Jesus lived in a constant state of leaving, knowing that his
time on earth, in human form, was limited.
He taught and ministered and healed and loved anyway. His job here was to bring people into closer
relationship with God, impacting them and the communities around them with his
healing touch, his miracles, his love.
He didn't listen when people told him not to do these things. He did them because he was called to serve
his Father in this intimate and yet, very public way, and nothing the
authorities could say would stop him.
His arrest did not stop him.
His conviction did not stop him.
Even the cross did not stop him.
His conviction did not stop him.
Even the cross did not stop him.
He lived, always with the burden of limited time, and
touched others with his presence. He
didn't hold back when someone was in need, when wine jugs were empty, when
blind people needed to see, when lessons needed to be taught or when children
needed an embrace. He saw what was
needed through compassionate eyes, knowing that every step he took was being
watched, every meal he shared was judged, every moment of prayer was observed,
every lesson was scrutinized and that each event in his life was limited. To make a difference, he had to live in a constant
state of leaving.
What if we lived in a constant state of leaving but did not
leave a footprint on the places we have walked or a whisper in the ear of the
people we have spoken with? What if we
were always observing the things happening around us but were not allowed to do
or be or live in that community? What if
we left this world without leaving a mark on anyone?
Of course, this is impossible. How we live impacts others. How we understand what it is God has called
us to do in our spiritual vocation and how we act in that faith makes a
difference. Even when we are stifled and
given time limits, we can make a difference.
Knowing that at any point in life we are living in a state of leaving we
need to receive as much as we can, learn the things we most need to learn and
grow, even when some of those times leave us parched and withering.
I wonder if all the push-back Jesus received from so many
people left him parched. I wonder if
those were the times he went into the wilderness to be with his Father in
prayer, to beg for strength and comfort.
Perhaps that is the lesson when we experience the depth of the emotions
attached to living in a constant state of leaving: that to really understand the personal calls
to service and to understand our roles in that service, we need to go into the
wilderness, begging for strength and comfort.
Jesus knew he was living in a constant state of leaving, but
he had something more: eternal
life. Every person who knows Jesus has
the hope of eternity. Jesus impacted lives
then and he impacts lives now. His
earth-time was limited, but He Lives!
Alleluia!