Jesus hold me close in Your embrace
Take me deeper, deeper than I've ever been before
I just want to love you more and more
How I long to be deeper in love
These words from Don Moen's song that was sung in church last Sun touched me in a special way.
Lately, I have been caught up with a lot of things, some emotionally draining, others physically/mentally tiring. One thing was certain - I was in a hurry in many ways. My mind was filled with all manners of thoughts relating to a project that I am handling as a volunteer, and also with an employment termination case that I was helping a friend with. I literally had no time to sit at Jesus' feet or just simply lean on His bosom. Deadlines were looming. Anxious thoughts of "what if" floated in & out of my mind. Until these words came in, that is.
For those who know me, I don't sing. For some unknown reasons, my voice has become weaker over the years as I lose my hearing. I need to make a conscious & considerable effort to speak audibly and louder than a whisper, let alone sing. Most people get louder as they become hard-of-hearing, but not me. Nevertheless, I would love to be able to sing sweetly unto Jesus, to worship in harmony with those around me. But I know it's not possible while deafness lingers in this body. Even so, I thank God for the music that so readily flow into the hearing aid that I wore. It's one of those few tunes that are actually received wholly by my limited sense of hearing. The words and tune blended gracefully, just as they were meant to, and surrounded me with the invisible arms of Jesus. I felt a sense of respite, the first time in days.
I thank God for reminding me of the need for Him and for making Himself real to me once again. I am grateful for His directions in my life and I know I will never want to walk apart from Him.
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Talk about walking apart from Jesus, just last evening, my wife shared about her colleague's marital woes. The couple, with 2 young kids, are headed towards a divorce. A fellow colleague who is single, commented that nowadays, marital infidelity and divorces are just so common, so much so that people like us who are still happily married after 10 years are the exception, rather than the norm. Is this bleak outlook the reality? A sobering thought, but one thing remains true - as much as movies and dramas make a light issue out of divorces and extra-marital affairs, it doesn't make God happy when relationships are soured and marriages broken.
A lot of times, relationships start to crack when the parties to it start to look out for their own interests and needs rather than those of the other party's. If we would just take a leaf from the Bible, we will be able to avoid much disappointments. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
If I were to paraphrase that, it means the key to a meaningful and fruitful life is to put God first, and then others before self. Simple enough, yet challenging when it comes to applying it consistently.
I have personally been through many "downs" in my work, family & social life, and if I am honest enough, most of the time, those downs occurred when either or both of the above commandments was/were breached. Perhaps life isn't really as complex as our society has made it out to be.
Food for thought for the rest of the day, and may God bless you.
Thomas
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