Why Doesn't Jesus Heal Everyone?

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ~2 Corinthians 12:7-9

Paul states that he had an unnamed affliction that would not disappear, but he comes to understand that it's more to God's glory that he persists in his weakness.

If God only wants the best for us, then why doesn't He heal everyone? Jesus certainly seemed to heal everyone who demonstrated faith in the New Testament. Aren't we more faithful since we can't see Him and yet still believe?

God DOES want only the best for us, and we don't always know what that is exactly. You can't lean on your own understanding of good and bad. He wants for us to eventually be beyond a world that causes death, disease, pain, and infirmities, yes. However, He uses the bad that occurs in our corrupt world to bring out the good, either for ourselves or others.

Let's not forget Job who suffered from a skin disease (not to mention losing his entire family and all his possessions). In the most beautiful passage in the Bible, God explains everything and nothing when He responds to Job's moans. He told him and his faithful friends that Job certainly didn't suffer due to lacking faith.

Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! ~Job 38:4-5

People, many times good people, suffer because of reasons unknown to us. We should trust that God is in control and He is good.

Your purpose here on Earth is bigger than living in comfort. It's to show others the Light and the joy of His Love. Sometimes, that comes from miraculous healing. Sometimes, that comes from a believer withstanding through hardship and serving as a guide to others who must suffer the same. Sometimes, the circumstances call for a bit of both.

You may see all the healing Jesus did during His ministry here, and see that He healed everyone who asked for healing and had faith He would. He was also here for a purpose bigger than living in comfort. Part of His mission was to show that He cares and loves us.

There's no possible way to list all the times God healed in the Bible from Old through New Testaments (or God was referred to as a healer or God was asked to heal) without just linking to the entire Bible. He is the ultimate Healer. However, He doesn't heal everyone all the time. With the exception of those faithless who reject His healing, why would He not heal His children?

Jesus healed everyone who had faith and pursued Him in the new Testament, but that can't be said to be true before nor after. He was here on Earth for the express purpose of proving that He was God (only God can heal, forgive, etc.) and to serve as a sacrifice for our sins to eliminate the forces of darkness for His disciples' souls. His healing had a dual purpose: Healing is symbolic of His spiritual healing and salvation. Notice this though: Jesus still died.

Then He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke this message quite frankly, and Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But Jesus, turning and looking at His disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” ~Mark 8:31-33

They say courage is not the absence of fear but rather the knowledge that there is something bigger than it. This is exemplified by Jesus.

Death, serious injury, and disease are products of an evil world. Notice that evil still exists, even for us believers. We still live in a fallen world, and God has not yet eliminated it all. Though we are Children of God, we must suffer a little while just as Jesus did.

Yet, this evil is not forever.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." ~ Revelations 21:4

God is bigger than anything you may ever face. Keep your eyes on Him and not the storm.

God bless!


~Dedicated to my mama who is facing great unknowns right now. Our Healer is in control, and your suffering is not without purpose.~

Sources other than Bible:
https://www.learnreligions.com/why-doesnt-god-heal-everyone-701958
https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-questions-and-answers/why-didnt-jesus-christ-heal-the-gentile-womans
https://www.ligonier.org/blog/why-jesus-heal/
https://www.biblestudytools.com/blogs/chris-russell/why-doesn-t-god-heal-every-sickness-disease-and-illness.html

Happy New Year of Hope

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. - Genesis 1:3-5

From the beginning, God has reminded us of His unfailing providence. Just as we never doubt the sun will rise again in the morning, and we schedule events and set up 401k's for several decades in the future knowing the world will continue to turn. In the same way, we should have eternal hope in God because He's even more reliable than the rising and falling of the sun. Notice a day for Him starts in the darkness and ends in the light. Just like this, the world started in darkness. Yes, we are still there, yet we see the hues of the sky lightening with the coming day. Have faith, because hope will come in the morning, and it surely will, in a blaze of glory like a sunrise.

Genesis states with each new day of creation, "And there was evening, and there was morning." Yet, when he comes upon the seventh day, the sun never rises. We are told the following:

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. - Genesis 3:2-3

Let us look to the sky with anticipation and joy. The morning is coming, and it will be good.

Happy New Year and God bless!

The Seed, The Branch, the King Forever - Ancient Prophecies

Did you know God announced Jesus' birth to Adam and Eve? Did you know the Bible repeatedly prophesized Jesus in books dated thousands of years before His arrival as human?

God spoke to the serpent in the garden:

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15

Abraham is told that through his offspring, “all nations on earth will be blessed.” Genesis 22:18

Many times in Genesis, the Angel of the Lord (just a title for a messenger of heaven) appears who is also called "the Lord/Yahweh," which makes many believe He may have been Jesus himself. Hagar even tells this "Angel", "You are the God who sees me... I have now seen the One who sees me." Genesis 16:13

Abraham was halted in his sacrifice of Jacob by an Angel of Yahweh (Genesis 22:11,15), Moses spoke to an Angel of Yahweh who spoke through a burning bush (Exodus 3:2) and announced He was Yahweh, at which point Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God(Exodus 3:6). This "angel" shows up many more times throughout the Old Testament.

Jacob is told "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” Numbers 24:17

Jesse is told "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a branch will bear fruit. The spirit of the Lord will rest on him.” Isaiah 11:1

Jesus would be born of a virgin as foretold long before:

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and you will call him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14

David is told "The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land … This is the name by which he will be called: the Lord our righteous savior." Jeremiah 23:5-6

He is also told "When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” 2 Samuel 7:12-13

This turns out to not be Solomon (notice his throne was not established forever). He failed to be the perfect man needed for the job.

Jeremiah prophesized the King's edict to kill all first-borns once Jesus was born:

"A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." Jeremiah 31:15

Micah, a prophet, announced "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." Micah 5:2

The fact Joseph and Mary would flee to Egypt until King Herod died was predicted by Hosea:

"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." Hosea 11:1

Finally, Jesus' earthly parents learned of His nature when God sent messengers and dreams to them:

“Don't be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!” Luke 1:30-33

The prophecies of old came to fruition, and the angels praised God.

Suddenly, a multitude of the Heavenly Army appeared with the angel, praising God by saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to people who enjoy his favor!” Luke 2:13-14

For those doubtful of His identity, Jesus stated, "You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me," John 5:39


May you all have a Merry Christmas and God bless!



Sources other than the Bible:
https://gordonconwell.edu/blog/jesus-in-the-old-testament/
https://www.ccbcfamily.org/old-testament-prophecies-birth-jesus/

Finding Eden

God spoke through me this past weekend.

I've been listening to a Podcast (The Bible Project, if you're interested) in which the hosts have been speaking about the Sabbath, the number 7 as reflective of the Sabbath day, and the repetition of both in the Bible. The first time the Kingdom of God was recognized was within the Garden of Eden. During this time of bliss, we were in complete harmony with each other, with nature, and ultimately with God. It was there where work never exhausted our souls, and we never depended on our blood, sweat, and tears to ensure our survival. We depended only on God and never doubted that we had enough.

The Sabbath, a day of rest, existed even then, but it appeared to be more of a reminder of God's providence than a necessity. In a way, every day was Sabbath. The 7th day is a microcosm of the Kingdom of God, and now that we no longer live in the Garden of Eden, we need that reminder of God's promises more than ever. Plus, we need the rest.

Over and over, God reminds us to rest. There first was the weekly Sabbath, then as festivals and holy days were added to the Hebrew calendar, there were yearly Sabbaths, and Sabbaths which came every 7 years (all slaves were freed and debts forgiven as the ideal God wanted every day). Every time the number 7 comes up in the Bible (and I dare say elsewhere in our lives), God is reminding us of this:

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Psalm 37:7

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Hebrews 4:9-10

I can't put here all the times God told us to rest. We've been out of Eden so long we don't even realize how hard we toil, but God does, and He wants you to stop, be still, rest. However, we no longer live in Eden; we no longer live in the Kingdom of God... or do we? Where is the Kingdom of God? People throughout history have searched for the elusive Eden that used to be between the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates. If we found that place, would we find the Kingdom of God? Or maybe it's in the land of Israel, the promised land the Hebrews wondered the desert for forty years to find?

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” John 18:36-37

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17

I need for you to understand this thing God has revealed to me. Eden is not here or there. Eden is wherever God is. Is it not with Him that we are provided for, in Him we rest with peace and joy, for Him that we raise one another up in love? The Kingdom of God is here, amongst us, and those who have faith and live in love live also in the Kingdom of God already. We have enough, and we are enough through God.

As you reflect on the Christmas season that's upon us, notice the "Christmas Spirit," as people call it. We should be living it daily. Can you imagine the dark corners of this world that would be illuminated with the light and joy we could spread? When Jesus walked on this Earth, He lived as a person already in the Kingdom of God. One day, there will be a new Heaven and Earth, and the whole of humanity will live without the storms and darkness we have now. Until then, live as if you already are in the New Heaven and Earth because the Kingdom of God resides wherever the King does, and that's here and now.

It is by Him, not our own toils, that we live and die. So, rest.

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10

God bless!





Sources other than the Bible:

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/513212/jewish/When-Is-the-Next-Jubilee-Year.htm

How do you know someone really is saved?

You don't. There you go; end post. Everyone go home cause that's it for the day...

No, actually come back. Let's speak on a few things concerning salvation because we all hear of Christians (with a Big C) crashing and burning and of secular, Worldly people (with an equally large W) claiming to be finally saved. With the Justin Biebers and Kanye's coming out to the public as newly professed believers, many are right to be skeptical. I mean, famous people are known to be spotlight hogs, and what better way to generate new interest than to do something unexpected and big?

I get it. I really do. Yet, this is a topic that's super important, not because it personally affects you if either of those pop culture icons actually have run to the Father or not... or does it? In a corrupt world full of evil, lies, and golden tongues, it can be difficult at times to be able to discern the influences you should allow in your life. This is not just about so-called stars and big name preachers, this is about what it means to be saved and what it means to discern or judge. This is about knowing who is a fellow disciple.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. - Matthew 7:15-20

It's sometimes best to watch and wait because the truth will out in the end. Some will say, wait!, this clearly says prophets and most people (famous or not) don't allege to be prophets. First, prophets were people who spoke on behalf of God. The point was making sure you and others aren't led astray by them. That could apply not only to big, name influencers, rabbis and preachers, but also you and me. We, as disciples, speak on behalf of God on the daily. If someone is claiming to be Christians, they are claiming to be disciples, and everything they do and say is on behalf of God.

Fruits are their actions and what they generate in the world. Are they doing good and wholesome things or are their actions shady, debatable, or downright corrupt?

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me - John 10:27

If they recognize and love God's voice, their words and actions will reflect that in some manner. No one is perfect, remember this and repeat it frequently. A person who is saved will always fail to live up Jesus' example. That's the point. We need God. That doesn't change because we're saved.

The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. - 1 Samuel 16:7b

Met someone particularly cross, covered in tattoos (really, some still judge this), or otherwise not looking outwardly like whatever you think a believer is supposed to look like? See, here's the thing. A disciple doesn't look a certain way. Some will be good at going to church and some will never go. Some will be straight laced and buttoned-up at all times and some will forget to bathe. We don't know people's hearts, at what developmental point they are in their relationship with God, nor what their purpose is here on Earth. What we do know is that God can see more clearly than we can whether someone is saved or not.

No matter if someone is saved or not, you should be an example of God's love. If they profess that they are a Christian, whether they are saved or not (and you CAN'T really know this FOR SURE), you treat them as a follower of Jesus. If they do something wrong, you correct them as a sister or brother. Let's look at one more verse.

John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone else driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied. “For no one who performs a miracle in My name can turn around and speak evil of Me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Indeed, if anyone gives you even a cup of water because you bear the name of Christ, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea. - Mark 9:38-42

If someone professes to be a follower of Jesus and good comes of it, whether the person is saved or not, they still did good for His kingdom. However, if they use God's name to instead do bad, they are breaking a commandment to not use God's name in vain.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” -John 13:34-35

Not only will you see that a truly saved person will treat other believers in Love (like they should Love everyone!), but you should do the same. Nothing is impossible with God, and while we should be ever vigilant, we should also remember to not become hardened. A saved person who has fallen needs our love. A worldly person who has found God needs our love. They need our hope and support. So, if they’ve never actually been saved, they will be blown away by the Love of our God and our family.

To conclude, we can circle back to the beginning. You can't know for certain whether someone is saved since there's no telling what is in their heart. However, you can figure out if someone is doing good for God's kingdom and is a good influence if their actions and words line up with God's ways and words. Let's celebrate with hope those who claim to have been lifted and saved. God has saved many condemned, damaged souls who seemed unrepairable. Let's not be jaded like the world.

God bless!

How does God see Time?

What is Time according to God?

A seven day week can be found in both Jewish and Babylonian cultures. Most sources will state that the seven day week originated with Babylon since they have written accounts of that measurement of time going back about 3000 years. They would, of course, scoff at using a religious document like the Torah, which goes back just as far, to justify the origin being with Jews or even a simultaneous idea that originated with both cultures. Days, months, and years all correspond to natural phenomena. The week does not. All efforts to explain how this came to be (as separate from God speaking to the Hebrews) are very speculative.

No matter; Yahweh approved the seven day week since creation when He took six days (starting sun down and ending with the next sun down) to create the world and the seventh to enjoy His creation. Since then, Jews and then Christians, along with many other cultures as they came across those peoples, follow a seven day week.

It all makes you think: God made the week an important concept (particularly the seventh day)for humanity along with a host of annual festivals and holy days. It's obvious the cyclical nature of these observances are there to remind us continually of various lessons, comforts, and warnings. However, was there more to it all? Does it give us an idea of how God perceives time itself?

Lord, You have been our dwelling place
through all generations.
Before the mountains were born
or You brought forth the earth and world,
from everlasting to everlasting,
You are God.
You return man to dust,
saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”
For in Your sight a thousand years
are but a day that passes,
or a watch of the night.
You whisk them away in their sleep;
they are like the new grass of the morning—
in the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it fades and withers. - Psalm 90:1-6

What does a man gain from all his labor,
at which he toils under the sun?
Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises and the sun sets;
it hurries back to where it arose.
Blowing southward,
then turning northward,
round and round the wind swirls,
ever returning on its course.
All the rivers flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full;
to the place from which the streams come,
there again they flow.
All things are wearisome,
more than one can describe;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear content with hearing.
What has been will be again,
and what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a case where one can say,
“Look, this is new”?
It has already existed
in the ages before us.
There is no remembrance
of those who came before,
and those to come will not be remembered
by those who follow after. - Eccles 1:3-11

Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. - 2 Peter 3:8

One thing is obvious: we are all but a moment to the eternity of God. Can you imagine every time you love someone, they pass away the next moment? Of course, God is determined to not allow that to happen. As the scripture states, God wants very badly for no one to die the second death of the soul. He wants us to all exist forever with Him and love Him and each other. Some of us are just as determined to not exist one day. This grieves Him greatly.

Another thing is true: to God, nothing is new. Everything that was returns again because humanity has bad memories and worse will powers to resist repeating our offensive histories. In that manner, all of existence is cyclical. That's one reason why God wants us to remember cyclically whose children we are and how deeply He loves us.

Let's look at the Sabbath He instituted. It's a continual reminder of many things: our blessings, our day to day hustle for progress and more is not important in the grand scheme, and we are not in control. The Bible Project Podcast (check out episode 159) brought up this last point. The Sabbath is inconvenient on purpose. We have to stop everything we're doing and pause. It is in this we can finally realize that we are never in control of our time. It exists to serve God, and as we all know, our best plans can be laid to waste quite easily. Yet, our plans are not as good as God's. God is in control, and that's the best thing.

Time is such an abstract concept. Some cultures in the world don't even recognize a past or future in the sense we do like the Amondawa tribe. Many countries like the U.S., Germany, northern Europeans, etc., have a linear idea of time. The past flows out behind us and the future before us, and time can be equivalent to the idea of money. We can waste time or invest it. Punctuality is key.

Many Southern European, South Americans, and Middle Easterners have a multi-active idea of time. In other words, time passing is not bound to a calendar or clock. It doesn't have firm boundaries and either conforms to the person and events or is dispensed with entirely. It's not that they don't have a linear idea of time so much as it's not as firm and unchanging. It stretches between events rather than between blocks on a schedule.

Eastern countries see time as cyclic. The past will also be the future, so they can never waste it, simply apply patience for it to return. However, China is very time-aware. They also look at time as an investment into relationships even in businesses. Japanese have a sense of time "unfolding," as if unwrapping a gift or peeling an onion with many layers.

Now, Madagascar see the future as something that flows from behind and is laid out before them as the past, since the past is the only thing one truly sees. Since the future can not be truly planned for, businesses run differently. Buses leave, not at specific times, but when they are full, stock is refilled once empty, and gas replenished in cars once empty.

It is my belief that God is outside of any concept of time. However, in as much as time exists, He, as an eternal being and as evidenced through various parts of the Bible, must see events returning time and again just with different people and places. Although it is cyclical, in a sense, there is also a past (which must be accounted for and remembered as His various observances note) and a future before us controlled only by Him. Our sense of time is not His as our thousand years are a day to Him and a day to us is a thousand years to Him. In other words, time is of no consequence to Him. Our past, present, and future are all laid before Him at once.

Don’t worry dear soul, about tomorrow. As they say, God is already there.

God bless!





Sources other than Bible:
https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/437-biblical-concept-of-time-the
https://www.pursuegod.org/the-2-concepts-of-time-in-the-bible/
https://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/CGG/ID/2368/Time-Gods-Perspective-of.htm
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/390204
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-13452711
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-different-cultures-understand-time-2014-5

101st Blog Post Celebration!

Since this is officially my 101st Learning to Be Love post, here are a few of my favorite things I've learned since the beginning of studying about God with you!

1) The Bible is a love story about God and humanity's relationship throughout history as told by humans.

2) The purpose of the Bible is not to be your rule book. It's to teach you wisdom, by which your ears will recognize God's voice in every circumstance, no memorization of rules required.

3) We were made to be important ambassadors between spiritual and physical realms, and although most of the universe was overjoyed for us, not everyone was. These are the powers we battle every day, and we would certainly lose except God intervened and already won the war.

4) You can not lose salvation or the Holy Spirit. God never takes back His promises, but YOU can choose not to take Him up on them. YOU can choose to ignore the Spirit, but He's still whispering.

5) The Bible is such a complex work, more than we realize. In the original languages, there are so many double meanings and clear references to other works about God (internal and external to the Bible as we have it now) that it is a tapestry of symbols and messages (made by multiple people separated by millennia!) woven together into a single story of Love and triumph.

6) Why does God let evil exist? This age old question has an answer. If He uproots all the weeds (evil), He would be uprooting a lot of wheat (those with hope still of salvation). If you think it's worth it to do it anyway, remember that you were one of those once. He wishes for NONE to perish.

7) Do not correct an unbeliever's behaviors and beliefs. They are not on the Rock like you. Even if they wished to do well, they're being tossed by the waves!

8) Love even your enemies and forgive them. Loving is an action not an adjective, and sometimes the best way to love them is to leave them behind.

9) God speaks to you in more ways than you can comprehend, but you need to pay attention. You can also speak to Him in more ways than simple prayer (but that's still great!).

10) Do not fear: it's one of the most spoken phrases in the Bible for a reason. It's not a command to not feel the emotion, which Jesus Himself appears to have felt in the Garden of Gethsemane, but a command to not let it dictate your actions or incapacitate you. Feel it and do what you must anyway.

Finally, as you know, I like to write creatively. I don't always share my works as it's such a vulnerable feeling!
Yet, here's a long poem. Not the most well-written, and it's a rough draft. However, in honor of how long this blog has lasted and how long you have lasted with me, I'm sharing this with you, my beloved reader. And, as always,

God bless!

***
He Calls Your Name

You dance in the garden to His ways
His kisses on your cheek

Venomous tree
Velvet crimson rivers
cascade down the leaves

Shadows lengthen in the garden

You gape wide into the midst,
insides bared,
open chest torn open
You are dead but standing
You struggle to speak for the words bubble
through the blood in your voice

His Spirit hovers over your
chaotic Deep inside
He calls your name

He calls your name, but you are in shock,
crimson rivers down your hands
Voices of multitude
innumerable as the sands
rise from within it,
piercing screams echoing in your head
their blood is yours
their death is yours
Your death is His

He wanders through the garden,
the desert for you
He calls your name

That's not your name anymore

You climb the venomous tree
look upon the city you've built with the blood of your hands
The blood that never goes,
the stain that follows you

You build a boat with trees,
towers with broken glass,
you build a storm in your eyes
to escape His wrath

They all fall, fall, fall;
creations of your hands are falling into dust
Nothing you do will grow the garden

Crimson rivers in the desert
Paint death doors with the stain

He calls to you from the mountains

He calls your name

Cover your nakedness with death,
build a home with death

He calls your name
Live, live, live!

His voice grows closer,
He nears now
He cries out I am! here
You, lost among the corpses,
can not see Him

Come home,

He calls your name

your hands will build with life,

He calls your name

your hands will be clean

He calls your name...

He dies





He gapes wide into the midst

He is dead but stands

He lives,
and you rise with Him

He builds a boat with stars
He builds a tower with jewels and gold
He calms the storm
They all rise, rise, rise;
creations of His hands stand eternal

He calls your name

A new Name,

better than the old

He calls you by His name
He calls you His child
He takes your hand,
cleansed and whole

You hear Him

You follow Him to the Garden

Now dance.


***