What’s Your Cross List: The Editorial Jesus

 

Today on Good Friday we are supposed to turn our eyes towards heaven and reflect on the death of our Savior. But every Good Friday I can’t help but think of His life. I see a man so perfect that He never sinned. I see a girl so imperfect that she sinned . . . A LOT. I have made so many mistakes in my life. I have let Him down SO. MANY. TIMES.

And yet, ironically, me letting Him down . . . is the very reason He was raised up. 

Because my life focuses so heavily on words I can’t help but think of Jesus much like the red marks on a manuscript. “Change this.” “Love this.” “Lose that.” “Wouldn’t this be so much better if . . .?” Like my adopted mama/editor Karen, producer/friend Beth . . . He crossed out my mistakes with His red pen. Even when I fall short, He swoops in and makes me look good. He’s the polish on top of raw words. The icing . . . the very best part of the cake.  

What does your “cross list” look like? If you were to take a look at just a few of the things He’s crossed off my paper it would look a lot like this – only MUCH longer . . . (The full list — ain’t nobody got time for that!)

This is my CROSS LIST . . .  

Cutter

Runaway

Accuser

Teenage-Drinker

Doubter

Premarital Sex

Teenage-Mother

Worrier

Angry

Swear-Word-Speaker

Liar

Hate-Spewer

Betrayer

Secret-Keeper

Meanie

Ugly-on-the -Inside

Blasphemer

Grudge-Holder

Unworthy

But that is the old me. Thank God I’m NOT who I was!!

Even still, I know I add to this list everyday. No matter how hard I try . . . my cross list will always be growing. But much like the word count of a book in the making . . . the more words I add . . . the more my editor refines me. He crosses out the ugly and replaces it with something beautiful. He makes my mistakes look good . . . He turns them into something so much better than they were.

So as we take a moment to honor the man on the cross let’s take a minute to remember who we were. I don’t know what your cross list looks like – but take it from a girl who has done a little bit of everything the WRONG way. The editor can make ANYTHING you’ve written . . . right. 

Looking over my cross list – I always feel a little guilty. Until I remember one very important element. The genre of the holiday at hand. Good Friday is not a tragedy. Good Friday is a love story. He loved me SO much He died for me. And now my cross list looks much different. I am so very thankful that the old me is no match for the me He raised up . . . 

FORGIVEN.

REDEEMED.

SACRED.

HOLY.

PURE.

WORTHY.

HIS.

 

He lives! He lives! Praise God, He lives! If you feel so led . . . share your cross list on your own blog today. And be sure to join me, the wonderful editor Karen (as so mentioned above 🙂 and Warner Press to dig deeper into the words of Jesus in 2014!