I am so needy!!!

           So this past week my incredible wife Jessa has been out of town visiting her loving family in St. Louis. The time that she gets to spend with her mom, dad, and the “sister’s of glory” is priceless for her. One of the things I cherish about my dear lady is that she values time with her family. It brings her overflowing joy. That being said….

            Every time she leaves for an extended period of time I am left to my primitive, male, quesadilla eating devices. I forget to do the simplest things! Finding my socks become an all morning adventure, brushing my teeth is like climbing Everest, and don’t get me started about the deodorant (mostly because I can’t find it.) I thought I was developing as a husband! I really didn’t think I was this needy, for reals!

            Through the trials of laundry, watering flowers, and learning how to properly iron a dress shirt (still looked like it was at the bottom of laundry bag)….all of this got me thinking about the life that Christ led. More specifically the “humanness” He shared with us. You see, most days I see the life of Christ and how He lived and instantly become overwhelmed by the task of mirroring it. If I can’t find my left shoe in the morning, then how am I ever fully model my life after Christ?

            What I am discovering is that Christ lived a life that was fully God and fully human. Growing up I never heard, was taught, or led to understand the humanness of Christ. I understood and sort of grasped the death/resurrection portion of the story, but the humanness portion was left out. Until recently. For me, Erik Peter Anderson, to know that Jesus experienced the elements of the human experience brings me relief. It’s as if Jesus is right here next to me saying, “Erik, you silly goose, it’s going to be ok. I’ve been there….” It leads to me see that my needs are not as isolated and “out of the blue” as I might believe. Christ felt the needs that I wrestle with and feel defeated by today (well maybe not the sock part…)

 A tender moment I see this playing out in His life is when he experienced my biggest need right now, companionship. …He needed His friends… In Matthew 26:36-38 - When faced with the prospect of betrayal and death, Jesus requested that his three closest friends support him in his hour of despair. Seeing this side of our Savior ushers me into a moment of liberation. He did not experience life in a sublime realm of perfection. Christ felt as I feel. I don’t have to feel alone when the going gets tough. We can have moments and seasons where we lean on others when we are weak or need guidance. Because the truth is…(and I hate to admit this)…I can’t do it alone. This aspect is so foreign to me. For me, knowing the full goodness of God and Jesus -  is knowing the full, true humanness that allows us to be free from our expectations. Understanding His humanness is why I now discover His fulfilled perfection, which extends hope into my life. Through His humanness I find what I have been looking for all along….me. It’s time to rely on the one who knows where we’ve been….

PS – Jessa – I really have no idea where I would be without you. Thank you for always being there.

PSS – It’s time to come home….  I Love you. 

Erik