An Insightful Moment at the Ascension

I was reading the last pages of this chapter (and the last pages of this book) and I kept finding myself with tears spilling out over my eyes. Some of those tears were for the disciples who would have to go on without their beloved Jesus by their side. Some of those tears were for Jesus himself - what it must have been like to leave earth knowing His role here was over until He would one day come riding back in all his glory to reclaim what isrightfully His. Some of the tears were for those who will never understand how this could all be truth - they'll never get past being too embarrassed or too proud or too cool to be a follower of Jesus Christ. And some of those tears were for my friends and loved ones that are already with our Savior in heaven.

But, really, most of those tears were for the four of us and the memories of everything we've been through during the reading of this book.

For all the chapters that brought out the worst in us and for all the ones that brought out the best in us, I will never forget this book. I'll never forget it because I read it with people I never knew existed and who now I've grown to love. Each and every one of you have just become so special to me. Christ has laid you all on my heart and I can never explain how connected I feel to each of you. Now, for the rest of my life, every time I read one of these stories in the Bible, I'll stop and remember the factoid that Claire added or the wit that CJ threw in or the secrets that Addie divulged. You not only made the Bible come alive, you all yourselves have come alive to me through the chapters of this book.

I cannot imagine living in the year 1 A.D. I cannot imagine the fire they felt in their hearts or the grief they cried at their loss. I cannot imagine how one feels in the presence of His actual presence. But now, instead of just a bunch of stories that I might read and wonder about, I have memories of these entries that are filled with laughter and anger and sarcasm and understanding and teaching and faith and joy and sorrow. The point of this last chapter is to highlight how Jesus left us all to ascend back home to heaven. When He went, he left these words behind:

Love your neighbor as yourself.

I love you all so very much for sharing all these experiences with me. I thank God that He set you all on this course with me and I pray He blesses your lives for what you have given to me. You've taught me truth. You've shown me compassion. You've nurtured me and grown me. You shared the secrets of your lives and the miracle that is each of your individual testimony to your faith. Because of you, my life has been forever altered - you've added layers and layers to my faith and I will never forget that.

So -I shed some tears for Him. I shed some tears for you all. I shed some tears out of gratitude and shed some tears for pain.

That's life.

That's friendship.

And now, my lovely friends...

That's the end of "Moments With The Savior."

I truly love you all.

God bless.