Jesus Crosses the Line

I don't usually copy and paste other people's blogs, but this one really touched me. It's a devotion from my brother-in-law, who's a Lutheran pastor. Hope it touches you, too!

Jesus crosses the line!

Matthew 28:20  - Remember, I am with you always…

I recently had the privilege of giving a blessing to a young boy in preparation for ear surgery in order to put in tubes. He had been to the operating room the week before where the doctors had explained what was going to happen during his surgery. He had been told that past a certain line, only the doctors and nurses could go. But his parents and grandparents could stay behind the line and watch what was happening to him. 

After church last Sunday, I talked with this young lad about his surgery. In a pastoral sort of way, I reminded him that Jesus would be with him all the way through the surgery. Suddenly the young boy asked, Can Jesus cross the line? His mother explained what the doctors had told the boy, about the line beyond which only the doctors and nurses could cross. I reassured him that yes, Jesus could cross the line. 

The surgery went fine for the young lad! But his question rings in my ears. Can Jesus cross the lines of our lives? So often we make a distinction between where we want Jesus and where we don’t want him to be. We want Jesus in church on Sunday mornings; we want Jesus there when we are sick or have some emergency in our lives. We want Jesus around on our terms, at our desire. 

But we forget that Jesus crosses all lines! Jesus is in all parts of our life. Certainly, Jesus is at the emergencies that occur in our life and during the hardest times for us to endure. Jesus is present when we are sick and undergoing surgery. But Jesus is also there when we may not expect him or even want him to be there. He is there when we go out drinking with our friends. He is there when we get mad or angry with a family member or with a stranger. He is there when we are acting at our worst. 

And yet, Jesus still loves us, he still cares for us, he still keeps on crossing the lines of our lives to take care of us. My little friend reminded me that Jesus crosses all lines to love us. Amen. 

Dear God, help me remember that you are with me always. Amen.   

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Amen. I'm so glad wherever I go, whatever I'm dealing with, I don't have to go through it alone.