Hot tea, John Schneider, and Jesus.

I think my new love language might be hot tea. haha! :) I have such an affection for coffee (affection? addiction?), but lately I've been craving tea. It comes in so many wonderful flavors! Peppermint, Wild Sweet Orange, Cinnamon Spice, Vanilla Roobios, Chai, Earl Grey, Sleepytime (um, yes please)--you name it! If there's an appealing flavor, I'm sure there's a tea to go with it. Plus, its health benefits are through the roof. Why do I always forget how much I love this stuff? haha!

Yesterday, I took a spontaneous vacation day and had a chance to screen a movie that had been sent to FCA for review. Um, wow. I bawled like a little girl. (Or like a perfectly normal grown woman with emotions.) It was called "October Baby," and it's coming out March 23.

I won't give it all away, but it's about a girl who is the survivor of a failed abortion. You follow her journey as she discovers who she is, both literally and spiritually. It's fantastic! But the best part is the relationship between her and her adoptive dad, played by John Schneider. (My sister will just DIE! We're both fans from way back, but she's, like, a megafan. With good reason, of course, as he IS a rock star.)

Man, this dad LOVES his daughter. He's not her biological father, but it's obvious that that makes zero difference to him. That is clearly shown through the pain he experiences as he walks (or tries to) with his daughter through the identity crisis.

Sometimes I can't imagine being a parent who has to watch a child suffer while there's nothing they can do about it. That has to be one of the most heartbreaking experiences in life. And, obviously, every parent has to go through it at some point. You want so badly just to fix your child's problem, but you can't, and it tears you up inside. This person whom you love more than anything in the world is struggling, and there's not a thing you can do to save him or her. How gut-wrenching must that be?

Sure, you could lock them in a closet in your house and try to protect them, but what good would that do? How would that help them? You can talk until you're blue in the face, but they just don't get it. Or, what if it's medical? What if there's cancer? Your hands are completely tied, and the only thing you can do is pray. Wow. I can't imagine.

Kind of reminds me of God as our Father. He gives us choices, and has to watch as we deal with them. He could lock us away and protect us from everything, but He knows that wouldn't help us. We'd never get stronger. We'd never need faith. We'd never know we needed Him. We'd never develop a relationship with Him at all. So, He lets us choose for ourselves, always offering the wise way, but never demanding that we take it. And always there to pick us up when we stumble and redirect us back to His path.

Wow. What a God. Every time I stop to think about who He really is, I feel like I get a little punch in the stomach. It's because I know that I don't have a constant proper perspective of Him. I don't realize who He is and His unbelievable love for me--what He does for me constantly, daily, hourly, by the second. His grace is constantly being poured out on me. His peace is always available. His joy; His very presence. And yet, I forget. I minimize Him. I humanize Him. I ignore Him.

Oh, Father.

The part that really gets me is how willing He is to take me back. The story of the Prodigal Son has always been a favorite of mine, as I feel like a prodigal very often. I go off with my riches and play in the mud pits, ashamed of what I've done and scared to go back. But when I do, He runs to meet me with open arms and throws a party.

Now, let me ask you this: Why would you NOT want this kind of relationship? Why would you NOT want this kind of unconditional love from the God of the entire universe? That's maybe the most baffling thing of all.

Through His Son, Jesus Christ, we are offered forgiveness for EVERYTHING. Every mud puddle we've ever trampled through. Every pig sty we've ever wallowed in. Every sin, every stain. Jesus Christ gave His life so that we could be forgiven and restored completely. And even more, that we could LIVE--both here on earth and forever with Him. That we could have an abundant, full life here and go on to live in relationship with Him when we transition to heaven.

Man...If you don't know Jesus, you have GOT to. He is the everything you've ever wanted. He's the everything you've ever needed. He's the everything! You've got to get Him. You've got to allow Him to get you! You've got to. How can you possibly live without Him? All your pain, all your sin, all your trouble--you can take it to Him!! And He will love you, care for you, forgive you, carry you. Just invite Him in! He stands at the door of your heart and knocks. Please, let Him in. It's not just about "fire insurance" and avoiding hell. It's about living in peace and joy here on earth! Let Him be the Father you've always wanted. He LOVES you!

With that being said, I'm out.

-Jill