Guest blog by Jennifer Slattery

His hair was matted, filthy, his face streaked with dirt, his anger so intense, not even chains could keep him bound. His body, naked. Whether he was pushed from his home, having destroyed the relationships he once held dear and told never to return, or whether he ran from the ones who loved him, we don’t know. But by the time Jesus found this dirty, smelling, unclothed man, he was living in tombs.

A dead man walking. No love. No joy. No hope for better.

I assume most had given up on this man, assuming he was too far gone.

So he remained alone, in the tombs.

This is where Jesus found Him, saw him, truly saw him. Jesus, this naked and hopeless man’s Creator, God in flesh, loved the person imprisoned in this dirty, lifeless, hopeless shell.

But He did more than look and love. He put action to His love and brought the man healing.

Restored him to wholeness.

According to the Bible, the powers of darkness drove this man to isolation, because that’s what Satan does. (Luke 8:26-39) He’s a liar and a thief bent on your destruction (1 Peter 5:8, John 10:10).

But Satan’s power is powerless when confronted by the risen, Victorious Savior.

Jesus saw the man and moved toward him with an active, initiating love, desiring to give the man not merely to bring relief from that which tormented him, but the soul-reaching freedom of life abundant. Jesus brought the light of life into this man’s darkened soul.

In a moment, the man’s life was changed forever.

Jesus offers this same radical change for each of us. Satan longs to rob us of our joy, our peace, our love, our purpose, our very life.

But Christ came that we might have life and have it to the full.

What has you in shackles and is keeping you from living the full and victorious life Christ promised? Give it to Him in full surrender, trusting Him to lead you from the tombs to abundant, radiant life.

Perhaps God has led you from the tombs. Friend, remember what it felt like to live in isolation and chains. Don’t ever forget, and use that not forgetting to show the way of freedom for the walking dead all around you. Real love is active. It moves, it helps, it seeks, it initiates, it sacrifices. Real love, is life–eternal life–changing.

What will you do today to grab hold of and live in the abundant life Christ died to grant you? What will you do today to show that life to someone else?

 Jennifer Slattery is a writer and international speaker who’s addressed women’s groups, church groups, Bible studies, and other writers across the nation. She’s the author of six contemporary novels maintains a devotional blog found at http://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com. She has a passion for helping women discover, embrace, and live out who they are in Christ. As the founder of Wholly Loved Ministries, (http://whollyloved.com) she and her team partner with churches to facilitate events designed to help women rest in their true worth and live with maximum impact. When not writing, reading, or editing, Jennifer loves going on mall dates with her adult daughter and coffee dates with her hilariously fun husband.

Dancing in the Rain:

On the verge of college graduation, Loni Parker seeks employment as a music teacher, but no one will hire her since she’s blind. Or so she thinks. To take her mind off her troubles, her roommate invites her to spring retreat at Camp Hope in the gorgeous North Carolina mountains.

Unbeknownst to Loni, Michael Ackerman, the director, is an ex-con responsible for the accident that caused her blindness. When Loni warms up to camp and wants to return as a summer counselor, Michael opposes the idea, which only makes Loni want to prove herself all the more. Though she doesn’t expect to fall for the guy. Still, her need for independence and dream of teaching win out, taking her far away from her beloved Camp Hope . . . and a certain director.

Camp director Michael Ackerman recognizes Lonie instantly and wants to avoid her at all costs. Yet, despite the guilt pushing him from her, a growing attraction draws him to the determined woman. She sees more with her heart than the average person does with his eyes. But her presence also dredges up a long-buried anger toward his alcoholic father that he’d just as soon keep hidden. When circumstances spin out of control, Michael is forced to face a past that may destroy his present.

Buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CSH8F97