Right Where You Are

I've been reading Max Lucado's devotional, Just Like Jesus . . . and it has put my heart and spirit in a place of retrospection. A servant's heart longs to be "just like Jesus," it's the essence of the Christian faith. But in growing more intimate with Jesus, it's there that we realize . . . no matter how far we've come, there's so much further to go. Jesus chose to see his sufferings and struggles as a necessary part of a bigger plan. I'm not sure I do that too well. I'd rather omit the sufferings and God just change the plan. Jesus calls us to "shift our glance away from the ones who hurt us and set our eyes on Him, the one who saved us." . . . most of the time, I'd rather God render justice on others and mercy on me. Jesus saw "his father's presence in the problem"  . . . I tend to see the problem and not acknowledge that God is there at all. My prayers beckon Him as if He were unaware and aloof to the circumstances of my life. And I find myself back at the foot of the Cross. It's where I belong . . . it's my favorite place to be. It's there that I realize, as Max tells us, "God loves you just the way your are. If you think his love for you would be stronger if your faith were, you are wrong. If you think his love would be deeper if your thoughts were, wrong again." I'm reminded time and time again that I am loved right where I am . . . at His feet . . . and so are you.