so many thoughts that tangle me...

so much has happened in the world, and in my life, that i find myself lost for words, at least lost for meaningful words which is what i strive to share,
especially in this ~ a public venue. 
my heart breaks for the people of Japan, and has yet to heal for the people of Haiti
i have read about people blaming God for these tragedies, and worse yet i have read about people crediting Him with them, like that is somehow better.

it has made me think...

i know that hell is a real place,
i know that those who choose to reject God spend eternity there
i know God is all powerful,
and can make all kinds of things
both pleasant and painful happen
for His purpose.

i understand believers wanting to warn people of the reality of eternity
i think we need to look at the world around us and remember we are mortal
we need also to look to Jesus and remember we are immortal

we will all live for eternity
the choice we have is where we spend it

yet i think back to my salvation moment, and i realise something,
i didn't make my choice to surrender to Jesus so i could spend eternity in heaven
and i didn't make my eternal choice to avoid hell either

for me it was not about the where
it was about the who...

when i finally saw with understanding how very much God loved me
when i finally realised the absolute agony He went through
when i finally wrapped my head and heart around the fact He did it for me
i chose the who
i chose the one who loved me so much...
that He came, here..
He lived in the messy world of humans
He loved the unlovable, as a man, and as God
He walked the earth,
saw the sin, the shame,
He was hated, and loved
He was offered it all,
and refused
He chose obedience in a way i will never fully comprehend
He chose the cross and the tomb
to die as a traitor,
to pay the price a traitor must pay

why?
for me...
so i could choose Him
so i could choose life,
and love,
and acceptance,
and forgiveness,
and peace

so i made my choice....

~JESUS~

i chose Jesus because of love
not fear

i wonder how many people truly choose salvation based on fear of hell..

it seems to me people run from fear
and run to love

and God loves every single one of us

i think it is hard to resist love,
so why do we try to compel with fear?

"though i speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not love, i am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
and though i have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and tho i have all faith, so that i could remove mountains, and have not love, i am nothing."
1Corinthians 13:1,2

seems like we spend to much time choosing other venues,
when love is the one thing that can show the world who Jesus is. 

i don't weep for "Japan"
i weep for the woman searching for her husband
i weep for the mom who stands in line to have her baby scanned for radiation
i weep for the child who has no mama and no papa, and no answers
i weep for the man who sits alone in a shelter full of people, with no family, no home and no hope.

why would anyone give the loving God i cling to "credit" for that?
i believe God weeps with me for the people of Japan