Fool!

"...This very night your soul will be required of you..."
Luke 12:20
NKJV

America, America.  Home of the free and the brave...  But, for how long, I wonder? We have just finished one of the most brutal election seasons of my lifetime, marked by lies and counter lies, corruption so deep that many no longer even trust the electoral process.  Was the election stolen?  We will never know.  We have no way of verifying the count that seems to be laughably inaccurate.

The division in our country runs deep.  The hostility and anger, sometimes bordering on rage on both sides sends chills through my spine.  The election may be over but the anger is not.  For many, there is outrage and alienation for those whose battle ended in defeat.  It is chilling to watch as the intensity continues to rise.  Where are we going with all of this rage?

As an American who loves my country, I fear for her future.  But, as a believer in Jesus Christ, I have read the prophesies regarding the end times and I must concede, we may be watching those prophesies unfold right before our eyes.  It appears more and more likely...

God's plan for His world is advancing on His time table.  He does not need our approval for Him to move forward with His purpose and plan, even if that plan means the possible destruction of America. Given the state of the Union, collapse of our once mighty and prosperous nation appears to be almost inevitable.  The seeds of destruction have been carefully sown and appear to be about to come to full bloom with the blessing of an electorate that chose to put blinders on rather than look, clear eyed, at the signs that are all around us.

Again, I must admit, I fiercely love and advocate for America.  I am a daughter of America.  I am so grateful to have been born here and birthed all of my children in this beautiful land.  But, why do I hear the Lord asking me if I am making an idol of this land that I love?  Do I love her more than I love Him?  Will I yield America to Him to do what He will with her? I am struggling with this, truthfully.  I want to protect America as she has protected me.  But, protect her from the Lord, I know I cannot do. Like Abraham, I hear him calling me to lay my Isaac down on the altar.  If he lays the knife to her throat, do I trust He has a purpose and a plan that is better than any I have?  It is so painful to slay our idols...

I pray for the healing of America.  We so need healing.  We are wounded and bleeding.  Yet, we strut up and down the streets arrogantly flaunting our sins.  In a drunken stupor, we raise our glasses to toast ourselves.  We are riding the crest of the wave.  Until God calls our bluff and rebukes us in our sin.

I pray that there is still time for America to come to her senses.  Or better than that - to her knees. Have we so forgotten who God is and who we are?  Are we really so arrogant and full of ourselves that we think we can escape the judgment of a just God?  I fear I know the answer before I hear it.  We have gorged ourselves on our own arrogance and pride.  Does anybody hear the Lord calling us back from the edge?  We have become a nation of fools, reveling in our folly. How much we need to remember, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  Proverbs 9:10.  No one seems to fear Him anymore. Dear God, save us from ourselves...

May God have mercy on my homeland, my beloved America.  We are very long over due for repentance...

Standing in the Need of Grace...

I reached for You when I was lonely,

Pushed You away when I was hurting.

I rejected who You are.

I screamed at You for leaving me alone and fearful for my life.

I blamed You for my screw-ups and all my failures too.

I kicked You when You touched me and rejected Your embrace.

I swore at You profanities, I decided You deserved.

I ran from You,

I hid from You.

I bartered You away.

I covered my eyes when You went by and looked the other way.

I mocked You.

I spat my hatred in Your face, every chance I got.

I ignored You, denied I ever knew You.

I worshiped other gods before You, stole Your glory for my own.

I cursed You for not loving me the way that I defined.

I heard You knocking at the door and locked it even tighter.

I covered my ears to keep from hearing You calling out my name.

I played religious games with You and thought You'd never see.

I so much wanted to hurt You for what they did to me.

Where were You Lord, when I was lost?

When those I loved ignored me, rejected and abused me?

Did you stand by and watch from a distance, enjoying all You saw?

Where were You, Lord? Where were You?

Did You love me then as now?

Did You see my heart was breaking -

I wonder, did You care?

I kicked at Him and screamed at Him

Until I couldn't fight Him anymore.

He followed me, He followed me,

He chased me everywhere.

He loved me, He loved me

He bled with me, He hurt with me,

He came inside my pain.

He washed my wounds and covered me

With love that never fails.

It never seemed to bother Him

That I rejected Him to choose instead my sin.

He covered me over with His love

He pulled me to Him constantly

And understood my need.

How desperate was my ache for Him

But I could not find a way,

To tell Him that I needed Him

I didn't know what to say...

He wrapped His arms around me.

He knew my need before I spoke.

He chased me down, He captured me,

He loved me anyway...

I wondered how it was

this God that I abhorred

Could ever have pursued me

or loved me anymore?

I am the one He rescued

When I didn't have a plea...

I will praise His name forever

That He loved someone like me...

Scripture Reference: Psalm 107:2    NKJV

“Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so...”

Whiter Than Snow...

"Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow...
Psalms 51:7 NKJV
 

My friend and I were laughing. It was a fiercely cold winter evening in the Windy City – well named for the ferocious winds that are characteristic of winter in Chicago. We, however, were well protected from the cold night air. We were sitting inside an expensive restaurant, warmly nestled by the fireside, laughing and enjoying one of the best meals available to those who could afford it. We could well afford to splurge on the best that money could buy. We both had high paying jobs that allowed us to satisfy our whims on a moment's notice. This wasn't any special celebration we were having. It was just us, enjoying the fruits of our labors. We expected to be well fed. We expected to be warm. We expected to be above the pain of poverty. And, so, without giving it much thought, we congratulated ourselves on a job well done and settled in for an evening of well earned celebration.

After hours of laughter and enjoying each others' company, we knew it was time to head home. The meal we had enjoyed was so extravagant that neither of us could eat all of what had been served. Not to worry – we called the waiter over to pack up our left-overs in a brown paper sack to enjoy later for a 'midnight snack'. On with my coat, mittens, scarf and hat – I was grateful that I had come well prepared. It was winter in Chicago. One had better be prepared...

Leaving the fairy tale shelter of the restaurant behind, we encountered harsh reality as we stepped outside. Old Man Winter greeted us with a shrill whistling wind and sub-zero temperatures that can cost you a limb if you linger too long in its grip. Please Lord, just get us home quickly. It's cold outside!

And then, we saw you. Standing outside the high-priced, elegant restaurant we had just left. I saw you almost immediately. You were not someone I wanted to see. You muddied the perfection of the evening we had just enjoyed. I tried to look the other way and hurry by without being stopped. But you were desperate. You were hungry. You were cold. I wondered, how could you survive outside on a night like this? No hat, no gloves, no scarf, and barely a jacket to cover your skin and bones frame.

You had obviously done this before – this begging thing. You met our pace as we tried to flee. I remember feeling so trapped in that moment. All you wanted was our leftovers. My friend was irritated. He had seen this so many times. Why did 'these people' have to hang out around nice restaurants and 'bother' us when we were leaving? He grabbed my arm propelling me forward even faster to escape the nuisance of this dirty, smelly, unashamed intruder that was you. Then I heard your voice again, “Please, can I have your leftovers. I'm so hungry...”

We could not continue to ignore your pleas. Something in your voice caused me to turn and look at you. And, in that unguarded moment, I saw you. You were more than a filthy beggar, sponging off of responsible citizens. You were a human being in need. You were lonely. You were poor, hungry, freezing, and desperate for someone to care. You were in need and we were in plenty. How could we not give out of our surplus? We wouldn't even miss it. And yet, we struggled to yield to the whisper of compassion that was growing louder and louder from some place within.

Reluctantly, as if to quiet a screaming child, we gave you our bags and you raced off to try to satisfy your hunger on the scraps from our table.

I never saw you again. I never knew your name. But, I often think of you. Who were you really?

Was that You, Jesus, dressed in rags and filth and need, wearing the disguise of the outcast? Was that You pretending to be in need, when You own the cattle on a thousand hills? Was it You shivering in the cold when it is You that tells the wind where to blow and the snow when it can fall? Was that You chasing after me that night? Asking me to stop; to open my eyes to see as You see, hear as You hear, care as You care, love as You love?

Were You asking me to be willing to exchange my self-righteous sense of superiority for the cloak of humility and kindness? Was that You pricking my conscience with the needle of conviction? Was that Your voice that I could not silence?

Did You see me? Did you see my arrogance and cold, stark indifference? Were You hiding behind the filth and poverty I wanted to ignore that night? Did you recognize me as one of Your own?

Lord, take away my filthy rags of false pride, cold indifference, lack of kindness, arrogance and so much more. Clothe me with your heart. Give me eyes to see You, ears to hear You. Cover me with the beautiful garment of Your compassion. Make me more like You...