The Mystery, The Power

Last weekend while we were out of town our fence blew down.  Word on the street is that the wind gusts were between 70 and 75 miles per hour. Sad I missed that one. 

All week we have had our fence propped up until the Mr. could get to it this weekend. After deliberating, he decided that this job was beyond his level of expertise.  We had several men coming out on Friday to look at the fence and give us estimates of the cost. In between man one and two, a friend from church called us.  He lives down the street from us (in a b.e.a.u.tiful home) and flips houses for a living. He told my husband that he had a crew that he was going to send to our house to mend our fence. He would not take no for an answer, he would not let us pay him, he would not even let us pay for supplies. He wanted to do this for us. 

Sometimes the Lord amazes me at the ways he blesses us through the generosity of others. Even if this thought crossed our friend's mind, he didn't have to act on it. He could have not entertained the thought and nothing would have happened. But he didn't. He chose to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and respond. Because of that, we benefited greatly.  This has been the story of our lives one hundred times over. People have listened to the Lord's prompting on their hearts and given to us, done for us, encouraged us, prayed for us. It amazes me each time. It mystifies me.

Part of me doesn't get it. Why? Why does my God, my Creator, my Sustainer, my Hope and my Promise care so much about the details of my life and about reminding me that he does care and he does love me beyond measure? Alhough I know the answer in my head and even in my heart, so much of the Lord is still a mystery to me.  Why would Jesus die so that I can live in freedom and with hope? Yet Jesus was subjected to a humiliating murder on a cross just so that people, measly sinners, thousands of years later can look at his act, his life and his suffering and know that he IS God. He must be. He has to be. He is. Why would anyone do that? And the answer is: they wouldn't. Unless they were God and they knew the impact, the change, the promise, the hope and every other great word that you could fill in the blank with that it would bring to the world forever.  He did because he is the great I Am.

Instances like the small one on Friday remind me that God does care about the details: the fences. Bigger instances like the one that happened on a Friday thousands of years ago remind me that God cares about the bigger picture: redeeming my life. And while I am eternally grateful for Jesus act on the cross, my hope doesn't end there. 

It continues because 

he is risen. 

The truth: Christ has died.

The hope: Christ is risen.

The promise: Christ will come again.

Happy Christ IS Risen Day!