And then there's Jesus.
Friends, since January 1st I've been reading through a Chronological Bible. This means that for the past 9 months - yes 9 MONTHS - I have been reading the Old Testament. Yep. I just now hit The New. And honestly, it took a toll on me.
For example, a couple of weeks ago my husband and I were having a conversation about some things that made us kinda sad - things like past sins and such. And these are the words that came out of my mouth:
"I feel like dressing in burlap and throwing ashes over my head." (Burlap and ashes are mentioned more than a few times in the OT.)
My husband looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Babe, have you read anything from the NEW Testament lately?........... Maybe you should."
(LOL. It was way funnier in person.)
Anyhow, I'm there. I've made it. There He is. Praise the Lord - Hallalujuah!!!! I'm in the New Testament...and so is Jesus.
While it was super difficult to read through the whole entire Old Testament writings - and while I didn't understand a lot of it - and while some of it made me mad and confused and bewildered - and while it made me want to dress in burlap and grab some ashes at times - I'm glad I did it. Why? Because it makes Jesus even bigger. It reminds me just how much we need Him. It makes Him even more refreshing. It makes His light even brighter. And it makes the cross just that much more amazing.
One of my favorite passages so far is John 1:51. In this verse, Jesus calls himself "the stairway between heaven and earth." Don't you just love that? After being in the Old Testament for sooooo long - I can't even begin to tell you how empowering it is to read the words of Jesus. I love how it's drawing me in.
So from now until the end of the year - I'll be in the New Testament - where The Savior is.
Picture it this way : Remember in elementary school...when everyone would sit on the floor "Indian style" at the teacher's feet - as she read a story or taught a lesson? That's me. Over the next few months I'll be sitting at The Teacher's feet - soaking in every word. No burlap or ashes needed :)
