This Charlie Mackesy image is beautiful. The heart of the message is powerful.
"Sometimes," said the horse, "you need to be reminded that it's courageous to have a soft heart, and you are spectacular because of it." -Charlie Mackesy
Spectacular is a powerful adjective. It implies something out of the ordinary that can be clearly seen. You can't hide the spectacular.
When looking for just the right scripture, I pray for guidance. Sometimes I know before I look, sometimes I stumble on just the right passage along the way.
Today, I "stumbled" onto the perfect passage. I am confident the Spirit leads... if I pay attention. This passage is perfect.
Jesus had some of his best friends in the town of Bethany. The siblings were Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. They entertained Jesus in their home. They were his good friends. Perhaps, even some of His best friends. The relationship is evident in the passages we read that include them. There is an intimacy to the friendship that is clear.
When Lazarus fell ill, they sent for Jesus. They surely felt they had the right to send for him. They were close friends and he healed strangers all the time. They sent, but Jesus did not immediately come. In fact, Lazarus died.
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
"When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” - John 11:34-37
Oh, they were upset! Disappointment and anger steeped in grief clouded their vision. They only saw their troubles.
What did Jesus do when he arrived? He wept! Yes, His heart was broken with theirs. He knew what he was about to do, but He still acknowledged and shared in their grief.
"Rejoice with those who rejoice; Weep with those who weep." - Romans 12:15
I never tire of that verse. I want it written on my heart so that I remember to act out the instructions. It is not that hard. We don't have to be perfect. We just have to be present and willing to expose a tender heart. A soft heart is spectacular.
Today, I am grateful for spectacular soft hearts.
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