Love Like Adele And Jesus.

How did Jesus do it? How did he look down from the Cross and love those below Him? How did His heart have such grace for a multitude of people who were spitting on him, berating him, condemning him, lying about him. How could be possibly forgive the very people he loved so much and gave himself to for what they have done?

I wish I could understand that level of love. I wish I could express unconditional forgiveness, not out of selfish intent, not out of superficial reasoning, but out of honest sincerity. I want that, I want to be able to look at my aggressor and shower him with the love of God that was showered on me the day, He gave his life, selflessly, for a selfish being like me. I try so hard to be that, but I fall so short every time, and what makes it worse is when I hear songs that are full of more grace than my heart is.

Adele, arguably one of the most resonant voices in the industry in a decade, has a career built on the honesty and heartbreak of life and love. Her songs ooze emotion and pain, but I find it the most funny that no matter how much her heart is hurting, she has grace. She shows God's love better than I do, and that...sucks. Songs like "Send My Love" and "Someone Like You" are just two examples of this. She is devastated by the choices that have lead them to this season of pain and brokenness. She speaks about what it feels like to be abandoned and lonely...but then she comes in swinging with the refrain...that she hopes WELL for them. She hopes for a positive and successful future for the person that brought her to the weakest places of her life. 

I am not one to glorify celebrities and try to find Christianity in everything. There are things in this world that are just things, beautiful and creative things, things that have nothing to do with the truth of Jesus especially in the music industry. But, as I have been processing through heartbreak, I've heard these songs in a new light and have felt a sense of guilt. Adele, an artist who does not claim to have a living, breathing relationship with the Lord and Savior so much easier exemplifies a minute version of the type of love that Jesus displays for me, His offender. 

I gotta tell you, that definitely has hurt me. It has made me feel like an inferior believer, like I am living a fake life and not truly living out my faith. None of those feelings are true, but it definitely is a wake up call when you can find more Jesus in someone else than yourself. I still don't know how Jesus does it, I don't know how Queen Adele does it, and maybe I never fully will, but in this season I need to pursue that type of grace and forgiveness.

Harboring hate and resentment about a past love harms not only yourself, but whatever future love comes next. Carrying that bitterness is toxic and never coming to terms with those feelings and emotions will only cause them to rear their ugly head in the worst way possible. Right now, I definitely don't wish the best for the one who did me wrong, but here's to trying to be a little more like Adele and a lot more like Jesus.