men may fall like apples
smooth, fiddling, frantic
looking up and wondering how they got there
blind to the other apples laying alongside them
because we all fall
it's just easier for those of us that trust You
to pick us up and make something delicious
this year has been rough for the men I respect and love
when lies are welcomed like thieves at the dinner table
but a few mistakes don't make you a failure
just like a few trips to the ice rink don't make me Sasha Cohen
the past keeps screaming in their heads
a padded cell of what if's and why didn't I's
but You and I know calendar squares to the left aren't really the ones in charge
no matter what I say or do
I can't seem show them it's the ones to the right that matter most
but when the mistake feels like a volcano
and they can see the lava scars on the people they love
grace is a tough pill to swallow
a big apple tree they can't quite wrap their arms around
let alone their minds and hearts
the Apostle Paul was a royal pain in his donkeys behind
before the road to Damascus, but we didn't leave him there
we don't just label him the jerk who never could get that stupid thorn out of his side
he's a hero, a leader, and he failed again and again
and they just can't see it
I'm hurting for them, with them, close and from a distance
I'm asking for Your help on this
because they just can't see the orchard for the trees . . .
"A man cannot think himself out of mental evil; for it is actually the organ of thought that has become diseased, ungovernable, and, as it were, independent. He can only be saved by will or faith . . . the man must stop thinking, if he is to go on living. Their counsel is one of intellectual amputation [by spiritual healing]." GK Chesterton, Orthodoxy
"No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."
(Paul in Acts 15:11)
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. (Paul again in Acts 20:24)
"I'm not hear to tell You what to do, God. I just want to be close to You when You do it." Dr. Bob Laurent, New Community 1/17/08
3 comments:
Kristin,
Michael Rand texted me and told me to read your latest entry on your blog. I read it several times. There are so many of us who struggle with forgiving ourselves from past sins and mistakes--be it distant or recent past--and I just want you to know that I am blessed by what you so poignantly wrote. It gives me a little more hope and a much needed reminder about trusting God and what He has said over and over. So thanks. Keep writing.
-Liesl Bell
Where would we all be without grace....I am so thankful for a God that is all about "do-overs"!!
Praise God for grace! Praise God his grace is enough!
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