✨ When the Familiar Feels New Again

Every now and then, a message comes along that strikes you so profoundly that it  pierces the heart in a way that is hard to explain - at once unsettling and soothing, reminding you that there’s more here than you’ve ever allowed yourself to feel.

There are some truths we've known for so long they become like old furniture in a room. We see them, but we don't really notice them anymore.

I’ve grown up knowing that the King of Heaven came down to earth to suffer. It’s a truth etched into my faith since childhood. Yet, if I’m honest, the magnitude of that sacrifice doesn’t always strike me the way it should. My mind knows it, but my heart lingers far from the depth of it.

The other day I came across a message shared by anna_miriam_brown on Instagram, and it put words to this gap I’ve felt. She wrote, “He surrendered His untouched eternity of perfection and peace.”

Think about that for a moment. He wasn't just a good man or a prophet. He is the eternal Son, the beloved of the Father, worshiped by angels. And He “came down to be abused by humans.”

The beauty of His holiness was clothed in frail humanity, and “His perfect image was marred. By blood. By hate.” and “Picked apart and torn down for eternity.” all for the love of me.

It's a lot to take in, isn't it? Our minds can somewhat grasp the concepts, but our hearts often struggle to catch up. We can read the verses, but the full weight of His love and sacrifice can feel so distant.

And then the most astonishing part “He let it happen.” He didn’t resist. He allowed the suffering, the humiliation, the violence so that we, who were once broken and separated, could be restored.

Saint Paul puts it this way:

“Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” -- Philippians 2:6–8

I think sometimes we lose the shock of this mystery because it feels so familiar.

This wasn't a transaction; it was a gift and a sacrifice born of a love so deep it defies our understanding. It’s a love that transforms not just our minds but our very souls.

But when I pause and let it sink in that the One who had no beginning, no suffering, no stain of pain, chose to step into our brokenness for love of me; it feels almost unbearable.

I don’t fully understand it. My mind can grasp it a little, but my heart still struggles to feel the immensity of such love. Still, this message helped me see it in a new light, and I encourage you to read it and be moved by it too.

Let's not let familiarity dull the wonder of His love. Because maybe, just maybe, letting it unsettle us is the beginning of letting it transform us.

I pray that as we reflect on these truths, our hearts will be moved to a deeper appreciation for the incomprehensible gift He gave.