Love Hurts

I have decided that I want this to be the theme of this next year of my life. Love Hurts. Here is a truth that many people (myself included) struggle to accept. So much of what we look for, what we cling to, is comfort. We expect love to be safe and comfortable. But the reality of Jesus’ Love is that it was surrounded by extraordinarily painful circumstances. Does Love bring us comfort? Yes. Will Love always be comfortable? No.

It is so easy to Love people, especially in the Kingdom of God. When we have Christ in us and working through us, it becomes easy to look clearly at the people around us and to pour Love into their lives. Maybe that is why we are so afraid. We are afraid of what will happen when we open up to Love. I will say that again. Most of us are afraid. We are afraid of loving and what that could mean to our carefully controlled lives. All we have to do is put our hands out, let God pour His love into them, and our lives will be ruined for all else but Him.

My own struggle with fear came through experience. After I realized how painful Love could be, I decided that I don’t like vulnerability. Why should I risk myself for them? Why should I be open? Why should I cry over people that I barely know?

My heart went on a journey. It is still traveling. I have seen growth that only the breath of God could make possible. What has happened has only been possible through the steady rain of grace and mercy into my life. I have gone from unwillingness to readiness. Something is coming. I am ready. I am still afraid!!!! But I am ready.

I am going to Haiti in four days. This trip is so full of God’s presence on it that I can hardly talk about it without making people (and myself) cry. I know that my heart is going to break. How could I see those things and be unmoved? Yet, somehow I feel like I will be strengthened through the process, not defeated. In our sufferings we become more like Christ. The story of what God is doing through this trip will continue.

I will continue to tell it here. I plan on blogging as much as possible about my experiences in Haiti after I get back. I am sure that I will have plenty to tell about.

Someday

Someday we will hold the sunlight,
It will not fade away
With shining faces walking-
Walk and not grow faint.

Someday we will see you truly,
No more shades of grey
We can know and love each other,
When grass and flower fade.

Today, I live for someday,
Today, I live for Hope.
This Hope is something greater
Than the Hope we thought we lost.

Someday we will walk rightly,
When you take our pain
No more to bear our sorrow-
“Redeemed” will be our name.

With shining faces now unveiled
Knowing that this life will fade,
Waiting- You will take our pain.
Let your Kingdom come today.

Let it be as it is- Someday.

Truth

Truth is hard to come by in this world. Right now the hysteria of our time is surrounding us, despair is always within reach, and truth has been replaced with hopelessness. We hear so much BS all day long, so it should come as no surprise that we are starting to believe in it. Where can we find the truth?

It is past midnight. It is past midnight within my soul. I hope that means that light is coming, that the morning light is coming soon. I know the “right” answers. I know the right words to say. I have even seen and testified to this before, but every so often the weariness will get to me and, one by one, the lies take root and start to grow. So, let this stand as a testament to Truth. I will speak into reality the Kingdom of our Jesus, because He gave us that authority and He knew what times were set before us. Here is the Truth that I hope for.

I Am:Beloved of the King. His shining daughter, glorious within. I am His child. He is my father, friend and more than I could ever imagine. He waits for me, listens to me, and is here now with me in the midst of all of the confusion. I have a purpose in this life that is greater than anything I ever desired. I am His resting place. I am a part of the body of Christ.

We are:His people. His bride. We cry out with one voice expecting Him to come, expecting Him to rescue us, and expecting Him to return. We prepare ourselves for Him. We are holding onto the promises that He has made. We are changing as we walk out our lives in obedience. Together there is a cooperate love and understanding that is incomprehensible unless you have experienced it. We are a strange family whose mission in life is to love and to do that together.

For this reason, let us throw away the comfort that we cling to so tightly so that He might comfort us. It is time to face the truth. It is time to embrace the full meaning of our lives. In all the glorious ups and downs, there is a God who cares and hears. He is ready to meet His children now. The question now is; are we ready to meet with Him? Meet Him in honesty and He will honor you with the truth, the words that break dividing walls and destroy the plans of the enemy. You are not alone in your struggles. You are not forgotten. That is the final truth.