long before time began,
before the morning stars
were taught to sing,
God knew you.
He knew when
you would take
your first breath.
He knew when
you would breathe
your last.
He saw every
moment of your
life before one of
them had been lived.
He knew your heart.
He created that heart.
a heart so like His own.
God wove with delicate
intricacy every strand
of your DNA.
your heart was
larger than life.
compassion collided
with humor and
devotion
and passion
and firm resolve
and grittiness
and simply
overflowed
with
love,
splashing its mist
wherever you went.
and most of all,
your heart had
an insatiable
desire to know more
and more of your Papa.
to live in His presence.
to spend time talking
with and worshiping
the One you loved.
prayer was the
very breath
of life in you,
my friend.
countless hours were spent
interceding for all those
God brought into your life.
even as you struggled physically,
with duct tape seemingly
holding you together
at times, your
faith
stood
strong.
not because
you yourself
were so strong,
but because
your faith
was firmly
planted in
the One who
held you close.
in the One who
walked with you
every single day
of your life.
Rick, you have
literally touched
thousands of hearts and lives,
my own included.
you believed in me
when I unable to.
you will be missed
more than words can say,
yet my heart beats with joy
knowing you are breathing with ease,
running and dancing with joy,
gazing into the eyes of Jesus,
and sitting in your Papa's lap.
and I know you heard
these words:
well done, good and faithful
servant.
fragile: easily broken, shattered,
or damaged.
vulnerably delicate.
so much surrounding
every beating heart is
fragile.
a rose.
a snowflake.
a crystal vase.
a dandelion puff.
a butterfly's wings.
life.
love.
feelings.
breathing.
beating hearts.
if something is fragile,
we protect it.
we guard it.
we hold it
close.
that which is fragile is
often precious, is it not?
and much of what is precious
cannot truly be protected
to the point of guaranteed
protection, right?
especially life itself.
words from Jesus in Matthew 10...
"What is the price of two sparrows -
one copper coin? But not a sparrow
can fall to the ground without
your Father knowing it.
And the very hairs on
your head are numbered.
So don't be afraid;
you are more valuable
to God than a whole flock
of sparrows."
and that is a promise
for all time,
for all persons,
for all circumstances.
and He is faithful to keep His
promises.
the symphony was playing
even before time and space began.
angels by tens of thousands sang
as galaxies and planets
were flung into space,
as rainbows of worship danced,
as stars were called by name.
the Master Composer knew every note,
every harmony,
every rhythm,
before creation began.
the symphony written
by the hand of the Creator.
yet He - in boundless love -
allows the created
to join in the performance.
free will meaning the music
will often take on sounds
causing His heart to weep.
harmonies dissonant.
chords clash.
suspensions longing to be resolved
as hearts formed in His own image
argue, fight, disagree.
conflict
upon
conflict.
His tears fall like the rain,
yet never is that heart
caught off guard.
His plan as woven through
old testament, history, and prophecy,
reached forward as the music intensified,
fulfilled as the Creator became the created.
divinity dressed in humanity.
the divine symphony unfurled
as angels and stars rejoiced.
His plan carried on as the
heart of the Savior
beat with
compassion,
forgiveness,
mercy,
love.
each note
played in perfection
as He walked toward the cross.
the symphony crescendoing
in agony as the Creator Composer
breathed His final breath.
the enemy though the final movement
had been played,
the music silenced forever.
but sometimes the silence of a rest
speaks louder than the sound
of the music.
three days later
angels numbering by thousands,
stars,
sun,
moon,
all of creation,
eyes fixed on
the Conductor,
joined the orchestra
in a chorus exquisite.
drops of sun
meeting drops
of grace
as voices
raised to
heaven, singing,
"joyful, joyful, we
adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of light.
hearts unfold like flowers
before Thee,
opening to the sun above.
melt the clouds of sin
and sadness,
drive the dark of night
away.
giver of immortal
gladness fill us
with the light
of day!"
