Someone comes to you with a situation - they come to you, filled with fear, but beneath the fear, hope as well. With the biblical mindset that you have, you tell them, "You must have faith!"
Wait, what?
I think I must be missing something here, because from where I stand, not only are faith and fear not segregated, they are ultimately and profoundly intertwined; it's rare that one is found without some amount of the other.
If you would disagree with me, and say that faith and fear do not mix, may I politely ask what you would define faith as, please? Actually, it doesn't matter what you define it as. The Bible clearly and pointedly defines faith, with a devout Christian who seeks God's face in mind.
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
We fear what we have faith in - what we cannot see, while we may have great faith in it, we also fear it, because we do not know it. "For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know in full, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12
Fear... really, it can be a very healthy thing. We were all told when we were young not to do certain things, such as not to jump on the bed. When we were small, I think everyone bumped their head after falling off the bed from disobeying and jumping on it. We came to have a healthy fear of falling in such a way. Running up the stairs? Playground stunts? Climbing up the fridge handles? We have received the same cautions from those wiser than us - same results. This goes to prove the thought that not only do we fear the unknown, we are also immensely curious of it. But wait.
Isn't curiosity what killed the cat?
And where am I going with this, now?
While we have faith, hope, and fear - those three are not enough to really cause passionate action or interest. We are a hopelessly curious race... alas, humanity! How complex thou art....
So, what do we have now? Faith, Fear, Hope, and Curiosity - all emotions that we feel towards something that I've hinted at, but not directly stated.
The future.
The future that you fear and also have faith in the the same one that God has ordained for your life - He who loves you has given you "a hope and a future" and a hope for your future. He has not only planned the beginning, the middle, and the end of your life, but He's already there. He is restoring your past, caring for your present, and upholding your future all the time, because He cares for you loves you with all His heart - indeed, so much that He to send His Son, whom He loves, to lay down His life for us, so that we could be called His friends and His children.
Fear - is not wrong. We are called to bring all our worries, our hopes, and everything else, to the throne-room of Grace. When we turn over our fear, along with everything else, we recieve the one thing that keeps everything in control - the peace of God.
So, what better do we have in this life than to "Seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly wit our God"? Go, therefore, with intermixed faith and fear, and seek Him in all your ways.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Five Things
Everywhere we look, all around us, are other people. We are surrounded by our kind; fellow humans are in no lack. The diversity in which we, as humans, are made, is astounding - no one who has ever walked this earth is exactly alike to any other who has lived at any point it time. But there are certain similarities, and certain things that we all have, and can assume about a person. I would like to approach this from a Biblical standpoint, and go off of five main points and similarities, and continue on from there.
1. We have all been made in the image of God. Not physically - that's pretty much impossible to assume seeing physical differences in every single person, whether male or female. The image that we all share, the fact that we have been formed in the likeness of God Himself, brings me to the conclusion that we have been given the gift of a Soul - we have all of eternity before us, and this is a Promise of His. Whether or not we spend our eternity with God or not is our individual choice; a daily choice that when we wake up in the morning, we choose to follow Him. Point of this all being, every single person in existence now, or who has at some point in time had claim to existence, has a Soul that will endure for the length of eternity.
2. We all have emotions, feelings, ideas, and our own individualized thought process. The way in which you can really reach and touch one person varies vastly from what can and will reach another person. If you go up to someone, and start teaching them a blazing message on hell-fire, the likelihood that that will reach them depends on their personality - you are much more apt to push them far, far away from Christ and His love for them, and leave them fearful. But, on the other hand, you could walk up to that same person and tell them, oh, you know, God loves you, He sent His only Son to die for you, ect, and it still might not reach them! Most times, to reach someone effectively, we have to have at least some idea of their personality and the way they process thoughts and emotions. Without this, it's really tricky to know what will touch their heart - the key here is to build relationships with non-believers in the Truth of the Word of God. But, after all that, I still need to say this - when the Holy Spirit prompts you to talk to someone about God in a certain way, it doesn't matter if you know them as your best friend, or as the clerk in the shopping mall; all that matters is that you place your faith in the One True God, and follow His wherever He may lead you. Point of this being, start relationships with people who you want to witness to, but NEVER limit God by your amount of knowledge - trust Him fully in all things; but remember, everyone is different.
3. We all have a God-shaped hole inside of us - a yearning, a longing, a desire for something more, something worth both living and dying for. We, as Christians, have found that thing - Christ's love for us. For love, though it's not always everything we want, it's always more than anything we could ever need - and when our hopes and expectations are placed in His love for us, we need not fear disappointment, or failure, or disaster - for His love never fails. Point being, there is an entire world filled with people, and most of those people scoff when they hear the phrase, "God Loves You" - we need to be His tools, to SHOW others that His love is true, so that we are not just empty gongs and clanging cymbals of useless, meaningless words.
4. We were all literally made, formed, created out of mere dirt, to worship the King of all kings, and to serve Him will all our lives, all of our days, will a full heart of love for Him. We are not our own! For we have been called to a higher purpose in this live then mere moments of partial fulfillment, or happiness. None of us are any better, or, for that matter, any worse than the next. We all fit into the same box of sin and hopelessness and unquenchable darkness. But just in the moment that our blackness seemed so thick that nothing could ever pierce it, we are blinded by the light that Christ shed into our lives, and our spiritual eyes can be opened, if we let them be so. Point being, never underestimate the worth of a person, or the ability that they have to be saved in Christ's Holy Name.
5. We are all someone worth dying for. Your neighbor is. That mean kid at school who snickers at you in the hallways is. Your family is. Your best friend is. Yes, dearest reader, YOU are someone worth dying for, and the someone that first proclaimed that and went on to really, truly die for you because He was so incredible honest and truthful when He said it, He was, and is, and forevermore will be, the King of all kings!! Every single human being IS someone worth dying for, no matter their walk of live or how much they live in sinfulness; Christ has torn the veil, filled the valley, and claimed you, and restored you - and that is what He longs for each and ever person to see, because He has done it not only for, you, and for me, but for the whole world! So that we all may know that OUR GOD REIGNS!! Point of all this being, you are not forsake-able in the eyes of Christ - you are beautiful, clean, and lovely in His perfect, holy eyes when you accept His love and truth and His power to make you clean and whole - also, this goes for all of mankind!!
Now that you have these five human truths, I have a challenge for you. Go light your world! You have an entire mission field placed right in front of you by God, and He has not given you any more, or any less, than you can handle. Place a burning fire for Him in your heart, and He will hold steadily and firmly onto you, and He will guide you always. Why does He do that for you? So that you can say to Him, "Oh, no, You never let go, through the calm and through the storm - oh, no, You never let go, in every high, and every low - oh, no You never let go, Lord, You never let go of me!" (Matt Redman, You Never Let Go)
Sunday, March 3, 2013
The Vow
A poem I wrote for a dear friend of mine, Rachel Nottingham; she is such a blessing to me. Hope you enjoy it!! :)
I know we'll both have made mistakes,
And floundered on the Path;
But Darling, when I meet you,
Complete my Soul will be at last.
We may not know the day we meet,
Or even the month, or year -
But Love, our Paths will soon collide
For He faithfully draws His children near.
To share my life with you,
Every joy, every tear, every passion;
But darling, my greatest excitement is
To kneel together and praise our Heavenly Father.
For what grater gift is there
Than the knowledge we never need part?
That our lives here are spent serving Him,
Only is unison to place our crowns at His feet?
When we join hands at the alter
We join hearts for eternity -
I want to care for you my whole life,
Live as if I needed to earn your freely-given trust.
I know we'll both have made mistakes,
And floundered on the Path;
But Darling, when I meet you,
Complete my Soul will be at last.
We may not know the day we meet,
Or even the month, or year -
But Love, our Paths will soon collide
For He faithfully draws His children near.
To share my life with you,
Every joy, every tear, every passion;
But darling, my greatest excitement is
To kneel together and praise our Heavenly Father.
For what grater gift is there
Than the knowledge we never need part?
That our lives here are spent serving Him,
Only is unison to place our crowns at His feet?
When we join hands at the alter
We join hearts for eternity -
I want to care for you my whole life,
Live as if I needed to earn your freely-given trust.
Mirror, Mirror...
This is a poem I wrote after I got called beautiful for the first time by a guy outside of my family - I was so confused, and what's even funnier, I was furious. But how do you tell that to someone who's just trying to be nice? I have no clue 0.o I laugh looking back at it, though there is some insight in it. Insight as to what I write when I'm blazing mad... :P
I've been called beautiful, but never by my mirror - who lies?
If beauty is in the beholders eye, then who is it my mirror mocks?
Is beauty all the others see, is it truly what defines the real me?
I've never had to guess before - does beauty linger at my door?
Or does she in her wisdom stay across the street, clearly at bay?
Beauty is in the beholders Soul, why has this never been seen before?
Why do children with their barbies play, and wrestle with beauty both night and day?
Why does no one see - beauty is the biggest curse shoved inside a blessing?
As life goes on, as the river flows, oh beauty, why do you flee?
You take the curse, you take the blessing, and leave - just - me?
Beauty, do I hate thee, or beauty, do I love thee?
I suppose it matters not, for in the mirror I don't behold thee!
I've been called beautiful, but never by my mirror - who lies?
If beauty is in the beholders eye, then who is it my mirror mocks?
Is beauty all the others see, is it truly what defines the real me?
I've never had to guess before - does beauty linger at my door?
Or does she in her wisdom stay across the street, clearly at bay?
Beauty is in the beholders Soul, why has this never been seen before?
Why do children with their barbies play, and wrestle with beauty both night and day?
Why does no one see - beauty is the biggest curse shoved inside a blessing?
As life goes on, as the river flows, oh beauty, why do you flee?
You take the curse, you take the blessing, and leave - just - me?
Beauty, do I hate thee, or beauty, do I love thee?
I suppose it matters not, for in the mirror I don't behold thee!
What Love Isn't
This is a poem I wrote for my parents 14th anniversary. I love them!! <3
Love
Love isn't a machine,
An axle with a wheel,
A bird chirping ere dawn
Who does what he does with skill.
Love is a miracle,
An angel with a bow,
A man and a woman
Yet untrained - yet behold!
Know they still how to Love.
A woman crazed by love
In a flowing white dress
Makes her way down the isle
To her groom, husband-to-be.
"Till death do we part",
The married couple promise
One unity walks down the isle,
Two persons, now one.
14 years later,
Along with 14 million smiles past,
They have four beautiful children
Who they lovingly adore.
Another 14 years, who knows?
How many times can two people
Fall in love? Those questions to be
Answered by only this -
Time.
Love
Love isn't a machine,
An axle with a wheel,
A bird chirping ere dawn
Who does what he does with skill.
Love is a miracle,
An angel with a bow,
A man and a woman
Yet untrained - yet behold!
Know they still how to Love.
A woman crazed by love
In a flowing white dress
Makes her way down the isle
To her groom, husband-to-be.
"Till death do we part",
The married couple promise
One unity walks down the isle,
Two persons, now one.
14 years later,
Along with 14 million smiles past,
They have four beautiful children
Who they lovingly adore.
Another 14 years, who knows?
How many times can two people
Fall in love? Those questions to be
Answered by only this -
Time.
Family Influence - My Parents
I would never, ever trade my family, my life, for anyone else's. Why? Because I would then be a different person with different values, different qualities, different strengths, different weaknesses. The greatest gift from God to me as an individual is my parents. They have raised me up founded in the Bible, in Christ's love for me, in their love for me, and in an immediate level of base respect for every other human being in this world, not for who they are or aren't or what they've done or haven't done, but simply because their Souls were made in the likeness of the God whom I serve. Without the dedication and loyalty of my devoted parents, I would not be the person that I am, where I am. All the little things have added up, yes - but each of them has had a life-altering (for me) conversation with me, just me.
For my Mom, it happened when I was twelve. I wasn't caring at that point that I was messing up constantly, and therefore was an overly strong-willed, stubborn, disobedient child to my poor parents. They each tried to correct me in their own way, and through the course of time, Mommy finally did it. She heard a teaching on the radio and altered and added to it with Bible verses and other such encouragements. When I brought up the following speech she gave me to her the other day, she couldn't even recall it. She wasn't especially pleased with me that day, but what she said to me was one of the most inspiring things I've ever heard.
She said, "Mikayla, every persons life is shaped by their teenage years; it's so difficult to flip it all around after you hit twenty. You are mostly set in your ways by then, and all of your basic foundations have been set. Think of your life as a house being constructed from bricks. Some bricks are made out of stone, and some out of sawdust. If the bottom layer has sawdust bricks in it, then all of the structure is insecure; on the layer, even, where there are faulty bricks, every layer above the unstable one is useless, not because of themselves, but because of what it has been built upon. But even still, sometimes when we let our layers of strength fall down, we can rebuild, and better ourselves. It hurts, yes; but no matter how small your building is, if it's built on the right stuff, if you have a firm foundation, when the storm comes by you, you will be found standing when it blows over."
Boy, did I ever get my act together. Being a firstborn, the worst punishment you could ever give me is to tell me I'm wrong, to criticize me, to tell me I'm messing up - but it's also the most affective. Sure, I felt bad when I used to get spanked or get some hot sauce, and I feel and I feel bad when I get my Mac taken away, but those things take a lot longer to get through, you know?
What my Dad said to me changed my worldview, not my attitude, thought it was no less profound. I went in to work with him a few months ago at 11pm at night - we were up till nearly 3am. On the hour long drive to the site needing serviced, we talked about how life is supposed to be - the way God planned it. We got on the topic of teenagers - and I warn you, if you're a teenager, either quit reading or prepare to be challenged to the core. Teenagers, high schoolers, they think, many times, that they know everything, can make their own decisions and choices, all the time, rule the world. So, so not true. Here's what my very wise Father has to say on the subject -
"People, especially teens, don't seem to understand that you don't learn so that you can make your own decisions, so that you can know best, so that you can lead your own life; you learn so that you can best aline yourself with the will of God." He went on to say that he wished people would realize, "I'm tired of fighting against God - it would be a lot easier to just take that energy and put it towards His good works." That touches on two things - (a) struggling with guilt is a choice, and (b) God is never on our side - for He is not a respecter of persons - but, we can be on His side.
My parents are two of the most amazing, godly people I know. And I'll say it again. I would not be the person I am today were it not for them.
Ohh, and by the way - if you ever feel like giving me, or one of my siblings, a compliment on character, don't do it. Give it to my parents.
For my Mom, it happened when I was twelve. I wasn't caring at that point that I was messing up constantly, and therefore was an overly strong-willed, stubborn, disobedient child to my poor parents. They each tried to correct me in their own way, and through the course of time, Mommy finally did it. She heard a teaching on the radio and altered and added to it with Bible verses and other such encouragements. When I brought up the following speech she gave me to her the other day, she couldn't even recall it. She wasn't especially pleased with me that day, but what she said to me was one of the most inspiring things I've ever heard.
She said, "Mikayla, every persons life is shaped by their teenage years; it's so difficult to flip it all around after you hit twenty. You are mostly set in your ways by then, and all of your basic foundations have been set. Think of your life as a house being constructed from bricks. Some bricks are made out of stone, and some out of sawdust. If the bottom layer has sawdust bricks in it, then all of the structure is insecure; on the layer, even, where there are faulty bricks, every layer above the unstable one is useless, not because of themselves, but because of what it has been built upon. But even still, sometimes when we let our layers of strength fall down, we can rebuild, and better ourselves. It hurts, yes; but no matter how small your building is, if it's built on the right stuff, if you have a firm foundation, when the storm comes by you, you will be found standing when it blows over."
Boy, did I ever get my act together. Being a firstborn, the worst punishment you could ever give me is to tell me I'm wrong, to criticize me, to tell me I'm messing up - but it's also the most affective. Sure, I felt bad when I used to get spanked or get some hot sauce, and I feel and I feel bad when I get my Mac taken away, but those things take a lot longer to get through, you know?
What my Dad said to me changed my worldview, not my attitude, thought it was no less profound. I went in to work with him a few months ago at 11pm at night - we were up till nearly 3am. On the hour long drive to the site needing serviced, we talked about how life is supposed to be - the way God planned it. We got on the topic of teenagers - and I warn you, if you're a teenager, either quit reading or prepare to be challenged to the core. Teenagers, high schoolers, they think, many times, that they know everything, can make their own decisions and choices, all the time, rule the world. So, so not true. Here's what my very wise Father has to say on the subject -
"People, especially teens, don't seem to understand that you don't learn so that you can make your own decisions, so that you can know best, so that you can lead your own life; you learn so that you can best aline yourself with the will of God." He went on to say that he wished people would realize, "I'm tired of fighting against God - it would be a lot easier to just take that energy and put it towards His good works." That touches on two things - (a) struggling with guilt is a choice, and (b) God is never on our side - for He is not a respecter of persons - but, we can be on His side.
My parents are two of the most amazing, godly people I know. And I'll say it again. I would not be the person I am today were it not for them.
Ohh, and by the way - if you ever feel like giving me, or one of my siblings, a compliment on character, don't do it. Give it to my parents.
The Me
This is another poem I wrote after looking up in the mirror after washing my hands in the sink - I literally stood mystified for about 15 seconds, then the moment passed. I went to my room later and wrote this. :)
It's a normal habit,
It's nothing really new,
But when I looked up today,
I have to say,
I was surprised to see you!
I noticed keenly in your eyes
Something I'd not of yet,
And in your face a mystery
I'd never known before.
A countenance I take for granted -
I see it every day.
Yet it was something unbeknownst -
Like the first time you see a familiar face.
In that moment that I stood
Seeking my mirrors council,
I felt beautiful - not outer,
But as if my heart glowed through my face.
The Lord has given, and so takes,
But then and there I saw the me -
The me I someday hope
To really, truly be.
The time it takes to get there
Will mindfully be well-spent
For at the end what I shall get
Will be what none can take.
It's a normal habit,
It's nothing really new,
But when I looked up today,
I have to say,
I was surprised to see you!
I noticed keenly in your eyes
Something I'd not of yet,
And in your face a mystery
I'd never known before.
A countenance I take for granted -
I see it every day.
Yet it was something unbeknownst -
Like the first time you see a familiar face.
In that moment that I stood
Seeking my mirrors council,
I felt beautiful - not outer,
But as if my heart glowed through my face.
The Lord has given, and so takes,
But then and there I saw the me -
The me I someday hope
To really, truly be.
The time it takes to get there
Will mindfully be well-spent
For at the end what I shall get
Will be what none can take.
The Brink Of Her Heart
This is a poem I wrote from the perspective of a man in love with a woman who thinks she could never be good enough for him. Hope you like it! :)
She has led me to the edge
Just to push me back;
Led me to the door
Only to shut it in my face.
On the brink of her heart
Have I stood
But the threshold will not pass me by it.
Has she a secret to hide
She is scared to relinquish?
No matter the weight, I swear,
Let me take it!
A smile to hide the sorrow,
A shaft of hair to hide wrinkled brow;
It's apparent - her burden
Is borne alone.
Lead me to the edge again, my love,
Light the path to the brink of your heart
This night -
Let us flee and live on the moon,
Dear One,
For weight is more easily borne there.
For, the brink of my heart
Brims with love, the depths of my heart,
Your Home.
She has led me to the edge
Just to push me back;
Led me to the door
Only to shut it in my face.
On the brink of her heart
Have I stood
But the threshold will not pass me by it.
Has she a secret to hide
She is scared to relinquish?
No matter the weight, I swear,
Let me take it!
A smile to hide the sorrow,
A shaft of hair to hide wrinkled brow;
It's apparent - her burden
Is borne alone.
Lead me to the edge again, my love,
Light the path to the brink of your heart
This night -
Let us flee and live on the moon,
Dear One,
For weight is more easily borne there.
For, the brink of my heart
Brims with love, the depths of my heart,
Your Home.
Who I Am - Identity
Who I Am - Identity.
What does it mean to be alive, to be human, a person, yourself? That depends on two things, in my opinion - your worldview, and your identity. When combined with personality, background, belief, and morals, they create a unique individual who can be neither replicated nor put into a stereotypical box of normalcy.
When you get to know someone, it never, ever happens in a day, or a month, and rarely does it take any less than at least a year to get a general idea about who someone really is, in my opinion. People are somewhat like complicated, ancient books - we can be read, over time, by struggling through the difficult parts to understand, and sometimes taking the time to slowly unstick pages that are glued together, to wait a long time on occasion for some things to make sense, for the real story of a person's life to unravel. Maybe the hardest part about getting to genuinely know someone for who they are is the devotion, dedication and patience it takes to get them to open up to you, to face their fears and insecurities, and to trust you.
Trust. Trust is something that takes a small eternity to build, yet can be torn down in a brief moment of carelessness. Trust is so fragile, so delicate, so precious. It's so pricy that it cannot be measured by the measures that mere men use... trust, in its perfected form, is deserving of the awe of humanity. To build up someone's trust in you is to tear down their protective walls, the fortress that they've slowly and steadily built around themselves and all that is meaningful to their hearts, all that touches their timeless, ageless, endless Souls. Ahh, trust... what hard work we go to to earn it; but in reality, could anyone ever deserve it? We all mess up sometimes, we all fail, we all slip up and miss the mark that we strive for at times - it's a hard, cold reality of life.
Life - this little game we play with time, this short thing that we take so much for granted - we have little enough of it. We're here for a mere moment, a brief time. We never have enough time to do all that we want, to have all that we wish for, to strive for all that we would be in a perfect world. Or, maybe that's not true, maybe I should scratch that - for crushing the idea that you're not to attempt to better yourself is not my agenda. Yes - we are supposed to try, to strive, to wish, to attempt - but we're also supposed to accept that our power isn't enough. We're not big enough. All that we could ever do will never be enough. We're just not strong enough, because we're not "all that". I'm not, you're not, no one is, really.... no one who's only human, that is. There was One, who was all human, but not ONLY human, who was strong enough, big enough, powerful enough - yes, He really was "all that". In fact, He even saved my life once. That's a really good story, you know...
You see, I was Eve in the garden, the woman who sinned and gave all that was good and perfect and true for all that was ugly and evil and broken. I was Lot's wife, who didn't trust her husband or God, and turned back to mourn her home. I was Leah, who purposely made fun of her barren sister. I was Moses' sister, who betrayed her brother. I was king David's wife, who didn't understand why her husband worshiped the God of Israel in the way that he did. I was Potiphar's wife, who lusted after Joseph, her husband's slave, and then lied and sent Joseph, the innocent one, to prison. I was Gomer, Hosea's adulteress wife, who her husband bought back for himself after she left him. I was the prostitute, who Jesus saved by daring the men condemning her to throw the first stone if he was sinless. I was Sapphira, who let her husband keep back part of the money set aside for God.
I was a dirty, ugly, pitiful, writhing sinner. Wretched, contorted, skewed, greasy, unclean, blinded, unpleasant. A sinner.
But, no longer! I am triumphantly redeemed, saved from my worst enemy, which is myself, salvaged, washed, stainless, purified, and called to be Holy, even as God Himself is Holy. He is the worthy lamb that was slain for the sin of man... the true living sacrifice.
While I was still a sinner, Jesus, the man who saved me, chose me - made the decision that I was someone worth the weight of death, of sin, worth the burden of the wrath of God. He struggled through 40 days without food or water, He washed the feet of His followers that were caked in mud and the foulness of uncouth dirt streets; He, a King among all the kings, carried willingly two beams in the shape of a cross that were bound together by nails similar to the ones what were driven through the sinews and tendons of His wrists and His feet, ferociously gouged into His roughened, yet still tender, flesh. He was stabbed in the side by a sword, drained of His last drop of lifeblood, for me - yet, not a bone in His body was broken, for He was punctured, but still complete. He saved me by dying my death - He switched places with me.
So, who am I? I am salvaged, saved, redeemed by One who loved me so much, He gave His life up and took on the weight of all my sin. That's where my identity is.
My worldview is that He didn't just do this for me - He did it for you, too, and for every single person who has ever walked the face of this earth.
He Loves You.
You are a treasure - a gift - a piece if gorgeous art - a masterpiece - crafted my immaculate workmanship - individual - one of a kind - made to worship - beautiful - loved incredibly much by God Himself - you are someone worth dying for.
What does it mean to be alive, to be human, a person, yourself? That depends on two things, in my opinion - your worldview, and your identity. When combined with personality, background, belief, and morals, they create a unique individual who can be neither replicated nor put into a stereotypical box of normalcy.
When you get to know someone, it never, ever happens in a day, or a month, and rarely does it take any less than at least a year to get a general idea about who someone really is, in my opinion. People are somewhat like complicated, ancient books - we can be read, over time, by struggling through the difficult parts to understand, and sometimes taking the time to slowly unstick pages that are glued together, to wait a long time on occasion for some things to make sense, for the real story of a person's life to unravel. Maybe the hardest part about getting to genuinely know someone for who they are is the devotion, dedication and patience it takes to get them to open up to you, to face their fears and insecurities, and to trust you.
Trust. Trust is something that takes a small eternity to build, yet can be torn down in a brief moment of carelessness. Trust is so fragile, so delicate, so precious. It's so pricy that it cannot be measured by the measures that mere men use... trust, in its perfected form, is deserving of the awe of humanity. To build up someone's trust in you is to tear down their protective walls, the fortress that they've slowly and steadily built around themselves and all that is meaningful to their hearts, all that touches their timeless, ageless, endless Souls. Ahh, trust... what hard work we go to to earn it; but in reality, could anyone ever deserve it? We all mess up sometimes, we all fail, we all slip up and miss the mark that we strive for at times - it's a hard, cold reality of life.
Life - this little game we play with time, this short thing that we take so much for granted - we have little enough of it. We're here for a mere moment, a brief time. We never have enough time to do all that we want, to have all that we wish for, to strive for all that we would be in a perfect world. Or, maybe that's not true, maybe I should scratch that - for crushing the idea that you're not to attempt to better yourself is not my agenda. Yes - we are supposed to try, to strive, to wish, to attempt - but we're also supposed to accept that our power isn't enough. We're not big enough. All that we could ever do will never be enough. We're just not strong enough, because we're not "all that". I'm not, you're not, no one is, really.... no one who's only human, that is. There was One, who was all human, but not ONLY human, who was strong enough, big enough, powerful enough - yes, He really was "all that". In fact, He even saved my life once. That's a really good story, you know...
You see, I was Eve in the garden, the woman who sinned and gave all that was good and perfect and true for all that was ugly and evil and broken. I was Lot's wife, who didn't trust her husband or God, and turned back to mourn her home. I was Leah, who purposely made fun of her barren sister. I was Moses' sister, who betrayed her brother. I was king David's wife, who didn't understand why her husband worshiped the God of Israel in the way that he did. I was Potiphar's wife, who lusted after Joseph, her husband's slave, and then lied and sent Joseph, the innocent one, to prison. I was Gomer, Hosea's adulteress wife, who her husband bought back for himself after she left him. I was the prostitute, who Jesus saved by daring the men condemning her to throw the first stone if he was sinless. I was Sapphira, who let her husband keep back part of the money set aside for God.
I was a dirty, ugly, pitiful, writhing sinner. Wretched, contorted, skewed, greasy, unclean, blinded, unpleasant. A sinner.
But, no longer! I am triumphantly redeemed, saved from my worst enemy, which is myself, salvaged, washed, stainless, purified, and called to be Holy, even as God Himself is Holy. He is the worthy lamb that was slain for the sin of man... the true living sacrifice.
While I was still a sinner, Jesus, the man who saved me, chose me - made the decision that I was someone worth the weight of death, of sin, worth the burden of the wrath of God. He struggled through 40 days without food or water, He washed the feet of His followers that were caked in mud and the foulness of uncouth dirt streets; He, a King among all the kings, carried willingly two beams in the shape of a cross that were bound together by nails similar to the ones what were driven through the sinews and tendons of His wrists and His feet, ferociously gouged into His roughened, yet still tender, flesh. He was stabbed in the side by a sword, drained of His last drop of lifeblood, for me - yet, not a bone in His body was broken, for He was punctured, but still complete. He saved me by dying my death - He switched places with me.
So, who am I? I am salvaged, saved, redeemed by One who loved me so much, He gave His life up and took on the weight of all my sin. That's where my identity is.
My worldview is that He didn't just do this for me - He did it for you, too, and for every single person who has ever walked the face of this earth.
He Loves You.
You are a treasure - a gift - a piece if gorgeous art - a masterpiece - crafted my immaculate workmanship - individual - one of a kind - made to worship - beautiful - loved incredibly much by God Himself - you are someone worth dying for.
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