A Massage from Jesus

Hey y’all!  Sorry I’ve been missing for a while.  I just returned from a warm and sunny trip to wonderful Cancun, Mexico.  Brent and I stayed at a beautiful resort and read millions of books and lay in the sun for hours on end.

And I got a massage from Jesus. 

Now, it wasn’t the Jesus that you and I are both thinking of, but nonetheless, I thought it was pretty cool that Jesus was my masseuse—even if he was a short 20-year-old Mexican boy.   And I got to pondering that, as Americans, we all want a massage from Jesus, don’t ya think?  We want that touch from our Savior, but only if it feels good to us—only if it is soothing to our spirits.  If the hand of God hurts our ego or makes us uncomfortable in any way, we want to get out from under the pressure. And we beg God to stop. 

That’s kind of my life lately—lots of uncomfortable pressure from Jesus hand to conform me to His image.  And, I’ve not been a great participant.  In fact, I’ve pretty much been kicking and screaming to Him about how uncomfortable my situation is and wishing He would just stop the whole refining thing because I’m seeing just how ugly and sinful and proud I really am.  And that, my friends, feels like a kick in the seat of my pants, not a relaxing massage.

But, if I would be still for a while and sit at Jesus feet, I might just remember His promise that  “He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6).  And I just might recall that this whole completion thing requires me to change.  And then I might realize that this changing of myself will actually be good because it will make me reflect Jesus more and more…and Tori less and less.   Haven’t I read somewhere that suffering produces      

perseverance and perseverance produces character and character produces hope (maybe in Romans 5:3-4)?  And isn’t hope exactly what I need when I am feeling God’s heavy hand?  I think so.

And though I’d rather have a massage from Jesus, the pressure He has allowed in my life lately is ultimately so much better.  Slowly, but surely, with His ever-skillful hands, He is molding and making me into who He intends me to be.  

Sometimes it’s hard for me to keep all this in perspective.  Sometimes I just see to the end of my day, not to the end of all days.  But God has long vision.  He sees how our trials in this life will conform us to His image and help us truly understand our enormous need for a Savior.

Bottom line?

We need to quit our bellyachin’.

We need to trust Him when we’re struggling.

And we need to stop begging for a massage from Jesus.

    

  And all the people said,   

        

 “Amen!”


The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter until the full bright of day.

Proverbs 4:18