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 onecrumpled 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.
