His only Son...

I've been rolling it around in my head all day - the fact that God didn't have to do this. He didn't have to send His Son here to save us. We didn't deserve it...still don't. We still sin, we are faced with decisions and we stare God in the face and say "I know what is right, but I want to do it my way."

He made the ultimate sacrifice...He sent his beloved Son here to earth, where sin surrounded him and everyone turned against Him. And God KNEW what was going to happen.

I just can't stop comparing this to the love I have for my son, and trying to imagine making this decision about Max. This was God's only Son - and if you have a child you know that all encompassing LOVE(even though we can't come close to loving as Christ loves) - and God sent him to take all the punishment for our sins. Do you know how heart-wrenching this day must have been for God. He felt every lashing, every thorn from the crown, every kick, every wound as if it was Him going thru it. He watched as the people He had created KILLED His only son. I can't imagine the pain this must have wracked Him with...the tears that poured down His face...how bad He wanted to take the hurt away from Jesus. The thing is that we CAN'T imagine, we can't even comprehend...we just have to be thankful and show that by honoring CHRIST.

The Bible says "They stripped him and put a scarlet rob on him, and made a crown from long throns and put it on his head, and placed a stick in his right hand as a scepter and knelt before him in mockery. "Hail , King of the Jews," they yelled. And they spat on him and grabbed the stick and beat him on the head with it." -Matthew 27: 28-30

This was the Son of God...and they were so cruel to Him. Beating Him, spitting on Him, mocking Him. Try to imagine your child going thru this...and you having to just stand back and watch. It is the most cruel thing I can think of. And this happened to our Savior - to take away our sins...THANK YOU, JESUS!! (even though thank you will never be enough)

My heart breaks today thinking about all of this...but it also soars thinking that I am washed clean. The sins I have committed have been forgiven and God loves me enough to sacrifice EVERYTHING for me.

Here are some pictures of my own son - whom I hope will one day fully understand the sacrifice Christ made for him. I want to teach him about true, unselfish, unending LOVE. Max and his cousin Nick riding bikes...

The whole gang (Katie, Nick, Hannah, Emily, and Max) enjoying the kinda-warm weather!