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by Sherry Chamblee

Sometimes as Christians we try so hard. Our life is filled with trying to do what’s right, trying to be a better human, trying to be a better role model, trying to make our little corner of the world a better place. 

But I think we fill our minds with so much pressure, so many expectations, that we forget the truth about where we stand with God. 

I was reading Hebrews the other day and came across a thought that really hadn’t struck me in quite this way before. 

Hebrews 10:19 and 20 says: 

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 

By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

It had never struck me before that the veil in the Temple was symbolic of the body – the body of our sins separating us from the holiest part of God’s being.

In the crucifiction God ripped the physical veil in the literal Temple. It wasn’t swept aside, tied back so the holy of holies was revealed, but leaving the veil intact. 

It wasn’t dissolved completely, either, but remained, showing an opening to the inner holy of holies. 

And it wasn’t ripped bottom to top, but top to bottom.

We can’t sweep aside our flesh, trying to tie it back with rules and regulations, thinking that will be enough to please God and gain us access to Him. 

We can’t ignore it, thinking that denying the flesh exists will help us pretend we’re already good enough, or it doesn’t really matter how we act.

The direction it was ripped is even symbolic – bottom to top could be said that we were making a way to God, but by ripping top to bottom, God makes it even more clear that He is the One making a way to us.

We only get to God by going through that rip in the Veil. There is no other way, except through belief in the One who created the tear in the first place – Jesus Christ alone.

Being reconciled to God – pleasing God – isn’t about “trying” all the time. It’s accepting the Only Way to God, the Way that He has already secured for us.

Being who God wants us to be is also accepting where God has put us in life. And sometimes that’s hard to do, but it’s always right.

About the Author:

Sherry grew up in various cities around northern and central California. This gave her all sorts of stories that sat and festered in her brain, waiting to be let loose. She eventually went to college in Wisconsin, where she met her equally frenetic husband, Rich. They have six (yes, count them) children, two dogs and a cat, and currently reside in a madhouse in the southern California area. As a family, they enjoy being active in their local church. Sherry spends her time writing when not caring for Granny, the kids, the dogs, the cat and any number of strays in the neighborhood.

Sherry Chamblee can be found at http://www.sherrychamblee.weebly.com Or check out her books at http://www.amazon.com/Sherry-Chamblee/e/B00BA06RJ2/