Last night we were eating some of my most creative spaghetti yet, when I looked across the table at the two girls sitting there. Both whose minds were obviously far from there, leaving their bodies mechanically filling their stomachs. One, got results back from second term of secondary school level 2, and appears to be failing in every subject except one. She stays with us because her mother is abusive, mostly verbally, but sometimes physically as well. Now it's time for a 4 week holiday and she's supposed to go back to the village and help her mom in the garden. But she's afraid of her mother's tongue concerning what is revealed on that slip of paper. It breaks my heart, one because every night and every morning early she's studying her notes, she leaves for school at 7am and comes back after 5pm normally, she helps us with dishes and mopping and cooking and then begins studying until she sleeps around 11pm and then wakes up at around 5am to start studying again. She's not failing for lack of trying, maybe she's a product of the terrible education system here, her spelling is atrocious, and she most likely has some learning disability that will never be diagnosed this side of heaven, (and there she won't have it :) ). Now secondly, she'll go home to her mother who will begin by telling her that she wishes that she would have been the one who died and not her sisters, and then go on from there. I just want to take her and hug her and never let her go. Oh Father, let her feel your sweet embrace.
Then there's the other girl, we had just come back from a walk to pick up some things for supper, where she poured out a few things on her heart. Her mother has taken another boyfriend, she tells me it's the 4th one this year, and she just can't believe it. Her mother thinks he's nice as he has given her two skirts already. And I'm thinking in my mind, yeah, two skirts and AIDS probably.... But this girl knows that her mom's new boyfriend isn't all that. He's already approached my young friend who is not yet 14 twice asking her to be his lover. She is not impressed to say the least. Her and her brother have tried to tell her mom that this guy is not good for her, but the mom isn't buying it, he gave her two skirts after all. Oh Lord, have mercy. I'm glad my friend knows that multiple men isn't the solution to a hungry soul, but I hate that she has to live in such a situation, to the point that she had begun praying for a family, because she doesn't feel like she has one.
As I gaze across the table, at these young, beautiful women, whose minds are far away, I feel so helpless. I want to solve everything for them, take both their mothers, lock them away somewhere and pour the love of Jesus in to their hearts, directly. I want to shake them and say, wake up, look at the gift God has given you in your precious daughter. But for now, I'm trying to love these girls the way I know my Father does. Father let them know that love that surpasses understanding, let them feel your embrace as they face their mothers in the next few days, and the rest of their lives. Let your truth reign in their hearts.
What about you, who is sitting across the table from you? How can you minister the love of our Father to those that He has brought into your life? Do you even have time to listen, or the courage to let such people into your life? It's a lot more convenient to just keep going and not sit and listen and hurt with and love on the one our Father puts in front of us. But I dare you to try, because I know there are hurting souls across every table, and our Father longs to embrace them through us.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
the Beginning of the creation of God
You should have seen the way I pleaded with Dad to let me create you, for I knew the way He held you in His heart. He said it would be great and full of wonder and beauty, but He also knew that it wouldn't be all sunshine and roses, but there would be storms and thorns as well. He warned Me of the pain, the loneliness, of the anguish, but I WANTED YOU, I NEEDED YOU, I was LONGING for YOU, I LOVED YOU, and it was that love that I allowed to blind Me to the pain, the loneliness, the anguish, the storms, and the thorns. I just HAD to HAVE YOU. And of course Dad, He also wanted you, for He had carried you in His heart for all of eternity, but He hated the idea of you suffering, of creating something/someone so beautiful and perfect and then having to be separated from you, having to chase you away from such sweet fellowship, watch you turn your back on Him and walk full face, unknowingly, into suffering, storms, and thorns. I told Him, Dad, I'm willing to go and get them back for You. I am willing to go and live among them, even enter the woman's womb, make myself so small, face all the storms and thorns and I'm even willing to die for them, my life for theirs.
Now Dad is wise, He asked if I could really allow Myself to be completely separated from Him, cuz that's what it would take in the end. I told Him, yes, but it wasn't until I found myself face down in the garden of Gethsemane that the difficulty of my work became reality, I felt it in the very depths of Me. So close to you and yet so far away, I even told Dad, let this cup pass from me, but if I must I will go through with it. I already knew His answer, I knew I must go through, I couldn't lose you, and neither could He. You're too dear to us. And when I was on the cross, about to commit My spirit to Dad, that's when I felt the full force of separation staring me in the face, I even asked Him why, oh why had He forsaken me. But I knew that it wasn't about me, but about you, I knew this temporary anguish would be worth it. YOU are SO WORTH IT beloved.
And when I had convinced Dad of my willingness, and my understanding of just what it would take, He seemed satisfied, but still hesitant. But what about when You come back and sit at My right hand, He had asked. He knew that you would feel like I'd left you, just there, like that, like poor orphans. He knew you would be afraid and crying for Me, for Him. That's when Holy Spirit piped in. He talked of how He would have to play a part too, and He was so willing and looked forward to going and dwelling in your hearts, to comfort you. He said he would love to walk alongside you, guide you, give you the wisdom that you need, and teach you about your authority, and the power that I've given you, He'd be willing to teach you about your identity and help you to walk in a manner worthy of your calling. He would help you to find your way, the Way, back to Dad.
Now when Dad heard this, a big smile spread across His face, and He laughed a deep laugh, full of joy unmeasurable, and Holy Spirit and I, We joined in too, We couldn't contain ourselves. Dad said yes! He said, let's go for it, and that was all I needed to hear. Holy Spirit and I began the work at His word. Creating a beautiful place and a beautiful people. And when Dad breathed life into you, I'm never going to forget that moment, when your eyes locked with His, the way He gazed into your eyes with such love, as if it was love itself He was breathing into you. And every evening we would come and walk with you, it was what We looked forward to everyday. It was was such a beautiful time, Oh that you would come back beloved, that we could have such sweet, sweet, fellowship again.
Beloved, when you walked out of the garden that day, it broke our hearts, Dad was trying to hold it together, but His love shown clearly, in the tear that slowly made it's way down His face. And from that day, I waited for the perfect day, when I would come to get you back. Dad kept reminding you that I was going to come. And FINALLY I was with you again, walking on earth as I once had, but the circumstances had changed and it was a painful journey, and you looked me in the face and betrayed me, you denied me, you spit on me, you hung me on a cross and you killed me, and I didn't care because I knew, I knew, even when you didn't, and even when you deserved it the least, that you were mine again, and I was taking you back to Dad's heart, and I had you, and I just knew that the seed of love Dad had planted in you so long ago would now begin to flourish in your hearts, and you would turn your hearts back to Us, and I would look into your beautiful eyes again, and you into Mine. Oh beloved, you are the one for Me, you are so precious and worth it all, and here I am, standing at the door to your heart, and I'm knocking, and I'm saying please, darling, please let me come and love you, let me have sweet fellowship with you once again. I WANT YOU, I NEED YOU, I'm LONGING for YOU, I LOVE YOU. I want to be with you, I want you to come and sit with Me at Dad's right hand. Are you willing? Oh that you would be willing.
As I was reading Revelation 3:14-22, this story came to mind. The verse begins, "...The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Origin of the creation of God, says this:..."
Now Dad is wise, He asked if I could really allow Myself to be completely separated from Him, cuz that's what it would take in the end. I told Him, yes, but it wasn't until I found myself face down in the garden of Gethsemane that the difficulty of my work became reality, I felt it in the very depths of Me. So close to you and yet so far away, I even told Dad, let this cup pass from me, but if I must I will go through with it. I already knew His answer, I knew I must go through, I couldn't lose you, and neither could He. You're too dear to us. And when I was on the cross, about to commit My spirit to Dad, that's when I felt the full force of separation staring me in the face, I even asked Him why, oh why had He forsaken me. But I knew that it wasn't about me, but about you, I knew this temporary anguish would be worth it. YOU are SO WORTH IT beloved.
And when I had convinced Dad of my willingness, and my understanding of just what it would take, He seemed satisfied, but still hesitant. But what about when You come back and sit at My right hand, He had asked. He knew that you would feel like I'd left you, just there, like that, like poor orphans. He knew you would be afraid and crying for Me, for Him. That's when Holy Spirit piped in. He talked of how He would have to play a part too, and He was so willing and looked forward to going and dwelling in your hearts, to comfort you. He said he would love to walk alongside you, guide you, give you the wisdom that you need, and teach you about your authority, and the power that I've given you, He'd be willing to teach you about your identity and help you to walk in a manner worthy of your calling. He would help you to find your way, the Way, back to Dad.
Now when Dad heard this, a big smile spread across His face, and He laughed a deep laugh, full of joy unmeasurable, and Holy Spirit and I, We joined in too, We couldn't contain ourselves. Dad said yes! He said, let's go for it, and that was all I needed to hear. Holy Spirit and I began the work at His word. Creating a beautiful place and a beautiful people. And when Dad breathed life into you, I'm never going to forget that moment, when your eyes locked with His, the way He gazed into your eyes with such love, as if it was love itself He was breathing into you. And every evening we would come and walk with you, it was what We looked forward to everyday. It was was such a beautiful time, Oh that you would come back beloved, that we could have such sweet, sweet, fellowship again.
Beloved, when you walked out of the garden that day, it broke our hearts, Dad was trying to hold it together, but His love shown clearly, in the tear that slowly made it's way down His face. And from that day, I waited for the perfect day, when I would come to get you back. Dad kept reminding you that I was going to come. And FINALLY I was with you again, walking on earth as I once had, but the circumstances had changed and it was a painful journey, and you looked me in the face and betrayed me, you denied me, you spit on me, you hung me on a cross and you killed me, and I didn't care because I knew, I knew, even when you didn't, and even when you deserved it the least, that you were mine again, and I was taking you back to Dad's heart, and I had you, and I just knew that the seed of love Dad had planted in you so long ago would now begin to flourish in your hearts, and you would turn your hearts back to Us, and I would look into your beautiful eyes again, and you into Mine. Oh beloved, you are the one for Me, you are so precious and worth it all, and here I am, standing at the door to your heart, and I'm knocking, and I'm saying please, darling, please let me come and love you, let me have sweet fellowship with you once again. I WANT YOU, I NEED YOU, I'm LONGING for YOU, I LOVE YOU. I want to be with you, I want you to come and sit with Me at Dad's right hand. Are you willing? Oh that you would be willing.
As I was reading Revelation 3:14-22, this story came to mind. The verse begins, "...The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Origin of the creation of God, says this:..."
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