Heart Surgery

Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.    Lk.24:35

Two disciples are dejectedly walking away from Jerusalem, their dreams of all they thought Jesus could be smashed. They meet Jesus unrecognised on the road who reignites their hearts. Their encounter with the risen Lord is confirmed in the breaking of the bread.

What impresses me with this well known story is how Jesus doesn't try to turn them around on the road. He actually walks along with them, away from Jerusalem where they should be with the other disciples. Jesus meets them where they are at, lost in their grief, then changes their hearts so that they turn and run back to Jerusalem from their own volition.

Heart surgery. That's how Jesus worked with me. Rather than forcing change from the outside in, he worked on my heart, changing me from the inside out. That change is far more effective, far more permanent.

That's how I see Alpha working, from the inside out. Meet people where they are at, no matter how far away that is from where they should be. Walk alongside them, change their hearts and then watch them run back to where they should be. What could be more exciting!

Jesus, thank you for accepting me with all my misconceptions and brokenness. Help me have the same compassion for others who have had their dreams broken and who are lost.
Little Flower, please pray for me.