Good Friday

Freaky picture. Reminds me of a ku klux clan ceremony. It’s not though. It’s a photograph that was taken at a Good Friday procession in Mosta, Malta in 2004. I still lived in Malta in that year and witnessed other processions. The Maltese love to dress up! If they were the inhabitants of Holland, I’d imagine them dressing up as Nazi’s to replay how their country was invaded during the Second World War every year. (c:

In a way, I suppose it is cool how many Maltese are involved yearly in remembering the death of Christ. Yet there is something about the way they do it that makes me so sad.
One of my first impressions of Malta was another one of these processions, shown on Dutch television, before I lived there. There were more of these white-robed guys in that procession. They walked bare-foot, with iron chains around their legs, dragging on iron balls like the ghosts that are stereotypical to old castles. This was their way of doing penance for their sins.

You know, Malta isn’t even so bad compared to some countries. People have had themselves crucified as a way of doing penance for their sins. In many religions, people torture themselves in an effort to somehow earn salvation.

Jesus died so that there would be no need for this. He died because there is nothing we can do to pay for our own sins. Our debt is too great before God. So He paid it all on the cross. If we refuse to except that gift and try to earn it, we make His sacrifice useless. How hurtful!

I remember being small and afraid of many things. Sometimes I think I was wiser then, than I am today. I remember crying because I kept thinking of what Jesus did for me. I remember trying to find shelter near Him when I got scared in the dark. He’s always been there. Good Friday reminds me of what He did for me. It is odd that I seem to need this reminder. My love for Him is small, my thankfulness insignificant. Yet He forgives me.


Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

"bistermeisje"

Introducing to you: the art of Irene, my Belgian "cabin-mate".

freedom

Talking to Wolter about his post on "Hitchhike to heaven", I was reminded of what I've learnt about freedom.

Bob Dylan wrote: "It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you're gonna have to serve somebody."
"Gotta serve somebody" is not my personal favourite by Dylan, but he made a good point. You are never free to do whatever you want. But you can choose what you serve.

"Freedom is having the strength to do what you know you ought to do."

Josh McDowell in 'More than a carpenter'

You're in bondage if you know what you should do, but can't. You're in bondage if you think you're doing what you want to do, when you're only serving your own urges.

I was 19 when I learnt one of my major lessons on freedom and when I came face to face with grace in a way that I hadn't known before. I met Jesus at a much younger age, but I'll never forget the day when I realised anew what amazing gift He'd given me. It seemed like I was "born again, again".

It was at a conference and I was struggling to keep myself awake during the message, because every night was shorter and more social. The message was about Peter (Matthew 14: 25-33) and afterwards I was amazed at what had gotten through to my sleeping mind. It was like God decided to speak to me anyway, even if I wasn't listening very much.

It was like I suddenly saw just how free I was and it was awesome! See, what I learnt from Peter is this:
With faith like a child we are willing to be corrected and humbled in order to grow and we're free to be ourselves, because it's ok to fall, as long as we get up again.

Freedom isn't doing whatever I feel like at the moment. I know I hurt myself when I make the mistake to think that it is. True freedom is being free from me, from guilt, from fear of failing. It makes me free to serve God and others, and not my own sinful desires. There is satisfaction and joy in that.

HithHike to Heaven

Wolterkabolter posted something in English this time, because he has people wonder upon his blog searching for things he isn't meaning to lead them to. He is cool...he likes to talk about heavenly things.

He's planning to actually go "hitchhiking to heaven" sometime soon. That is, stand by the side of the road holding a sign that says "heaven" and waiting for cars to stop and offer him a ride. I wonder what kinds of conversations that will lead to!

the boy swimming elsewhere

You can’t assume to know what goes on in people’s minds or what they feel. The more people I get to know, the more I know that you don’t know much about people you know. There’s ocean’s of emotions and ponderings and views and feelings and memories. With some people you can talk for hours or even days and not even dip into that sea.

And so human beings tend to swim in self-pity instead, assuming no one has gone through what they’re going through right now. When someone says, “I know how you feel”, we are sure that they don’t. Who knows, maybe they do. It just might be that they’ve been through something similar while you don’t realise it.

About three years ago, I met Abdul in West Africa. He was from Sierra Leone and he had no hands, no family, no home. All lost because of the war there I guess. He never told me what happened exactly. He just smiled…a lot! What did he have to smile about? Somehow he managed to have joy and swim in it!