A strange reminder...

As you can see from one of my last blogs, something God has been showing me lately is the ugly pride that often rules my thoughts and actions. I also mentioned that God has very interesting ways of helping us to learn things when we ask Him to change us. This is one of those stories. Can you think of a connection between a glorious Fall day in Madrid, an African prostitute, and "O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus"?... No? Well, neither could I before this afternoon. Let me explain...

I really enjoy jogging in Casa de Campo, a huge park in Madrid about a 10 minute run from my apartment. There is a lovely lake that I enjoy running around on the edge of the park near my house and on gorgeous Fall days like today, it is a great run. This park is nice, but in the past was known for its huge prostitution ring. Prostitutes can easily be found in this park, but the problem has decreased greatly over the past years.

Today I was running around the lake, enjoying the view, and listening to music on my MP3 player. As I started leaving the park, I passed a car pulling up to a scantily clad African prostitute to "do business". Quickly, a long string of thoughts flew through my head such as, "that poor woman... who knows what desperation drove her to this", "How disgusting- what a jerk!", "Lord, have mercy on both of these people who are lost without you", and other such thoughts. As I was saddened by such a public reminder of the darkness in this fallen world, I realized that the song playing on my MP3 player was "O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus". I thought about those two lost people and placed them in my thoughts at the foot of Christ's cross. Here were some of the words that so penetrated my thoughts at that moment:

"O, the deep, deep love of Jesus
vast, unmeasured, boundless, free
rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me
underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
leading onward, leading homeward, to my glorious rest above."

While I listened to those words, I was overwhelmed with Christ's great sacrifice and love for us. I started thinking, "Jesus loves those two people just as much as He loves me". I then realized what I had just thought and was disgusted with myself- I had compared them to me as though I deserved God's love more than they did! I then changed this truth in my mind to, "Jesus loves me as much as He loves these two people." Wow. What a change of mindset. How humbling! My judgmental and prideful attitude is just as ugly in God's sight as a man willing to exploit a hurting woman for his physical pleasure or a woman willing to sell her body to anyone with money.

Jesus' love is so deep and beyond our comprehension. I am on the same page as a prostitute and pervert... at the foot of Christ's cross. Now, am I willing to humble myself, truly admit my need, and share this love, mercy, and grace with the very people I had just been judging? I hope so. Lord, forgive me for my pride and change me...