Thanks.
for it all,
the love,
the kindness,
the hurt.
You are good.
when I am not.
You are faithful.
when I am not.
You reach out to me.
You are there.
You are God.
And still You love
me
a sinner
nothing
except in You.
then I am what You
need me to be.
for moving mountains,
for standing steady,
unchanging.
for it all,
Thanks.
Showing posts with label A reason to Live. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A reason to Live. Show all posts
02 January 2012
16 December 2011
No longer alone....
‘Advent, it becomes a time of self-examination.
“Put the desires of your heart in order, O human beings!” as the old song sings….
God wants us to always be with us, wherever we may be — in our sin, in our suffering and death.
We are no longer alone; God is with us.
We are no longer homeless; a bit of the eternal home has moved into us.
Therefore we adults can rejoice deeply within our hearts under the Christmas tree, perhaps more than children are able….
We know that God’s goodness will once again draw near. We think of all of God’s goodness that came our way last year and sense something of the marvelous home. Jesus comes… “Behold I stand at the door …. Open wide the gates.” (Ps. 24:7). One day, at the last judgement, he will separate the sheep and the goats and will say to those on his right: “Come, you blessed… I was hungry and you fed me…. ” (Mt 25:34)
To the astonished question of when and where, he answered, “What you did to the least of these, you have done to me….” (Mt 25:40). With that we are faced with the shocking reality: Jesus stands at the door and knocks, in complete reality. He asks you for help in the form of a beggar, in the form of a ruined human being in torn clothing.
He confronts you in every person you meet.
Christ walks on the earth as your neighbor as long as there are people.
He walks on the earth as the one through whom God calls you, speaks to you and makes His demands. That is the great seriousness and the great blessedness of the Advent message.
Christ stands at the door.
He lives in the form of the person in our midst.
Will you keep the door locked or open it to him?
Christ is still knocking.
It is not yet Christmas.
But it is also not the great final Advent, the final coming of Christ. Through all the Advents of our life that we celebrate goes the longing for the final Advent, where it says, “Behold, I make all things new.” (Rev. 21:15).
Advent is a time of waiting. Our whole life, however, is Advent….
That is, a time of waiting for the ultimate, for the time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth.
When all people are brothers and sisters.
~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
How often do I forget that Christ, He does indeed walk on the Earth as my neighbor. That He confronts me in every person I meet. The man with a sign outside of Costco, the people wrapped in too thin sleeping bags under the overpass. The woman confined to her home because she can barely move anymore. The girl with scars all over her arms and legs from trying to let the pain escape, the boy with teeth yellow from nicotine. These people, they don't have it all together. And yet Christ said,
Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,you did it to me.'
For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. (Matthew 25: 34-40, 42-45)
The people he mentions are the ones so full of pain, so broken. They are where He confronts us, face to face.
"What are you going to do? Because ignorance is no longer an option."
It isn't. Waiting, then, for it all to become new. But fighting, to help this broken world. That is what we are here for. That is what Christ, 2,000 years ago was here for. We are no longer alone in this fight. The tiny baby ensured that. So we fight all the harder.
Love:)
R
“Put the desires of your heart in order, O human beings!” as the old song sings….
God wants us to always be with us, wherever we may be — in our sin, in our suffering and death.
We are no longer alone; God is with us.
We are no longer homeless; a bit of the eternal home has moved into us.
Therefore we adults can rejoice deeply within our hearts under the Christmas tree, perhaps more than children are able….
We know that God’s goodness will once again draw near. We think of all of God’s goodness that came our way last year and sense something of the marvelous home. Jesus comes… “Behold I stand at the door …. Open wide the gates.” (Ps. 24:7). One day, at the last judgement, he will separate the sheep and the goats and will say to those on his right: “Come, you blessed… I was hungry and you fed me…. ” (Mt 25:34)
To the astonished question of when and where, he answered, “What you did to the least of these, you have done to me….” (Mt 25:40). With that we are faced with the shocking reality: Jesus stands at the door and knocks, in complete reality. He asks you for help in the form of a beggar, in the form of a ruined human being in torn clothing.
He confronts you in every person you meet.
Christ walks on the earth as your neighbor as long as there are people.
He walks on the earth as the one through whom God calls you, speaks to you and makes His demands. That is the great seriousness and the great blessedness of the Advent message.
Christ stands at the door.
He lives in the form of the person in our midst.
Will you keep the door locked or open it to him?
Christ is still knocking.
It is not yet Christmas.
But it is also not the great final Advent, the final coming of Christ. Through all the Advents of our life that we celebrate goes the longing for the final Advent, where it says, “Behold, I make all things new.” (Rev. 21:15).
Advent is a time of waiting. Our whole life, however, is Advent….
That is, a time of waiting for the ultimate, for the time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth.
When all people are brothers and sisters.
And one rejoices in the words of the angels:
‘On earth, peace…' " ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
How often do I forget that Christ, He does indeed walk on the Earth as my neighbor. That He confronts me in every person I meet. The man with a sign outside of Costco, the people wrapped in too thin sleeping bags under the overpass. The woman confined to her home because she can barely move anymore. The girl with scars all over her arms and legs from trying to let the pain escape, the boy with teeth yellow from nicotine. These people, they don't have it all together. And yet Christ said,
Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,you did it to me.'
For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. (Matthew 25: 34-40, 42-45)
The people he mentions are the ones so full of pain, so broken. They are where He confronts us, face to face.
"What are you going to do? Because ignorance is no longer an option."
It isn't. Waiting, then, for it all to become new. But fighting, to help this broken world. That is what we are here for. That is what Christ, 2,000 years ago was here for. We are no longer alone in this fight. The tiny baby ensured that. So we fight all the harder.
Love:)
R
05 November 2011
Looking for angels - Skillet
Going through this life looking for Angels
People passing by, looking for Angels.
Walk this world alone try to stay on my feet
Sometimes crawl, fall, but I stand up cause I'm afraid to sleep
And open my eyes to a new day, with all new problems and all new pain
All the faces are filled with so much anger
Losing our dignity and hope from fear of dangerAfter all the wars, after settling the scores, at the break of dawn we will be deaf to the answers
There's so much bigotry, misunderstanding and fear
With eyes squinted and fists clinched we reach out for what is dear
We want it we want
We want a reason to liveWe're on a pilgrimage
A crusade for hope
Cause in our hearts and minds and souls we know
We need it we need
We need more than thisGoing through this life looking for angels
People passing by looking for angels
Walking down the streets looking for angels
Everyone I meet looking for angels
So many nations with so many hungry people
So many homeless scrounging around for dirty needles
On the rise, teen suicide, when we will realize
we've been desensitized by the lies of the worldWe're oppressed and impressed by the greedy
Whose hands squeeze the life out of the needy
When will we learn that wars, threats, and regrets are the cause and effect of living in fearWho can help protect the innocence of our children
Stolen on the internet with images they can't forgetWe want it we want
We want a reason to live
We represent a generation that wants to turn back a nation
To let love be our light and salvationWe need it we need
We need more than this
I became a savior to some kids I'll never meet
Sent a check in the mail to buy them something to eat
What will you do to make a difference, to make a change?
What will you do to help someone along the way?
Just a touch, a smile as you turn the other cheek
Pray for your enemies, humble yourself, love's staring back at me
In the midst of the most painful faces
Angels show up in the strangest of places
Walking down the streets looking for angels
Everyone I meet looking for angels
We have a reason to live. Can you say that for all your friends?
Love:)
R
01 October 2011
One smile
The girl stood in the hallways of her new school, looking around as thousands of other highschoolers walked past her without so much as a backwards glance. Yesterday her home conditions had gotten so bad that Child Protection Services had picked her up and taken her away to a foster home thirty miles from where she had grown up. Now here she was in her new school, and the day passed without anyone speaking to her, or even looking at her. One day turned into two. Two days turned into three. Three turned into a week, and then a month, and then three months went by without someone so much as saying "Hi" to her in the halls. Finally the awesome pain of not having human contact became to much. No heart was meant to hurt this much. And so, sitting in the back row of her fourth period math class she decided to end her life. As soon as she made the decision, she felt better. All the pain would be gone. She could end everything and no one would even miss her. As she walked out to the hall after class a guy brushed against her, and her backpack spilled everywhere. She crawled on her hands and knees among the students walking past, truing to pick up the papers as everyone walked over them. 'This is just like my life,' she thought. She looked up from picking up the last paper and saw a girl watching her. She waited for her to laugh, and make fun of her. But she didn't do either. She just watched. And then she smiled. The girl looked behind her, thinking that she had been smiling at someone else. But there was no one behind her. Had the smile been meant for her?
She went home, meaning to end her life. But she couldn't get that smile out of her head. One person cared enough about her to smile. She would wait another day. After math she searched the halls.There she was. And there, again, she smiled! The girl couldn't believe it. All the rest of the school year, it became their little ritual. They never spoke, but that one smile was enough to keep the girl going another day. School ended, and the girl's prospects slowly became brighter. But she never saw the other girl again. That girl will never know that she saved a life, one smile a day. Just a smile. But it was enough.
This is a true story. The other night I heard Kim Meeder speek, and she told this story. The girl in the story is now a dear friend of hers.
It made me think. What about you. Do you look to the outcasts, the loners, and say "Hi?" I have had a huge thing happening with me and God on how I see people. I had met this girl, and been initially turned off by her because she seemed aloof, and not very friendly. But then I heard her story, and realized how scared she was to ever trust people because of past experience. It made me stop and realize how much I judge people without knowing their story. I do that way more often than I'd like to admit. What about you? Even if it's just giving someone the benefit of the doubt, it makes such a huge difference. One smile can save a life.
So what about you? Do you want to save a life?
Love:)
R
She went home, meaning to end her life. But she couldn't get that smile out of her head. One person cared enough about her to smile. She would wait another day. After math she searched the halls.There she was. And there, again, she smiled! The girl couldn't believe it. All the rest of the school year, it became their little ritual. They never spoke, but that one smile was enough to keep the girl going another day. School ended, and the girl's prospects slowly became brighter. But she never saw the other girl again. That girl will never know that she saved a life, one smile a day. Just a smile. But it was enough.
This is a true story. The other night I heard Kim Meeder speek, and she told this story. The girl in the story is now a dear friend of hers.
It made me think. What about you. Do you look to the outcasts, the loners, and say "Hi?" I have had a huge thing happening with me and God on how I see people. I had met this girl, and been initially turned off by her because she seemed aloof, and not very friendly. But then I heard her story, and realized how scared she was to ever trust people because of past experience. It made me stop and realize how much I judge people without knowing their story. I do that way more often than I'd like to admit. What about you? Even if it's just giving someone the benefit of the doubt, it makes such a huge difference. One smile can save a life.
So what about you? Do you want to save a life?
Love:)
R
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