kissed

I was hit by God's grace again the other day. As soon as we sin (and we have all sinned) we deserve to be struck dead. Immediately. And yet God gives us laughter, commands the sun to rise and set, gives us good things to enjoy, every day. And for those who accept the outstreched hand of His crucified and resurrected Son, and thereby come back into the stream of life, grace goes even further!
I really should be in awe of His saving grace, on my knees every minute I breathe, and get up on tiptoes reaching out to kiss Him who has brought me back to life.

Only seconds later, however, I read my Bible and this guy Judas walks off the page and stands right there, staring at me -
"And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him." (Matt 26:49)

As he is pointing my finger at me, I shake, and wonder. Abba, am I pure when I come to Your throne? Am I in danger of betraying you - again? Are my lips clean enough to praise, let alone kiss on you?

But God storms against my lies. God's kiss slowly transforms us from frogs to princes(ses), to quote Simon Ponsonby. He is the one who purifies and cleanses, and He is the one who initiated this love story...

I'm reminded of Isaiah and his calling -
"And I said: 'Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!' Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.'” (Isaiah 6:5-7)

My lips are clean, because You have touched them first. And I'm being drawn again into this spiral of adoration, up and up and up and up...