Have you found Jesus yet?

I read this in a book that I started last night, Why the Jesus Seminar Can't Find Jesus and Grandma Marshall Could by David Marshall:

Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Have you found Jesus yet, Gump?
Forrest: I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for him, sir.  (quote from Forrest Gump)

And then, thought of the lines to one of my favorite songs:

looking for love in all the wrong places.
Looking for love in too many faces.
Searching their eyes, looking for traces
of what I'm dreaming of. (Lyrics from Looking for Love)

And then heard, so clearly:
Psalm 46:10  He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I also got to thinking about part of a book that I had read that spoke about Mary carrying God, pregnant with the Creator, and then compared her with God inside her, to us, having Him inside us.

Romans 8:9-11 (New International Version, ©2010) 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[a] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[b] his Spirit who lives in you.

Why go looking, when He is right there, inside us, just waiting for us to open our hearts and ears and hear Him?!? 

Revelation 3:20 (New International Version, ©2010)20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

And the carol, “Do you hear what I hear?”
“Do you hear what I hear
A song, a song
High above the tree
With a voice as big as the sea”

John 10:27-30 (New International Version, ©2010)27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

I had a daily devotional today that spoke to being busy, feeling guilty for resting, and yet, how can you hear that still small voice when racing around, being busy?

“Listen to what I say
Pray for peace people everywhere”

Psalm 23:1-3 (New International Version, ©2010) 
Psalm 23
 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, (italics mine)
he leads me beside quiet waters,
 3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
   for his name’s sake.

I am pretty sure that Jesus is the one who does the finding, we just need to listen more, and isn’t that the case anyway?!?  I don’t really believe in New Year’s resolutions, but that would be a good one to make, to listen more, and to actually hear what is said.

Happy New Year!

The most wonderful time of the year

And, for some, the loneliest.

“Are you lonesome tonight”  Elvis

Are you lonesome tonight,

Do you miss me tonight,

Are you sorry we drifted apart?

"It is not good that man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18).

I have been hearing from various friends and family about how the holiday season is so hard, the scrabble for gifts, the worry about bills, the wanting to be with family and not being able to. 

And it is so easy to get caught up in the rush, hustle and bustle of the time, that we get overwhelmed and lose track, burned out and discouraged.

It’s hard – to remember the reason for the season, to realize that we are not really alone.  I got an email, once upon a time right after my dad died that knocked me off my feet:

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and was rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job)! is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love.  It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear.  Open our hearts not just to those who are close to us, but to all humanity.  Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.

Everyone is dealing with something, and while surrounded by so much rushing, and happiness and busyness, there are empty nesters, and those mourning, and those seeking.  Blaine Larson sings a song where there is one line that struck me hard:  How do you get that lonely and nobody knows?

No cheerleading this time, but a simple and heartfelt request – reach out to someone who looks lost.  Offer hugs to those you might not think of offering to any other time of the year.  Say hello to someone.  Give.  It need not be money or food, but a smile, a thought, time.  You never know, it could change or save someone’s life.