Theme Song Thursday: Mighty To Save

The word "Savior" is tossed around a lot. Maybe this is a little interesting to people outside of the culture that does the tossing. I want to de-code the term a little bit so at the very least, all can see why the theme song I've chosen should mean so much to me lately.

Savior. Saved from what?

Here's a keen illustration of the point taken from this past weekend's trip to the County Fair.

I reported earlier that no one has stared at my body and noticed anything amiss. This wasn't an entirely true statement. Some one did stare. We were just outside the gate, on our way back to the car when this woman, from a good 20 yards away, locked onto my chest. That's the only reason I noticed her. I noticed, at first, that there was a person, from kind of far away, staring at me.

We both continued walking towards each other. She was. . .intent. I checked her face. But it wasn't a compassionate face. I know compassion. Many breast cancer survivors have looked me in the eye and I know what that looks like.

This woman was snarling. Judging. She really was. We got closer and closer and I started to look her over with a little judgement of my own. She was a huge woman. Wearing pants that were too tight and a tank top that showed too much. And even when we were close enough that--surely!--she'd have the shame to look away, she kept staring. Her head was now turned in order to stay locked on.

And I thought, "What are you looking at, you heffer?"

A lot of you are thinking that you'd have thought the same--or worse--if you had been in my shoes. Some of you are probably applauding me in some sense.

Here's the thing: That's what my ugly heart thinks. This is not what God's heart ever thinks. This is not what Jesus ever thought towards anyone.

It's seems like a small infraction. It seems like something "completely natural" and "totally understandable." Yeah. It is. But it's not loving.

And let's not be coy, either, people. Is this even the worst thing I've ever felt towards someone? I'm 34 years old. How many un-loving thoughts have I managed to rack up in that time?

When I die, how can a heart that is not loving be united with God's heart that is totally and perfectly loving? It can't. Unless a Savior has come along to make it possible.

But I'm thinking about more than just the death moment. I'm thinking about right here on Earth. I don't like that I thought of this woman as a heffer. I need a Savior to save me from being ugly right now. I needed a Savior to save me from being angry with my children--and He delivered. I needed a Savior to save me from a debhilitating streak of pride that was tearing through my work--and He delivered.

Now, there are days when I need a Savior to save me from falling into an abyss of fear and self-body-loathing. I need a Savior to protect me from some horrid lies that come up--Will Bryan have little thoughts in his head every time he sees a "complete" woman in the movies? Will Joshua have a story to tell one day of a mother he has photos and some vague memories of because she died while he was so young?

Is Jesus mighty enough to save me from all of this?

It's a real question, friends.



*Note on all the people holding their hands up

This might be different from what your are used to thinking of as worship. I remember a time when I saw this kind of thing and thought these people were faking something, or getting caught up in hysteria.

But this is what I look like when I worship, and for me it's not hysteria and I'm not faking it. You know, when people hold their arms out and cheer at a rock concert, we don't think twice. When people in the stands cheer wildly over a homerun, it's totally cool.

If I believe that Jesus IS Mighty to save me from everything I mentioned above, of course I'm going to raise my hands to Him and cheer like this.