This is the song (lyrics below) that American snowboarder Kelly Clark was singing along with on her iPod when she won the bronze medal at the Olympics this week.
I won't pretend that I have a clue of what it must feel like to be competing in the Olympics with the eyes of the millions watching you. But I will say that singing about what Jesus did on the cross to define love for us, in order that we would love Him back with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength, is probably the best possible way to act in that situation. Most likely only trivia buffs will remember Kelly Clark's name and what she won 20 years from now - but the love in her heart for Jesus Christ is going to be honored before the throne of God forever and ever.
If you found this page out of curiosity, I urge you to actually read the lyrics below and think about the implications. God Himself - the Creator of heaven and earth and everything in them - became a human being and showed us what a human life was always supposed to look like. And then He submitted Himself voluntarily to a gross mockery of justice, to torture, to public shame, and to death, in order to bear the penalty that we deserved for our rebellion against God. And then three days later, He rose from the dead, and is never going to die again.
He did all of that because He loves you, and He wants you to fulfill the purpose for which He made you. God demonstrated His love for us in this: while we were still in rebellion against Him, Jesus died for us. And now Jesus has been given authority over everything that He made and is co-ruling with His Father in heaven. But He isn't going to stay there forever. There is a day coming - sooner than you think! - when He will come back to the earth and every human being who has ever lived will give an account to Him for how they lived their life. I urge you, if you do not know Jesus the Messiah personally, make your peace with Him now while you still have time!
Arms Wide Open – Misty Edwards
“What does love look like?” is the question I’ve been pondering
“What does love look like?”
“What does love look like?” is the question I’ve been asking of YouI once believed that love was romance, just a chance
I even thought that love was for the lucky and the beautiful
I once believed that love was a momentary bliss
But love is more than this
All You ever wanted was my attention
All You ever wanted was love from me
All You ever wanted was my affections, to sit here at Your feetThen I sat down, a little frustrated and confused
If all of life comes down to love
Then love has to be more than sentiment
More than selfishness and selfish gainAnd then I saw Him there, hanging on a tree, looking at me
I saw Him there, hanging on a tree, looking at me
He was looking at me, looking at Him, staring through me
I could not escape those beautiful eyes
And I began to weep and weepHe had arms wide open, a heart exposed
Arms wide open; He was bleeding, bleedingLove’s definition, love’s definition was looking at me
Looking at Him, hanging on a tree
I began to weep and weep and weep and weepThis is how I know what love is, this is how I know what love is
And as I sat there weeping, crying
Those beautiful eyes, full of desire and loveHe said to me, “You shall love Me, You shall love Me
You shall love Me, You shall love Me”With arms wide open, a heart exposed
With arms wide open, bleeding, sometimes bleedingIf anybody’s looking for love in all the wrong places
If you’ve been searching for love, come to Me, come to Me
Take up your cross, deny yourself
Forget your father’s house and run, run with Me
You were made for abandonment, wholeheartedness
You were made for someone greater, someone bigger, so follow Me
And You’ll come alive when you learn to die