I am not a stranger to writing from a certain perspective. I have written stories from different points of view for a very long time. I remember writing the Easter story from different points of view- Mary, John, a Roman soldier, etc. I tried to imagine what it might have been like to be there. To be that close to Jesus and the cross. I actually thought I had done a pretty decent job...that is until Friday night.
I play the keyboard for the worship band at my church and had been asked to play for the Good Friday service. I didn't mind in the least and knew going into it that the Crucifixion would take place on the stage where the band was set up. At practice on Monday, it was a little uncomfortable being inches away from Jesus lying on the cross and the soldiers hammering the wood of the cross. I tried to ignore the cries of the man that was portraying Jesus as they did this. He did not have the fake blood smeared over his body and it still made me want to get out of there.
Friday night, things seemed rushed and the band did not even get to do a sound check together. I usually don't get too nervous before I play, but that night I was going crazy inside! We had an important service to do and I felt we might not be ready- and our worship leader was losing his voice. We gathered in the back room to pray and our leader prayed this awesome prayer all about how the focus was on Jesus not us or what we did. It was a good reminder that it was all about Him and not about me.
As the team took to the stage, I found my heart beat was more regular and I felt ready for the service. Everything seemed to go off well and I was preparing to play "How He Loves Us" by the David Crowder Band. It is one of my all time favorite songs and I love to play and sing it. But Friday night as Jesus was led to the stage with just a loincloth and a crown of thorns, bloody lines across his back and blood dripping down his face; I had a whole new perspective of the love that God has for me.
As I was singing the words: "And we are His portion and He is our prize, Drawn by redemption by the grace in His eyes, If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking. How He loves us, oh how He loves us, ....." I was suddenly and violently reminded of God's complete and total love for me. I always say that I am not a rainbow and puppy happy person, but I think my view of Jesus's sacrifice might have been.
What I witnessed happening right in front of me was powerful-yes. But as I was listening to the hammer hit a large metal plate and Jesus screaming I realized that the cross experience was loud and messy and horrifying and bloody. I was looking at love in its most organic. Someone loved me enough to take this kind of torture to atone for MY sins. Not his. He didn't do anything!
There was just something about having Jesus hanging on the cross just inches from me that has changed my viewpoint of exactly what He did on the cross that day. It has changed from merely being a detached observer to being right there.
It was a view point I had never had. Until Friday night.
It made me think of my view points of my characters in my novel and for some reason and I know that the experience I had Friday will help with my character's perspective.
I challenge you to look at things from a different view point today. You never know what you may discover. Happy Easter!
No comments:
Post a Comment