God with us

 At some point, each of us meets the limits of being human.  It may not be through an anxiety disorder. Maybe it’s the stifling experience  of a job where your best skills are never used.  Or past choices who’s consequences still choke and bind.  Or addictions you feel powerless to control.  We all suffer the inescapable reality of sin and it’s fall out in this broken world.  And we can relate to the Psalmist when he described the chords of the grave coiling around him. (Ps 18:5)
       The simple image of Jesus, gods gift to us, being wrapped up in Cloths comforts me with the powerful truth :  he understands the bindings on my mind and so has only someone who has shared experiences can. The concept of Immanuel, God with us, takes on a new and profound clarity.

Wandering Off

"If you went for a walk in the woods, but then decided to wander off the path, and found yourself surrounded by a thicket of thorns and poison ivy, who would you blame? Would you blame the person who built the path? No, of course not. Instead, you'd blame yourself if you were honest, because you alone were responsible for wandering from the path.

In a far deeper way, this is what happens when we decide to leave God out of our lives. For a time, it may seem like wandering away from Him doesn't make any difference; it may even seem easier and freer. But eventually, it catches up with us—just as wandering off that path and into the thicket caught up with you,"