Book #72

You just can't go wrong with a Max Lucado book, can you?

.

This is a book of HOPE and twas 'zactlee what I needed this morning:

"Armed with nothing more than a passion to win your heart, He came looking. His desire was singular - to bring God's children home. The Bible has a word for this quest: reconciliation. Reconciliation restitches the unraveled, reverses the rebellion, rekindles the cold passion.

Reconciliation touches the shoulder of the wayward and woos him homeward.

The path of the cross tells us exactly how far God will go to call us back..."

.

Not sure if those words mean anything to you this morning, but I felt a twinge of hope when I read them. Hope in that I know that God is still wooing the wayward. And if you, like me, love someone who is walking a path they shouldn't be, there is peace in knowing that God is still in the business of reconciliation. He's not tired of dealing with rebellion. He isn't overwhelmed or at His wit's end or out of ideas. He is the Master of Reconciliation and His bag of tricks is not empty.

.

And the very last page of the book has these words:

"When His disciples abandoned Him, did He lose His temper? When Peter denied Him, did Jesus pout and go home? When the soldiers spit in His face, did He breathe fire in theirs? Far from it. He was at peace. He forgave them. He refused to be guided by vengeance. He also refused to be guided by anything other than His high call. HIS HEART WAS PURPOSEFUL."

.

This past year, it feels like every decision I've made has been a reaction to one crisis or another. I fully realize this is not the best position to be in as far as leading a family through a season of uncertainty. This past year I've longed for a break in the tidal wave of sad situations in order to regroup and make a list. A list of things I need to do so that I can 'parent with intention' and stop 'parenting by reaction'. Too many times this year I've pouted, lost my temper and breathed fire into the faces of those who share this house with me.

.

His heart was purposeful.

Mine has to be too.

One purpose.

Hurt feelings, frustration, fear, anger and sadness cannot interfere.

.

So, anyway, yeah, this is a good book.