Christ on the Cross

A reflection written after sketching Jesus Christ on the cross.

“As my eyes gaze at the cross,

And my hand traces the shape of His lifeless body upon that forbidden tree,

My heart

Aches,

Cracks,

And breaks.

I feel it fall into a million little pieces.

As I hyper fixate on the image of my best Friend’s body,

Brutally beaten.

His face that I’ve fallen madly in love with,

Now barely recognizable.

His tender eyes,

Swollen.

His open heart,

Stabbed.

His hands that reach,

Pierced.

So no,

I will not remove the image of Christ from the Cross.

He is risen, indeed —

But does this Truth neglect the Truth of Calvary?

The cruelty of Golgotha?

The very picture of Heaven colliding with earth?

Surely not.

How could I ever erase the highest image of love my heart and my mind have ever known?

A Love so great that I can’t begin to comprehend?

That’s my best Friend,

My life Source.

He did that all for me.

He did that all for you.

What greater Love?

There isn’t one.

The world has never seen a Man so pure,

A Deity so personal,

A God so loving.

That He should leave His very throne,

To show me how much He loves me.

Oh, the length my King goes to —

That I may never feel abandoned.

Oh, my Jesus!

I don’t deserve the water from Your side that washed me clean,

And the blood from Your side that counted me righteous.

Yet the only just response in all of this irony and confusion is,

You guessed it,

More love.

So my Lord,

Let me meet You on the cross —

With a heart captivated by Your love,

Unable to hide from Your love,

As my spirit falls deeper in love,

And my wandering heart rediscovers true love.”