Hello, friends. It has been some time since a post. I am having a wonderful time writing but for others and do not have the option of posting those pieces--or the time to write more. I will be considering what to do with my blogs but wanted to share this with Easter Greetings. May you have a wonderful time rejoicing in the Victory of Easter. with love, Billie Jo
The human body sometimes reacts to great stress with a
defensive redirecting of the blood that is known as vasospasm. In these times, blood vessels in the
extremities shut down stopping the flow of blood to those areas. Blood-less, life-less cold spreads quickly
into the areas affected.
Spiritually we sometimes see a similar phenomenon. Hurts in life cause us to withdraw from the
pain. We turn inward and restrict the
flow of the Spirit from the outward stresses.
Both are human reactions. Both
withdraw life. Christ shows us another
way.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ faced horrendous
distress. He understood the darkness of
sin and separation from the Father that was soon to weigh upon Him. Yet in that garden—before any physically
struck Him, Christ’s blood flowed out to a dying world. God’s Word tells us great drops of blood
dripped as He prayed. Christ
sacrificially lived before He died as the Sacrificial Lamb. He looked outward and upward, not
inward. His life followed His gaze.
We, as Christians, live because He loved enough to refuse
self-focused living. Forsaken by his
closest friends, sold-out by a close associate, hated by His Father’s chosen
people, Christ had every reason to ‘self-protect.’ Yet He pursued the Father’s purpose and brought
life to all who would believe. We can
choose to let that same life flow in us and by-pass ‘human reactions.’ Although Christ became human, He did not
allow humanity to dictate His life. We
must not either.
When a vasospasm incident passes, blood flows back into the
afflicted regions with stinging pain.
That pain brings life. In our
spiritual lives, the pain of conviction brings healing through repentance. Restored to Life, we become vessels of life
for others. Let us follow the example of
our Savior who, though God, learned obedience through suffering. Jesus came that we might have life and have
it more abundantly—let us embrace His purposes!
