Weird Photo, Neat Story (How Marvelous)

Yes, that is my thumb... and I know it is a strange photo. But the photos goes along with what I think is a neat story. Today I decided to paint my nails... something I've been saying I need to do everyday for about 10 days now. As I was preparing to finally put on the paint, I noticed that the cuticle of my right thumb was still stained a pretty deep red. So, what caused the stain? Yesterday, we decided to pay a second visit to a new church in our area. We really enjoyed the service and felt that God spoke to us in several ways. It was refreshing to be able to SING again in worship and it was nice to be challenged and moved by a sermon! Jimmy and I have been struggling lately with many things going on in our lives, but yesterday we felt that many things were put into perspective... especially our view of who Jesus is and how much he loves us. All throughout the service yesterday there was a lady on the side of the room painting a picture. Her artwork was a mix of colors fading into a white center... and it was her artistic representation of who Jesus is to her. At the end of the service, the pastor turned our attention to the artwork. He said that the art represented Christ and we were to think of it as Christ. He then invited each of us to participate in a symbolic representation of Christ taking our sin upon himself. So we each walked to the front, dipped our thumb in deep blood red paint and pressed it into the beautiful painting. In the end, the colorful representation of Jesus was marred with our blood red finger prints. WOW! The true depth of this actually sunk in later as I was putting Declan down for his nap. I usually sing him one song... Jesus loves me... twinkle, twinkle... but for some reason... out of my mouth came this song...that has come to mean so much to me:

He took my sins and my sorrow and made them His very own,
He bore my burdens to Calvary and suffered and died alone.

When with the ransomed in Glory, His face I at last shall see,
It will be my joy through the ages to sing of His love for me.

And we're singing,
How marvelous, how wonderful,
and my song shall ever be,
How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior's love for me.

I'm choking up now just thinking about it. Not because it is so beautiful and emotional, but because I am ashamed that I've come to take this truth for granted. In the midst of our personal struggles I've found myself lacking such reverence. Christ took our sin, took our punishment, he took it all upon himself, and suffered alone for two reasons. ONE... to save Me.... to save You... to save everyone! We are no different... we are all fallen. TWO... to bring Glory to GOD! Oh, I pray for forgiveness for forgetting the importance of that last one. Even I have lost my passion to "sing of HIS love for me"... and if you know me well that may surprise you... but its true. So, I don't know if the pastor planned for everyone's fingers to stay stained for a day or two... maybe, even despite my constant hand-washing (OCD) I'm the only one who's finger is still a little red... but it doesn't matter, because I'm glad its still there. May I never forget who Jesus truly is, may I never forget His loving sacrifice, and may I never forget to "sing of His love for me."

That's my prayer... and I hope that you will stop and think today about who Christ is to you.

Sorry for the long post, but if you read it, thanks for your patience!