What Have You Done!

The anger has taken over. It has seized a life all it's own.
A harvest of bitterness, for selfish seeds we have sown.
A litany of accusations, follow us into our dreams
when weariness is no longer the refuge, from reality, that it seems.
For our collective failures, none of us want the blame.
We seek to defer, to others, the misery of our shame.
So, willfulness, or self expression, by any other name,
the excruciating results of them remain the same.
This morass of condemnation has no escape and no way past.
"Who would even choose to be a part of it?" incredulously asked!
If we could but lift our eyes, we could see, His sympathy and sorrow,
in the eyes of the One, whose image we have borrowed.
The first thing we see, is that He, is familiar with shame and condemnation.
His rejection and His sacrifice, in history, was done.
He voluntarily suffered the ultimate in pain
to which we cry "What have you done? What did you hope to gain?"
THIS is the logical conclusion, of our choice, made stark and bare.
It was the death, of God Himself, that He accomplished there!
So grim our loss, of the Source, of all love and gentleness!
If we can, or will, survive His ending, is anybody's guess!
But how else could such Mighty Majesty descend to the depths of our hell?
Burst open the doors of our prison, with the good news, of our deliverance, to tell?
A destiny of death and dark despair are all that we have lost!
When He showed disdain to count our shame and rained contempt on anger's cost!
This is a God without barriers. save the will of His loves object!
He can change the foulest violator, if he is but willing, HIS love and mercy to reflect!
By which we cry, "Most Precious One! Look what You've done!
Our darkest destiny, exchanged, for the inheritance of favored sons!"

Winning by Weakness

I was touched recently, by a song by Guns N Roses. I felt the man's pain and sadness when he pleaded, "Look at the world we're killing, look at the blood we're spilling, just like we've always done before." Unfortunately, his conclusion and answer to the dilemma was simply "I don't need your civil war!" Did he think that there would be no dying if he did not fight? Does he think that evil will not fill any vacuum left by cowardice? Violence always reigns supreme in this world, this culture, and this mind set of entitlement. It will attempt to swallow up, and still not be satisfied, anything not already committed to God. Fear and anger seek to overwhelm rational thought and be our primary motivators. They demand our obedience!

There is something, not of this world, that is stronger and more compelling than both. Faith is our desire for, and trust in, Jesus. It endures, no matter the test, for His love is our motivation. Love is not something that can be forced. It surrenders willingly that which is needful for the sake of another. That is what Jesus meant when He said, "No man can take my life. I lay it down willingly." The greatest courage of all is demonstrated when we turn away, by our free choice, from self gratification to choose giving up to His love. It may cost us everything, even our life, but it will proven to be worth it!

Choosing to face fear with meekness and vulnerability just seems so counter intuitive, but everyone has had the experience of the "lump in the throat" because of a demonstratively genuine gift of love. (DO NOT try this without God's help!)
I have seen true love, proven through self sacrifice, and have had that reaction of identifying with the giver and receiver. So it is that we will conquer, if we humble ourselves and become weak, to surrender to Love!