear life. And while we're holding on, we trust that the enemy is waving the white flag of surrender and shouting "CEASE FIRE"! But we don't cease fire. We are in it to win it and no doubt we will because the Lord is with us as a mighty warrior (Jeremiah 20:11).

I've had my times on the battlefield. I assure you -- all the battle scars turn into our testimony. People hear our story and are often star-struck at God in us. We point heavenward because you and I both know, it is a miracle that we’re still here and we’re still standing -- because of God's amazing grace!

This faith ride that we’re on isn’t a one-time ticket where we can say “I’ve arrived!” it is a continual commute. It is a consistent day-by-day, in the trenches of life, even being engaged in an ongoing battle that must be fought minute-by-minute. We are in the middle of it each day and we will not surrender. We will not give up because, in God’s sight and His all-knowing end of the story – we win. It all counts. It is all worth it. God sees. The celebrations will begin when we step over to the other side and it all will be worth it. In the meantime.....we suit up, show up and FORWARD march!

"Christ, the royal Master leads against the foe; forward into battle. See, His banners go! Onward Christian Soldiers! Marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before."

Holy Saturday -- the Cross Makes the Difference

Today is the in-between day of our Savior’s agony on the cross -- one of the cruelest methods of execution ever practiced, slowly dying in despicable humiliation, His dead body placed in a tomb – sealed and done! But, then comes tomorrow -- the day when all HELL had to break loose of what it thought was its captive – RESURRECTION Sunday! I hear God saying to us “Hold on, My Children – JOY COMES IN THE MORNING!”

But this day, I’m still fixed on what happened yesterday – more specifically, fixed on the “Old Rugged Cross – the emblem of suffering and shame”. Perhaps it’s because of this photo that I’ve seen many times in my social media feeds. It is a photo of Notre Dame Cathedral’s cross that remained unscathed after the horrific fire. The “Cross of Jesus” is what represents our Savior’s great love for us.

The cross! What once represented an inhumane, torturous death sentence, now is a symbol of love. That’s why you rarely see me not wearing one of my precious cross pendants or cross earrings or a bracelet that dangles a cross. The cross is my “statute of liberty” as one old song proclaims.

While I cherish my “jewelry” crosses as expressions and symbols of my faith, I’m not quite sure I like the cross Jesus referred to here: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to be My disciple, let them deny themselves…and take up their cross.” Matthew 16:24. When I hear the words, “Take up your cross", I know He means daily suffering, opposition, humility, dying to self, staying silent when that’s the last thing I want to do, being a servant to others, and carrying burdens that are often too heavy to bear. But, I know without the cross, there are no crown wearers in heaven.

The fact is we all must carry our own crosses in this life. Doesn’t sound like a ticket to Disneyland, does it? But, oh, it is so much better. It is a ticket to joy and peace, faith and hope and eternity with He Who paid the ultimate price for my salvation. What God offers is the promise that He is with us in our suffering; that He can bring good out of it and that one day He will put a stop to it and redeem it. The cross is not only God’s way of saying we are not alone in our suffering, but also that God has entered into our suffering through his own suffering.

Last night at our Good Friday service, my Pastor said, "The cross reminds us we have a high priest who sympathizes with our sufferings and was tested in every way we have been. The One who provides us strength is the same One who shares His victory with us. When He rises from the grave -- so do we!" None of us are without crosses to bear, but all of us have the opportunity to know the Savior Who promises us a FOREVER with Him. It’s not Disneyland, but FOREVER-Land. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, Resurrection morning and the ultimate tomorrow....when I see my Savior and my God, face to face.

A Child is Born and Child-Like Faith

A Child is Born and Child Like Faith

One of my fondest memories, as a child, was memorizing a Christmas poem for my church’s Children’s Christmas Program. It may have been the simplest of words “Christmas is a time of joy. It started with a baby boy. He came to save us from our sins. Won’t you let him be your friend?” But those words resonated in my young soul. It meant practicing our poems and the songs we would sing at the program, as well as getting our costumes made or borrowed for the Nativity Play. Then the big night came when I, along with the other children, would sing in the Children’s Choir and hold up acrostic letters that spelled J-E-S-U-S and recite our poems that themed the birth of Jesus. There would always be a re-enactment of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem, arriving at the stable, placing a baby doll in the manger and the angels appearing to the shepherds. Then the grand finale came when the shepherds and wise men bowed down and worshiped the newborn king.

This exciting night of children being children with bloopers and blunders and little ones waving at their parents and boys with shirts untucked from their pants, that all culminated with the reward of a paper bag filled with an orange, an apple and hard candy for each child. It was the best reward EVER!

We got it right back then – everything exciting started and finished with the birth of Jesus. Maybe it was because I was a child with very few responsibilities. After all, I only had to memorize some lines in a poem and pose as an angel at the manger scene, but now I think, in the middle of the busyness, the to-do lists and a loaded up calendar, that we’re missing that simplistic approach to Christmas. Maybe I knew so much more than I do now. Because what I remember from those times, more than anything else, is the feeling of the wonder of realizing that sweet little baby boy, Jesus, came for me.

Maybe it’s because the older I get. the simpler I desire my life to be.. The reality that Jesus came for me and all He wanted in return was for me to love Him back, seems like the answer to it all. I started complicating things. Somehow, the Christmas story was more about what I do -- decorating my home to look like a Christmas Store, finding the perfect gifts, how well I can tie bows, making all my Christmas cookies, choosing the perfect outfit and making sure the table is set just right.

But the angels didn’t say, “Good news! You get to try hard. You get to wear yourself out. You get to make sure you have it all together.” Instead they declared: “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. (Luke 2:10-11)

Great joy! A Savior! For us! This reminds me that the heart of Christmas has always been about two things: A child in a manger and childlike faith. I sang "Away in a Manger" with my childlike faith and I believed it. “I love Thee Lord Jesus, look down from the sky, and stay by my cradle till morning is nigh. Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay, close by me forever, and love me, I pray. Bless all the dear children, in Thy tender care and take us to Heaven to live with Thee there.”

Childlike faith is not about hustle; it’s about humility. It’s not about perfection; it’s about grace. It’s not about effort; it’s about extravagant love. Maybe we could all go back to the simpler, easier, less stressful way of celebrating this most beautiful night when Christ was born. Maybe we could sit in our living rooms on a silent night. Maybe we could read the story again and remember the version we understood long ago -- the one that’s still true today. Jesus came. We are loved. We love Him back. That is all that really matters.