Then this message came to
Zechariah from the Lord:
"This is what the Lord of
Heaven's Armies says:
Judge fairly, and show
mercy and kindness to
one another. Do not
oppress widows,
orphans, foreigners,
and the poor."
Zechariah 7:8-10
she sits in sand.
wind relentless and cold drives
the harsh grains of sand
like tiny shards of glass
into skin so soft.
big brown eyes well up with tears.
cold,
hungry,
homeless.
all she knows is
where she sits.
somewhere
in her memory
she hears sounds and
sees sights that her mind
has not succeeded in burying.
the sounds of war.
bombs
raining
down.
her home
destroyed
as cries fill the air.
pictures frozen in time
are of the wounded
and dead
lying in the street,
her city in ruins.
and the smell of war.
dust rises from buildings
crumpled as if toy blocks
knocked over in play.
only this is not play.
her parents do what
any of us who are
parents would do:
run.
flee.
gather what
little can be
carried along
with small
ones so
terrified
and leave all
they know.
run for safety,
having no idea where
that will be found.
who will help?
another family
with hopes so high
sits in an airport.
caught in a web
of orders and laws
so tangled.
so close to freedom.
so close to a new life.
yet
oh
so
far.
do we care?
I believe we do.
loving with the love of
Jesus leaves no room for
ignoring those in such
desperate need.
yet courage is required,
for loving like Jesus
is not for the
faint of heart.
"Then they will reply, 'Lord,
when did we ever see you hungry
or thirsty or a stranger or naked or
sick or in prison, and not help you?'
And he will answer, 'I tell you the truth,
when you refused to help the least of
these my brothers and sisters,
you were refusing to help me.'"
Matthew 25:44-45
so often Jesus talked
about taking care of
widows, orphans,
prisoners, foreigners,
and those in need.
some are saying
we must care for our own,
and that is absolute truth.
yet did not Jesus die for
all people and nations
and ethnicity and belief
and gender and color
and anything else
making them
different
from us?
I am certainly no expert
in immigration law
or procedure.
nor can I, on my own,
change the world.
yet if I do nothing,
is that not akin to agreeing
with that which I believe
breaks the heart of Jesus?
so with my one small voice,
I speak.
the ground at the
foot of the cross
is level. grace.
"For I know the plans I have for you,"
says the Lord.
"They are plans for good
and not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope.
In those days when you pray,
I will listen.
If you look for Me
wholeheartedly,
you will find Me.
I will be found by you,"
says the Lord.
Jeremiah 29
sometimes
the future can look bleak.
hope can be hard to come by.
hearts and dreams
lie
s
h
a
t
t
e
r
e
d
and
s c a t t e r e d
in pieces
on the ground.
you prayed and prayed
for the miracle you knew
He could perform with
but a breath,
yet the one
so loved is
gone.
the job
desperately needed
seemed to slip through
your fingers.
the addiction
still grips
and the dark
still suffocates.
and the list could go on.
the heart pleads:
'Abba Father,
pull back the curtain,
just a small corner.
reveal a fraction
of that future.
a sliver of
hope.'
sometimes just a glimpse
is enough to keep the
heart
beating.
and the heart
grasps onto
that sliver of hope.
His Spirit gently
dances
twirls
sways
to the music
of that hope.
and tenderly He
colors every corner
of darkness and fear
with the colors of the
rainbow.
and with His presence,
even if not understood,
is a breath
of fresh air stirring within,
whispering of
His love
so boundless,
so glorious,
so furious,
so tender.
and when that heart
sees Him and calls
out His name,
He
will
listen.
and He promises just
enough hope
and grace
for
today.
"What do you think?
If a man owns a hundred sheep,
and one of them wanders away,
will he not leave the ninety-nine
on the hills and go to look for
the one
that wandered off?
and if he finds it,
I tell you the truth,
he is happier about that
one sheep
than about the ninety-nine
that did not
wander off.
In the same way
your Father in heaven
is not willing that any
one
of these little ones
should be lost."
Matthew 18:12-14
the rain falls.
heaven's tears.
tears for the one.
always the one.
for was that not
the very essence
of the ministry
and life
of Jesus?
how often did
He not look
beyond the
masses to
make eye contact
with the one?
and is that not
the beauty
so compelling
of the gospel?
the one.
especially the lost one.
the one wandering.
the one running.
the one crumpled
in a heap on the ground,
convinced
the darkness
too dark.
the sin
too horrific.
the addiction
too strangling.
the future
too hopeless.
life
too
crushing.
oh but it is to that one
Jesus whispers these words:
"Come to me,
all of you who are
weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble
in heart,
and you will find rest
for your souls.
For my yoke is easy
and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30
and often He speaks
with no words.
just a look from
His eyes tender
draws the one
to His heart.
He steps into the
prison cell bringing
forgiveness and hope
and light.
for no dark
of night exists
that His Light
cannot pierce.
He steps into the room
of the one
holding the means
by which he intends
to end the
relentless
pain of
life.
gently He draws
the broken one
into His arms,
whispering,
"you. are. not. alone."
oh heart so heavy,
do not give up!
do not give in!
you are priceless!
you are loved!
nothing.
no. place.
no. circumstance
no. place. in. which.
you. find. yourself.
is. too. far.
is. too. dark.
is. too. deep.
that Jesus is not there
with you.
the one.
the details,
the story lines,
the situations
differ with each
one,
but His love
is the constant.
and His love is
relentless.
passionate.
glorious.
furious.
tender.
and always
His love pursues
the one
to the
last
heartbeat.
and the beauty?
He uses the one redeemed
to be His arms and hands
and voice and touch to
help lead
the other one
back
home
to His heart.
