CiMos Expressions

The enemy of my joy
Planted an empty seed today
He wanted to poison my soul
And drive my peace away.

He used a child of my heart
And someone from my circle of care
To discourage me
And fill me with despair.

I began to water the seed
To nurture its presence
But the Lord reminded me
I have the power to reject its essence.

Holy Spirit took me on a journey
Through the field of grace.
He gently led me to the truth
Every believer must face.

Troubles will come
Pain will try to invade
But the evidence of our faith
Is revealed in our response to the trap that’s laid.

We can fester in misery
Or seek justified revenge
But if we stand firm and resist
The Lord’s good hand will avenge.

He will take the empty seed
And work it for our good
To produce abundant fruit much sweeter
Than our hurt and anger could.

No one lives life free of difficulty, trials or disappointment. As long as we live, we can expect to face something that will try to shake our faith. It is during those times that we have choices to make. We can wallow in misery, seek revenge, or turn to the Lord for direction. I like choosing the latter because He never fails to come through for me. He may not allow anything to happen to those who hurt me, but He never fails to remind me that He loves me and He will cause all things to work for my good.

He has a plan to use everything we go through to shape us into His image. No matter what we go through in life, it will never compare to the suffering Christ endured at the hands of the people He loved. Yes, He loved every accuser, every abuser, and every betrayer so much that He laid down His life so they might live in Him.

So who am I to hold on to offenses.

Jesus teaches us in John 13:35 that people would know we are His disciples if we love. They won’t know it by the scripture inscribed t-shirt we wear, the fish and crosses we fix to our vehicles, or the tattoos we stamp on our skin.

They will know by how we offer others a reprieve. They will know when we embrace the unlovely, the rejected ones. They will know by the fresh starts we give every day. They will know when there is evidence in our own lives that His mercies are new every morning.