July 24, 2012

He still loves us


The pain follows us
Wherever
And everywhere
We cringe under the load
Yet we feel obliged to carry it

Such stupidity

We argue
Husband and wife
Brother and brother
Sister and sister
Parents and children
We don’t listen
We say we listen
We hear what we imagine
We hear what we think we’re supposed to hear
We hear what our feelings tell us to hear
We don’t stop and pay attention

Communication gone out the window
I wonder if we ever truly learned it
Miscommunication is the way --
we’ve learned that well

Perhaps that too goes back
to the very beginning
when God created man
and woman
Everything was fine
until one quiet day
all fury burst forth
Satan strode in on his
black horse, all proud,
filled with hate for Him
who he couldn’t be
Bound and determined
to undermine Him at
every possible turn
He’d get even, he’d show
God how big he was,
how important he was,
how he could destroy
humanity with the power
of negative thinking
and undergird it with
selfish thinking.

And we would fall prey
to him.
Oh yes, Satan had it
all figured out
and us,
what do we do?

We allow him.

Such stupidity

If we could go back
back to the beginning
back to freedom
If we could just say NO
to Satan
NO to self
NO to negative thoughts
that dash our hopes
and bring us back to that
disgusting place we don’t want to be.

God gave us life
Not once, but twice
He offers us joy
And we have the gall to say no?

We refuse His love
He allowed His Son to go to the cross
for us,
for our sins
Jesus, who had no sin
He died for me
He died for you
And we say NO to Him?!

Such stupidity

Such pain and grief
our Father feels


Yet He still loves us.
(c) July 24, 2012

Are we deadened .. or are we alive

Are we deadened
to the sounds
around us
Silently they speak
Harsh too
Withdrawn into self
Fearful of stepping beyond
the perimeter of our individual circle
Small and alone
we are
We don't hear
We think no one hears us,
no one cares
and we don't care
No one steps up,
No one steps beyond
their safety net
Not even you or me
We are afraid, as they

Who will answer
Ed Ames asked
in decades gone by
No one, we think
No one, we believe
No one will answer
No one has

But we are wrong

The Lord answers
But do we hear
in the stillness
before a raging
storm brewing
within
or beyond

or do we hear
the harshness of Satan
You're right, you're right
No one cares
You'd be better off
alone
without them
You're right, they're wrong
they don't love you,
find another
they don't care
find someone who does

find another
find someone

The answer is not found
outside
The answer is not found
in Another person
Another life
More money
Bigger house
Nicer car
Nicer clothes
Better job
Better health

None of this fulfills us

The Lord
provides
what we need
when we need it
But we have to look to Him

The Lord
shows us the way
Are we paying attention
Are we listening
Are we following
Are we obeying

The Lord
seeks you
not to pull you down
not to destroy you
but to build you up
to create in you
a sense of belonging,
an aliveness

The Lord loves you
Does Satan

The Lord wants your best always
Does Satan

The Lord Jesus died for you
Did Satan
What did Satan do for you
What does Satan really do for you

Are you deadened
to the sounds

or are you alive?



(c) July 24, 2012