May 1, 2007

I’m thinking about you

Grandma – Just the other day I was over my Uncle Ralph’s house visiting.  I try and visit about two times a week to see how my Uncle, Aunt, and their kids are doing.  I also go visit to see my Grandmother.  She lives with my Uncle and his family and has been living with them for the past three years or so.  Grandma is always sitting in her chair when I enter the house.  She smiles when she sees me and I ask her how she is doing and she always says, I’m doing okay. 

My Grandma has some form of Alzheimer’s disease and she forgets things that have happened yesterday.  When I talk with her I wonder if she remembers what we have talked about. 

On this particular day, I was getting ready to leave and I gave my Grandma a high five.  That’s our little thing and she always gets a kick out of it.  I remember one time I said Grandma give me five and she said I don’t have any money then I explained to her I wanted a high five.  She laughed then gave me a high five and its been our thing ever since. 

On this day after I gave her a high five.  I was by the door and she was looking at me smiling.  I said Grandma what is so funny and she didn’t say anything she just kept smiling.  I was just happy to bring a smile to her face then she broke the silence and said I think about you all the time.  She even said that she would like for me to visit more often.  She was saying in a round about way I know you are busy but I want to spend more time with you.  She was saying that I long to be with you when she mentioned that she thinks about me all the time.

Those words hit home and made me think about what really matters in life.  My Grandma is 83 yrs old and Lord only knows how many more days she has left here or how many days do I have left here? 

I started to think that just as my Grandmother said she thinks about me all the time and would like to spend more time with me, God is saying the same thing to us.

God is saying I think about you all the time and I long to spend time with you and show you my plan for your life.

Being a Christian is supposed to be about relationship and we brag about having relationship with God but in reality, how true are those words? 

I was reminded about a passage in the book of Matthew.  In this particular passage Jesus was longing to gather Jerusalem and her children to himself.  He desired to spend time with them and to love them but they were to busy rejecting Him.  The passage is Matthew 23: 37-39(NKJV). 

Jesus Laments over Jerusalem
  
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’”

As I read this passage, I am amazed by the Love of Jesus for Jerusalem and her children.  In verse 37 Jesus says I know you have killed the prophets sent to speak God’s will to you and you reject everyone else by stoning them but I still long to love you, forgive you, and spend time with you. 

Jesus uses a beautiful metaphor at the end of verse 37 when He compares the children who are the Jews who happen to be God’s chosen people to chicks when they are gather under their mothers wings.  Jesus is saying I want to be like that mother hen and gather my children the Jews under my wings. 

I believe Jesus is saying to the children of Israel that He is wanting to forget the past and bring them back to relationship with God but its their choice if they will let him do this in their lives. 

Just as Jesus was saying this to Jerusalem and her children, He says it to us today.  Jesus says to each one of us daily I’m thinking about you and I long to spend more time with you!!!

The question is will we answer the Call of Jesus?  And be gather into His wings and be changed forever by His Love!!!!!!!!!

Be Blessed,


Joey