Protesting People Protesting

A few weeks ago, a 26 year old named William Carl Kapp decided to stand up for his beliefs and convictions in a very... odd way.

When Kapp passed an intersection in Iowa, he saw an elderly couple in their late seventies holding signs protesting abortion. The sign depicted a picture of the head from an aborted baby. The 26 year old pulled over, approached 77 year old Donna Holman, and grabbed her sign from her. He destroyed it until her husband walked up holding a video camera and calling 911. He said to Donna's husband and the video camera, "you can take as many pictures of me as you want, because I'm proud of what I did." They began to argue and Kapp said, "you know what that image is on there? that image is awful! Children do not understand when they see an image like that! A four year old child, how do you explain that? That's a headless baby!" The video shows Kapp calling his employer at a lawn care company, explaining how he would be delayed coming to work in the company's water truck. He told his boss that he saw something that he felt he needed to take care of, but will probably be delayed with the police.

I find this situation so interesting. Quite frankly, William Kapp's reaction shouldn't be shocking to us. He said the sign he destroyed was "awful," "horrific," and "obscene." Abortion is awful, horrific, and obscene. The point of graphic abortion signs is to show how grotesque the reality of abortion is. We should react in horror to images like these.

However, Kapp's reaction wasn't what the sign was supposed to inspire. He is being charged with stealing and destroying personal property, as he should. While it is shocking that someone would approach an elderly woman, steal something she was holding and proceed to destroy it, I find the way the Holman's reacted even more shocking. The video, posted by the Holman's, is called "Left Wing Extremist Errorist." Kapp shows no signs of being a left-wing extremist, rather he recognized the horror of abortion. He didn't use the terminology of left wing extremists--used the word "baby" instead of "fetus." At 5:52 in the video, Kapp shakes his head and asks, "Who is your God, man?" Holman's response left me speechless: "Well he's not yours. You serve the devil. You do his work."

Kapp looked stunned and didn't say anything for a few seconds. The heard thing about speaking about abortion is you never know where a person is coming from. If you say someone serves the devil for merely removing the sight of abortion from their eyes, how would they react if they had an abortion in their past? If they were responsible for an abortion? I think the pro-life movement would be so much more effective if we couple truth with love. We need to be sensitive with others. We need to display truth, but not in an abrasive, condemning way. If we come across as judgmental, they will retaliate. If our words sound violent, we should not be surprised if people tune us out or come back even more violently.

I am really saddened by this video, and I think neither person handled themselves very well. This is really challenging for me. When this happened, the Holman was angry. A stranger 50 years younger than him approached his wife, grabbed her sign, destroyed it, then repeatedly told him that he was proud of his actions. That would make anyone angry! But we are told to conduct ourselves with love even then, when it is hardest.

Everything we do to defend life will be futile without love. 1 Corinthians 13:

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
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 record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

What do you think the pro-life movement would look like if we conducted ourselves with the love described in 1 Corinthians?

Teen Mother Choices International

I've been looking for an organization like this for a while. Teen Mother Choices International is taking Pro-Life to the next level. They come along side of the girls who choose life and help them in the most practical ways, such as finding them a mentor, taking them through life skills classes, paying for childcare so the young woman can go to school, and even helping them out with taxes. I love how Christa March, the founder of TMCInternational, explains it:

"It's not about glorifying teen motherhood. It's honoring those women who have chosen to give their children life. And saying that we're going to help you do whatever it takes to be independent so you don't need anyone--not the government, not a bad boyfriend." 

I'm sick of hearing people say that we should look down upon teen moms because they were irresponsible to get pregnant in the first place. We've all made bad decisions, and we all have to live with them. If we as the church don't help teen moms, then who will?

"'Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven--for she loved much. But he who is forgive little, loves little.' And He said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.'" (Luke 7:47-48)

The teens who choose life for their child deserve respect and honor. They could have taken the easy way out with abortion, but instead they did the sacrificial thing, put their own lives on hold, and chose life. Choosing life is not a one time decision, it's a commitment to making that decision everyday. They are laying their lives down for another, isn't this the greatest kind of love we're told to emulate?

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) 

Stand With Teen Moms Day is on May 6, 2012, one week before mothers day, because teen moms became moms just a little earlier than most women. 

Lunchable

A couple thousand years ago when the Roman Empire was pretty big and Jesus was in the middle of preaching and doing miracles, something really incredible happened to a lunchable, twelve homeless guys, a little boy, and five thousand people.

The coolest lunchable-eating kid I could find
on Google Images. Look at that hair!

Jesus wanted to get away from people for a little bit, so he hopped in a boat. Generally boats are a pretty sure-fire way to get away from someone who's bugging you. I mean, I've never tried it, but you're completely surrounded by water and you have their boat, what could go wrong? Well, something went wrong for Jesus. 5,000 people ended up finding Him. If you don't know anything about Jesus, you need to know He has a heart of gold. Instead of being annoyed with His 5,000 fans/semi-stalkers, He had compassion on them and spent the day preaching and healing them. (By the time the healing went down they were back on land, thankfully. That would be tricky business.) In the evening the disciples decided it was time for the crowd to go away and get their own dinner. Instead, Jesus said, "They need not go away; give them something to eat." The disciples knew there were a ton of people there and they themselves were broke and homeless, they certainly couldn't feed 5,000 hungry people. So they turned to their best option for the crisis at hand: the little kid and his lunchable. They brought him to Jesus. 

The boy had five barley loaves and two fish. First off, that's probably not enough food for two people, much less 5,000! Secondly, barley loaves sound kind of gross, and thirdly, I'm picturing the fish raw and having sat in the sun all day. I certainly hope I am wrong, because that would smell terrible and be so gross. All that aside, a couple of pieces of bread and some nasty smelly fish isn't enough for 5,000 people, plus 12 disciples, plus Jesus! But the disciples, always being helpful, brought the boy to Jesus anyways. He told them to make everybody sit down and watch the Master. (Literally, Jesus is the Master. He's God.) 

That's right: lembas bread. 

"Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to those who had been seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted" (11). Get this-- Jesus made a little boy's lunchable (which I'm still convinced sounds nasty) feed a few thousand people. It's like He made barley bread into lembas bread. All the people had to do was sit down and wait for Jesus to provide. All the disciples had to do was have faith that God can make the ridiculous happen. All the boy had to do...well, he didn't have much choice. I guess the disciples kind of stole his lunch. 

We hear all the time about how we need to be like the little boy, and give God the little that we have and let Him use it. I realized this week that this story is so much more than that. I am the disciples, going on wild goose chases because God says so without knowing or understanding His will behind it all. ("Write a book for teenagers about abortion while in high school? I have no credentials. No one would want to read it. Abortion is so controversial, my voice will be lost in the noise. It wont go anywhere." Nobody would have been fed if the disciples had listened to thoughts like these. Just do the little God tells you to, having faith that it'll fit into His master plan, which is incredible.) I am the five loaves and two fish--kinda gross, really smelly, but God will break me and make me into something He can use. Who am I to hold back anything? I can be a smelly lunchable or a feast enough for 5,000. I am also the 5,000, just sitting back and waiting to receive God's gift without ever considering the price that was paid for it or the power it required. 

"And when they had eaten their fill, He told His disciples, 'Gather up leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.' So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten" (12-13). When God provides, He doesn't provide just enough. He provides an incredible abundance.

Bonus round: when searching for a picture of lembas bread, I found a recipe. I love the internet and the nerdy people who inhabit it. And while finding the lunchable kid I discovered that pocket espresso exists. I'd say this was a successful blog post. 

A Nabal Fable

Abigail and...Nabal?

I have been reading through the Old Testament, slowly but surely, and I recently got to 1 Samuel 25. The chapter starts off with Samuel dying, which begs the question, why is this book and the following book named after him? Then it goes into a story about a guy named Nabal and his hot wife Abigail. 1 Samuel says Nabal is very rich, so much so that he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. (Dang, Nabal! Share the wealth, man!). "Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved" (verse 3). So while Abigail was sitting there being attractive and smart and discerning and wise and godly and all that, Nabal was probably burping at the table and kicking his three thousand pet sheep or something.

They grabbed their swords!

David (you know, the little shepherd boy who killed the giant named Goliath with his slingshot then later became king of Israel, also known as "a man after God's own heart") heard about Nabal and decided to go see him. He sent his men to go talk to him and instructed them to be super nice. He told them to say to Nabal, "Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David" (6-8). See? They're super nice. Well, Nabal is the prime example of somebody who doesn't follow world news (that's for you, PEP teachers). He didn't even know who David was and was being super annoying. David's men went back and told him everything that Nabal said, and "David said to his men, 'Every man strap on his sword!' And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage" (13). Four hundred men plus King David grabbed their swords and went to see Nabal. 

Abigail's sneaking looked like this, plus donkeys.

Then one of Nabal's servants went and told Hottie Wife Abigail about how Nabal was so rude to the men who were really nice to his servants, who also happened to be the servants of the king. Abigail wasn't stupid (she was "discerning and beautiful," to be exact) and stepped in to save the day! She prepared huge gift baskets (well, donkeys loaded with stuff) to give to David & Co. 1 Samuel reads, "Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys" (18). She snuck out with her donkeys and some more servants without Nabal knowing. 


Abigail found David and fell down at his feet and begged his forgiveness for her husband. She said to David, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent" (24-25). She owns up that her husband is a bummer, but begs for his life anyway. She is very respectful to David, and David is kind in return. 

This is... probly not what eating like a king looks like.

When Abigail returned home she found that her husband had been feasting like a king while she had been saving is life from the actual king. Nabal was pretty shwasted, so she waiting until the morning to tell him what happened. When she did, "his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And about ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died" (37-38). When David heard of Nabal's death, he took Abigail to be his wife. She got to be the wife of the king!

I found this story ridiculous, but in the best kind of way. It happened to actual people some 4,000-odd years ago, but we still get a peek into their lives. We can learn a lot from the folly of Nabal compared to the character of Abigail. Nabal was disrespectful and rude to the king and his servants, repaid the good they did to him with evil, then went off and feasted and drank while his life was on the line. Abigail, however, did not complain about having a husband like Nabal. Rather, she was honest about his character but was willing to take the responsibility for his actions to allow him to live. She was also very beautiful and made a mean fig cake, apparently.

It's so easy to become like Nabal. I treat people who deserve my respect like they're beneath me. I ignore my problems and leave them for other people to take care of. I spend my time enjoying myself instead being responsible. How much more I'd rather be like Abigail: she respected not only the king but also her bummer of a husband, she went out of her way to take care of his problems when she didn't have to and even though he wouldn't appreciate it, she didn't complain. She was godly, respectful, discerning, beautiful, and pretty darn classy.

Super Duper

While this blog may look like proof that I'm the most un-diligent person ever, I'm just so busy being diligent at everything else that I don't have time for blogging. That makes sense, right?

I have many things I could turn into entire posts, but I really don't feel like taking the time to write all of that, so I'll fall back to a super condensed combo-post with way too many unrelated things all mushed together. Cause that's what all the best bloggers do... I bet...

This post will mainly consist of things that I'm learning, in no particular order. I'm learning a super duper lot lately, and it's been amazing. Also, I should stop saying "super duper," because it makes me sound super duper unintelligent.

God is teaching me to let Him be strong in my weaknesses. I'm working on some very dark chapters right now, and it makes me feel so helpless against this evil. Abortion is huge and so devastating, I long to do something to end it. God has told me to do something, but it feels so small against everything working against me. What's more, I don't even feel like I'm capable of doing what He has given me to do. But, He is strong in my weakness. A friend pointed out to me that He wouldn't give me something to do that I can't, and I need to be weak so that He can be strong.

I love making London Fog Lattes, and I think when this blog post is done I will make one. (8 ounces extra strong earl gray tea, 6 ounces steamed milk, vanilla syrup to taste. Vanilla syrup is two parts sugar, one part water, and vanilla extract. You can thank me later.)

Also, God is so faithful, and He has my future in His hands. There are so many unknowns, but still my future looks bright and beautiful because He is already there. Also college. It's gonna happen.

Mumford and Sons' unreleased songs on Youtube are the best.

On the cross, God took my sin upon Him and gave me His righteousness. While I am not yet righteous and still sin, He sees me as already righteous. I have the capability of not sinning because of this. I am living in the already-but-not-yet. I love this so much.

Salutations,
Becca

You Are of More Value Than Many Sparrows

"Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."
Luke 12:6-7

His Voice

The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted. 

Psalm 46:6

Luke 12:32

"Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."-Jesus

And God Seeks What Has Been Driven Away

 "I perceive that whatever God does endures forever;
nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it.
God has done is, so that people fear before Him.
That which is, already has been;
that which is to be, already has been;
and God seeks what has been driven away."

-Ecclesiastes 3:14-15

If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.

-Isaiah 7:9

When People Become My Gods

My existence, my very being, rests on what God has done and continues to do.

They have done nothing for me compared to what He has done; He has expressed His love for me through Creation, atonement, grace, mercy, Christ's life, Christ's death, death's death at Christ's life, sanctification, faith, justification, seeing me as already righteous, common grace, continuing grace, never ending grace, by Him all thing are made and all things hold together.

Without Him, we are nothing.
Compared to Him, we are nothing.

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! 

-Mark 9:24

Mark 2:1-12

Today I was reading in Mark about when four guys lowered their paralytic friend down through a roof so that he could meet Jesus and be healed. I've heard this story a zillion times in Sunday school with the good 'ol flannelgraph, but today it got me thinking. To what lengths would I go to get my friend to Jesus? Would I drag him on top of a roof, bore a hole into said roof, and then carefully lower him down into a crowd of people surrounding Jesus?

I wonder if those guys knew how long their determination would last. With determination, creativity, and some faith they brought their friend to Jesus and watched him be healed and his sins be forgiven. Did they think the extra trouble they went to was worth it? They certainly didn't know their stunt would be recorded in Scripture and thousands of years later people would tell their story on flannelgraph. What if people remembered our deeds, hundreds or thousands of years from now? We don't know these guys' names, just their faith and what they did for their friend. What if people knew of our deeds in history books? What if we had that faith?

Just some thoughts.

Sparkle or Osteoporosis. You Pick.

I'm in an awesome Bible study every Thursday night. We're taking a couple of weeks to go through the verses in Proverbs that talk about how a woman and a wife should act. One of my favorite verses we went over was Proverbs 12:4:

An excellent wife is a crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

We, however, decided to put it in our own terms in order to remember it more easily:

You can either be the sparkle in your man's life, or his osteoporosis. 

Either way you choose to say it, it definitely got me thinking. Even though I'm quite young, it's not too early to start becoming the woman God wants me to be. I love the way Proverbs 31 describes a woman. First off, when King Lemuel wrote this he cites his mother. I love that as a king with all sorts of wise counselors he chooses to describe the perfect woman using what his mother taught him. Aren't moms incredible people? What they teach and the example they give really sticks.

Another things I noticed is the strength of the woman described in Proverbs 31. She doesn't quiver in the corner like the church-mouse wife that's expected. She has strength and dignity, handles money well, and cares not only for her family but her servants and the poor as well. She's trustworthy, hard working, caring, well dressed, knowledgeable, wise, a good mother and wife, and has a good reputation. "She laughs at the times to come," showing her reliance on God for the future and a sense of humor.

Looking at the things feminists want and what they consider "biblical womanhood" to be is interesting. A godly woman can have strength and dignity. 1 Peter 3:7 says, "Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." I realize this verse bugs a lot of people because it calls women the "weaker vessel." Ladies: that does not mean we should be weak. We can be "weaker" and still be strong. Paul didn't mean it in a demeaning way at all, he's telling men to honor us!

Quite frankly, I think men have the harder job. I'm a much better follower than leader in most circumstances (indecisive leaders aren't very good, no?) and I would hate that kind of pressure. Choosing a college is pretty treacherous for me, I would never be able to lead a family like the way God commands a man to. Ephesians 5 tells women to submit to their husbands like the church (including, in fact, their husbands) submits to Christ. Wives have to obey and honor their husbands, while husbands have to lead their wives. I'm perfectly content with being told what to do and doing it, especially when it comes to making decisions. The husband, however, is told:

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might represent the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies... Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. 

Let's review what Christ did for the church: He died a terrible, brutal death. That's how much the husband is called to love his wife. Christ will present the church "in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." What girl doesn't want to be without wrinkle or blemish? That's why there's make up, plastic surgery, tanning beds, and all sorts of things to change our appearance. I love the way the Bible presents being a woman, and I plan on growing up to be like that. I want to be sparkle in someone's life, not his osteoporosis.

Here's to being a lady. I like it.

(Aaand so much for a fast, short post.)

"And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." 

The light, not yet in existence, obeyed the voice of God.

Proverbs 31:1-9

 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:

What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? 

What are you doing, son of my vows? 

Do not give your strength to women, 

your ways to those who destroy kings. 

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, 

it is not for kings to drink wine, 

or for rulers to take strong drink, 

lest they drink and forget what has been decreed

and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. 

Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, 

and wine to those in bitter distress; 

let them drink and forget their poverty 

and remember their misery no more. 

Open your mouth for the mute, 

for the rights of all who are destitute. 

Open your mouth, judge righteously, 

defend the rights of the poor and needy.  

The Weight

This was originally posted in July of 2011 using tumblr. 

I can already tell this post is going to be very hard to write. This is a question that I still struggle with every day, though I have no idea how to answer it. I’ve been facing it for over two years and I still feel like I deal with it by improvising. Though I don’t have it anywhere near figured out, I’m learning a lot about what works and what doesn’t. Going through daily life with the weight of abortion is possibly the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I choose the word “weight” carefully—feeling the emotional pain of so many children dying and women hurting who you can’t help and seeing such a huge battle ahead when you’re already tired, the only way to describe it is a weight. It wears you down, makes everything else seem tedious, exhausting, and so insignificant, and I’ve found it to even wear me out physically. There are so many people dying, they all need someone to grieve for them. There are so many women hurting, they all need someone to cry with them. How do I handle that while doing homework, babysitting, hanging out with family and friends, and doing chores?

I’ve had many dark days where the weight consumes me. I’ve had many days that are dark in another way because the weight seems to no longer matter. How I handle this weight effects my family, friends, performance in school, my productivity with book stuff, and my relationship with God. I don’t think it is humanly possible to excel in all of these areas—however, there is a way to prioritize and do my best at what matters. I just have to figure that out, now.

So how do I handle the weight of abortion? A very simple answer is to use it as fuel. People often tell me after I explain abortion that “that’s so sad” and “that makes me want to cry.” While it is heart-wrenching, I do not believe simple sadness is the answer. The Bible distinguishes the difference between anger and righteous anger; anger is a sinful, irrational, self-centered emotion, and righteous anger is joining God in a strong negative emotion toward something unjust that leads to action. Abortion does not call for sitting back and pitying the children being ripped limb from limb in their mother’s womb, but a fiery, passionate, righteous anger that leads to swift action to bring justice. Turn the weight into righteous anger, and let that fuel our work of bringing justice.

What Does That Look Like? 

Here’s the all-annoying question I ask myself way too much: how does this practically play out? How do I write a paper on Hamlet when I’d much rather do something to save another precious child’s life? How can I let the weight fuel my righteous anger and let that lead to action when I’m supposed to unload the dishwasher? (Speaking of which…) How do I comfort a friend who’s having personal issues when tens of thousands of lives are on the line every single day?

It’s an obvious tension we must walk in. I feel like Paul when He said, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” He wanted to continue to serve God’s people, but he also longed to be rid of this world and meet his Savior in Heaven. There are days when I feel like I’m called to two lives, the “normal one” and the passionate one, and I can’t handle them both. I oftentimes find myself picking one or the other, but either way it ends up disastrous. All I can do is trust God. Trust Him to provide me the strength to live with this weight, trust Him to give me the ability to remain sane another day longer, trust Him that He knows the end of abortion and how we play into it, trust Him in everything. That’s my big and grand answer. I’ve been told by many caring people that I’m not made to carry this burden, and I believe that’s true to some extent. I’m not carrying it, Jesus carried abortion to the grave and left it there. However, I do believe there is incredible value in feeling it. There is value in feeling the weight. We are called to walk this tension, feel the pain abortion brings, mourn for the dead, mourn with those who feel it too, and let it fuel our righteous anger.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:8

The Morning

This was originally posted in June of 2011 using tumblr. 

The world:

“The mask I polish in the evening by the morning looks like shit.” (Bright Eyes) 

God:

“Weeping may spend the night, but there is joy in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

I’m holding on till morning

Mark 5

This was originally posted in June of 2011 using tumblr.

Today I was reading Mark 5, where Jesus casts demons out of a man and sends them into a herd of pigs. Verse five definitely caught my attention, “Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.” The notes in my ESV Study Bible says, “The goal of demons is to destroy the person created in the image of God.” Pretty simple, but I never realized that before. All over the world we see lives being destroyed. Think of cutting, suicide, depression, eating disorders, abuse, slavery, abortion; there is an endless number of things that demons are using to destroy precious, priceless people made in God’s image. Instead of seeing that as proof that God is not good, see it as proof that demons are at work. Someday soon, God will defeat them and bring justice. 

He is good, and justice is coming

Behold!

This was originally posted in June, 2011 using tumblr. 

***Edit: Oh snap! I said Peter, but this disciple is definitely John. Sorry about that. Also, this passage is John 19. Thank you, Michael, for the correction!***

Recently I’ve been obsessed with the word “Behold” and how it’s used in the Bible. I keep finding really sweet verses in the New Testament when “behold” is followed by something incredible. 

Today I found an extra amazing “behold.” When Jesus dying on the cross, suffering more intensely than I could ever comprehend, and taking on the sins of the world, he said behold. He said to his mother, Mary, “Woman, behold your son,” then to John, “Behold, your mother.” Awesome, right? Yeah, I know. 

Quite simply, Jesus was telling John to take care of his mother when He died. She was in her late 40’s or early 50’s, probably widowed, and had no source of income to provide for herself. Jesus was caring for His mother. 

It goes much deeper than that, though. Jesus was suffering intensely, dying on the cross, taking on the sin of the world, and He cared for His mother. When I’m going through trials and hard times, I use it as an excuse to get out of my responsibilities. Then from Mary’s perspective, this is an incredible moment. God took care of her, even when His perfect and eternal Son was dying. In moments that defined history and fulfilled thousands of years of prophecy, God did not forget Mary.

God doesn’t forget you, either. When it feels like the world is falling apart with earthquakes and tsunamis and fires and floods, you are never forgotten. The Maker of the stars wants to hold you.

The band Starfield has a song with the line, “I want to hold the hand that holds the world.” And the hand that holds the world wants to hold your hand. Let Him.