Spiritless Soul?

The sky is grey
The ground is tan
A rain drop falls
Upon my pale hand

Here’s a lifeless pulse,
Windless breath.
Mindless thoughts,
A forceless death
… a spiritless soul?

And then You exhale
Warmth on my lips
My lungs expand
My chest rips

Open to You
And you reach in,
Grasp my heart
And then begin

To squeeze and relax
Squeeze and relax.
I’m on my back
When a heart attack

Threatens to wake
My spiritless soul.
My blood thaws,
Begins to flow

With Your blood now
Your body for mine
A hope for life
Takes form in my mind.

Here’s a thumping pulse,
A resounding beat,
Inspired thoughts,
Breath trembling and sweet
… A spirit-filled soul?

Weak but strong I stand
By your name alone
My purpose in life:
Make your glory known.

Good Person?

I don’t ever, ever want to simply be a good person. That sounds like mediocrity to me and I will have none of it.  God spits lukewarm people out of his mouth.  Being a good person is not good enough for a God whose holiness is so magnificent that it is impossible for a human to be witness to the sheer power of it and live.  Moses cannot even stand before God’s glory (Exodus 33) and I would consider him even more than a “good person.”

So being a good person doesn’t cut it.  It’s not good enough for a perfect God. (Romans 3:23)  And besides, if we’re honest with ourselves, we really aren’t very good at being good people.  The Bible says that it’s even worse than that.  We are broken people, sinful people, bad people at our core.  That is our identity (Romans 5).

But this was before the death of Christ.  Christ died for the sins of the world and with him, I was crucified as well (Galatians 2:19-20). My sinful flesh was killed. Sinner is no longer my identity.

But it gets even more beautiful than that.  Not only was I crucified with Christ, but as he was raised from death, I was raised with him (Colossians 3:1).  When my sinful nature was killed, a new nature took it’s place. The core of my being was changed, and I became a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17).  I found a new identity.  I find myself not under the curse of Adam, but under Grace that is purchased by the death of Jesus Christ.  My identity becomes one who is “in” Christ (Romans 8:1).  And if I am in Jesus, God cannot see me any other way than with Christ righteousness.  And Christ’s righteousness is perfect.  This is why we can be called holy (Colossians 3:12).

And this is the only way that we can be acceptable to God.  Not by what we do or earn, but by His Grace.  By our acceptance of and faith in his overwhelming Grace.  And not only acceptable to God, but “holy and dearly loved.”  Sounds a little better than being just a “good person” to me.

Meek and Mild?

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Our society portrays meekness as one of the least desirable traits. If you are meek then you are nothing more than a mouse of a man. But I believe meekness is something entirely different. If the Son of the God is said to be meek, then it must certainly be a quality worth striving for!

I believe to be meek is to forget yourself and in that same moment drop all pretenses, exposing your soul with all it’s imperfections. If this is the case then meekness is not a thing for the weak at heart and also not a thing that can be done without Christ.

And there is a deep inner peace in this meekness. We labor to keep up our facades that please us and men, but if we learn from Christ we will find rest from this exhausting game. For He is humble and not trying to win the approval form any but His Father. That is what makes His yoke easy and burden a featherweight. This is what will refresh our souls.

Intense Damage Therapy for the Soul

So I was in the shower this morning washing my hair, when I noticed the shampoo was labeled “intense damage therapy.” I thought to myself that it would be really nice if something like that came in a bottle but was made for the soul. I think a lot of people would probably use it.

And then I realized that there’s something better: it’s called Grace; it’s called Jesus.

Redemption is Here.

What a brokenness -
Here’s a cry of hopelessness
These pieces are shattered
Is all that mattered
Nothing?

My heart is bleeding
And my soul is screaming
A tear burns
As my being yearns
For more…

Is there hope for salvation?
A chance at redemption?
Can I be made whole
When all that I know
Is pain?

It is only through a Love
Raining gloriously from above
My hope is in Grace
And a Savior that took my place.

This is hope
This is salvation
This is love
This is redemption

This is my strength, my light, my All.
This is my God.

Beauty in the Broken

I don’t want a “perfectly beautiful” life – a “fairy-tale” life. I don’t want an easy ride. I want to struggle, to be broken down, to feel empty at times, because in those moments, the mercy that rains down, the love that shows through – that is beauty. The triumph that is not through my own strength – that is beauty.

I’ll be at peace when my heart feels what my head knows…

If the world seems to fade,
All the colors turn to grey.
Love feels lost.
Was it worth that cost?

Seemingly numb and alone
Life’s volume goes mute
What’s left here
When what I hold dear
Is gone?

Here I fall
On my knees
I need help
from the One who sees
All of my pain

Make me new
I give it all to You.

Love

I want to be like a prism. As I let God’s love enter me, I can reflect it on to others. I will strive to love all. The love I share with others will not be perfect, for I am only human, but it will be made of the same stuff as God’s for I can do nothing apart from him. And so through my love, others will be catching a glimpse of the almighty, beautiful God who has so loved me.