Is Jesus Sad When I'm Sad?

John 11:35 Jesus Wept. 

The shortest verse in the Bible and can also be so comforting, your able to see Jesus in a new way. It goes against any belief that God has no emotions and no messy involvement with people. God cares how you feel and can even be touched by your brokenness. Even if you can't put into words exactly how deep your hurt goes. When all you can do is cry. 

The story of Lazarus was more about Jesus than it is about Lazarus, the depth of the story showed that you don't have to hide your grief, your broken heart, your hurt, from Him. He can be moved by it. Jesus wept because we wept. He can relate to us. [To read the full story read John chapter 11]

When He saw everyone crying over the death of Lazarus He also cried openly, He empathized with their grief and perhaps He was troubled at some of the people's unbelief of who He is and His power but in either situation Jesus proved that He cared enough for us to cry with us in our heart break.

I am NOT a public cryer, now I do cry every now and then, as does most people but crying in front of anyone is real uncomfortable for me. To me crying is a very vulnerable thing. I remember a couple years ago a friend of mine comforted me while I was crying. You see, at that time it had been about 3 years since we had been friends and I never showed any real vulnerability so when I did, the person gently smiled and said .. "this is the most human I've ever seen you". . (LOL) My friend didn't think I was a walking robot but was just saying that I had never exhibited this amount of vulnerability and openness .

Speed forward to this past Sunday, the church that I attend has groups that meet in between services to just talk, meet people and just support others. I sat in on the Women's group and these women shared some of their life experiences that they've been through and some are even still going through. Hearing their stories, struggles, victories, moved me, I just remember feeling so much compassion toward them and it moved me to the point of crying WITH them. 

How much more compassion does Jesus have toward you and what you're going through? 

Why did Jesus cry if He already knew He was going to raise up Lazarus?....because He understands the pain, the brokeness, He's not cold or emotionless that He cannot relate to your broken heart. If you think He's not concerned about you and you're well being you need to remember how much love He has, He IS LOVE. His heart is too big not to be moved by your tears.

He cried WITH the people who were mourning Lazarus' death . He was moved by their pain, He saw them and understood how they felt. He shared the experience with them. Not just the tragedy of Lazarus' death but the victory of Lazarus being risen.

Jesus' heart is for you, not just when your heart is broken and you feel like no one gets it, but when you come out of it. He already sees your victory through this. He already planned it out....but what's great about it is just because He knows the day of your deliverance before hand doesn't mean He won't walk with you through your struggle and that His heart isn't concerned for you.

In John chapter 11 you see a lot of Jesus' emotions ; compassion, sorrow, even frustration.

You can't be afraid or hesitant to be real with Jesus, as if He can't possibly understand what you're going through, He understands them because He's experienced those emotions. You don't have to carry the heavy burdens of your pain anymore. You can completely let it go and be transparent with Him with no fear of judgement. 

The same Jesus who cried with all those who was mourning is the One who delivered them from their pain.

EPIC Love Story

If you don't know God, you're missing out on the greatest Love story of your life.

With Valentines Day being just a couple days away, love is pretty much the topic of discussion leading up to it, among almost everyone. Love is great, who doesn't love....love? Of course to be loved and to show love can completely soften even the hardest of hearts. One of our greatest needs as human beings is to be loved, to know that we are cared for and accepted and loved without conditions.

There is a love, a FIRST love that should never go unnoticed, because this One, IS love. He doesn't just have lots of love, for everyone that has ever lived, and has so much of it that He can't help but to shower His people with new grace everyday, there's more..... He is in fact...Love itself.  I don't know if you've ever thought of the fact that that's exactly who He is. Sometimes just thinking about that in depth can overwhelm you.

I was naive in what I thought the definition of what love is, I would say that "everyone has their own definition of what love is to them, and I guess thats what it is".... but there is a true definition of what it looks like:

1 Corinthians 13:4-6

Love is patient, Love is kind, it does not envy it does not boast it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the Truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves.

You have to remind yourself that God embodies all of those things because thats who He is. Everything we can ever look for in true love is found in Him. He should be, and in reality is, our first love, He sets the standard, gives the definition and IS the example of what love is.

*There is so many levels to His love that without it we wouldn't be able to even think about having a relationship with Him;


His love is UNCONDITIONAL:

Now, I remember I was having a disagreement with someone and they said that my love, generally, is conditional. That if an offense occurred or something wasn't completely right then my love would waiver and you know what, that person was absolutely right. Of course I didn't say that and at the time I didn't even believe it but comparing my acts of love to God's I would say that there was truth to that statement.

*What's amazing about God's love is that He showers us with it when we are undeserving of it and continues even if we don't acknowledge it. We're not worthy of His love and thats what makes it that much more great.*

As humans, flawed, we tend to automatically show more love to the people who show us love back and may sometimes withhold it from those who have hurt us or haven't "earned" it. God is not like that at all:

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting Life.

I want you to really think about that for a minute. It says that "whosoever" believes in Him.... God was aware that there would be some people who would not believe in His sinless, precious Son but "God so loved the world" not just the people who would believe. His Son, Jesus, dying for the world was a open gift to anyone who wants to receive it. That love is completely and perfectly UNCONDITIONAL.



God's love is SELFLESS and SACRIFICIAL:

Romans 5:8

For God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1John 4:9-10

God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 

I don't know about you but I couldn't imagine giving up an innocent family member to die for sinful people and I also don't know anyone who would willingly agree to it.

Love is an ACTION,  a choice. I would even say love is an action and choice above feelings. If you're going off of feelings, whether its feelings of attraction, desperation, etc to love someone. Then its only a matter of time before the feeling fades. Emotions are unstable, they come and go. The decision to love comes with responsibility and sacrifice. It's expressed by the giving of oneself. Love cannot be selfish. It just can't, if it was then it wouldn't be love. Love isn't about YOU its about the giving of yourself to the object of your affections. Being selfish dwells on what you can get out of the relationship, how you will benefit, all about how the person makes YOU feel....Love is about what you can do to uplift, build and encourage that person and give sacrificially and selflessly to that person. (This isn't just about loving someone you're in a relationship with, its about the love you choose to act out toward everyone)

 *"The opposite of love isn't hate, its selfishness" C.S Lewis*

God's Love can CHANGE your life and COMFORT you:

Even if you mess up and fall short, stumble, and miss the mark God's love is sufficient enough to comfort you through your guilt and fear. You don't have to walk around with your head down, shamed and beating yourself up. God's love fills every void that you have. It makes you whole, it brings you back to real life and overwhelms you with happiness. God's love picks you up and cleans you off. 

God isn't mad at you, stop putting Him in a box that has Him depicted in your mind as Someone who is anxiously waiting to punish you or feeling like you can't talk to Him because of your past. That box you may have put God in, you might as well forget about it. He doesn't fit in it anyway. Theres no box big enough that God can fit in, and if you've thought of one...you're thinking too small.... Look, everyone has a past, everyone has baggage God isn't blind, in fact He's all knowing,  He sees everything, He knows everything you've ever done and is going to do. His love covers you. He desires to love and help you to heal from your past and to stop sinning.

1John 4:18

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.

His love is perfect and to experience it will expand your wisdom, how you think, how you react to people. God's perfect love can change your life.

Philippians 1:6

And I am certain that God who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

God's love lasts FOREVER:

Jeremiah 3:13

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: " I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with everlasting kindness"

He loved us before we were born, He already knew us, His loving eyes are always on us, we're valuable to Him, He even numbers the hair on our head (Luke 12:7). His love is intense and overwhelming in ever good way....His love is infinite.

Since God is love, God's love is also Holy because He's Holy. His love encourages us to be Holy as well.

Ephesians 1:4

For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be Holy and blameless in His sight. In love

We can't live up to the standard of love and holiness without Jesus. If we could, we wouldn't have desperately needed Him and still need Him and He wouldn't have to have died for us. What we're grateful for is that He allowed us to see His love so that we can know what true love is. Real love looks like Jesus and if the love you're giving and receiving doesn't remind you of Him then there should be some reevaluating that needs to be done. 

Ask God to help you to love Him and everyone the way that He does. He'll always help.

Ephesians 3:19

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fulness of life and power that come from God.

God loves you like crazy,

Gaelle M. D