Hello ,
“Don’t worry; He’s one of
us!”
It’s a phrase that has been used (maybe even overused) in more movie scripts than I can recall.
There’s something so comforting in hearing that simple line. It reaches us down deep and can cause us to sigh of relief knowing that someone understands us and is truly in our
corner.
When I was 15 years of age, I took a long trip from South Bend, Indiana, back to the area near where I grew up, in Cortland, NY.
It was an overnight trip. I rode alongside other passengers I didn’t know and spent hours on a Greyhound bus, feeling very alone in the dark as we rumbled over the countryside.
To say that I was fearful would be an understatement.
I had heard horror stories of teenagers murdered, abducted, or harmed in some way.
I was on edge during most of the trip, but something changed.
The closer this big silver bus came to my destination, the calmer and more peaceful my heart became. I watched as we approached the bus station in that small city that was near my parents’
home.
My heart began to pound loudly inside my chest.
A sight in the parking lot made tears well in my teenage eyes. My older brother was sitting in an old pickup truck, waiting to give me a ride back home.
I walked down the steps of that big gray bus, and my brother opened the door of his vehicle. He smiled at me from a distance, and I became so choked up that I wanted to run into the bus station bathroom so
that he wouldn’t see me cry.
Having a family member meet me there made all of my fears dissipate, and as I climbed into the passenger seat (beside him), I knew I was with someone who could fully comprehend what I might be going
through.
My brother had left our area several times and lived in other states. If anyone understood what it was like to come back after being gone for a while, he did.
“It feels good to be back home, doesn’t it?” he said to me, grinning.
I couldn’t speak.
I could only nod my head.
My eyes were brimming with tears as he reached across the seat and patted my arm.
He knew exactly how I was feeling; filled with emotion, grateful to be back with my people, comforted to be with someone who knew and loved me.
During the holidays, so many things can take us out of our element. With all the busyness of buying presents, running around, and trying to figure out what gifts to get our loved ones, there are times when
we can forget why we celebrate.
He walked this earth, lived among people just like you and me, and understands what it’s like to experience heartache, trauma, and emotional pain.
If
we count how many times people (just like you and me) have ever used this phrase on themselves, it would be an astronomically high number.
People begin making New Year’s resolutions with themselves as the holidays wind down. They vow to exercise, eat right, finally lose that weight, quit smoking, and make many other commitments to start or
stop doing something.
Often, at the foundation of these promises are penetrating questions that feel like salt in an open emotional wound.
“Will I ever be enough?”
“What if people realize that I am me?”
“How could anyone love me if they knew me?”
“Will people even care when they realize I’ve screwed up so many times?”
We have a Savior Who gets who we are, where we came
from, what makes us tick, and why we’ve struggled with so many things.
Our importance doesn’t come from dieting, exercising, eating right, looking good, or finally getting our act together.
He established our value on a cross a long, long time ago, and it’s got nothing to do with what we can accomplish.
Immanuel, “God with us,” was nailed on that cross for us (and for people like us); weary travelers who just wanted somehow find our way back home.
Don’t worry; He’s one of us, and we no longer have to be afraid!
Have a great day and God bless!
Pastor Mike /
The Open Word
