A rose,
that bends her head,
to look at other roses,
will never be able,
to lift her head again,
and bloom herself.
To become,
the full potential,
of my true self,
I must lift my head,
away from others,
and towards God,
who lovingly,
fills me with His light,
and makes me grow.
Because only,
when I face my Maker,
I can bloom in a garden,
full of roses.
This morning as I was continuing my bible study journey through the second book of Chronicles, I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me to look into the word ‘Repentance’. It is an interesting word. One I always felt was quite clear. In my understanding, repentance was simply apologizing to God for something you did. But my research showed me that repentance is more than this.
First, let’s look at the meaning of the word in the dictionary. My Longman Dictionary told me this about repentance, “To repent means to be sorry for something and wish you had not done it – used especially when considering your actions in a religious way.”(end quote) Apparently, repentance goes beyond being sorry for something. Repentance is also wishing you had not done it in the first place. So in order for my apology to God to become repentance, I have to wish in my heart that I had never done it to begin with.
Then, I looked at the bible. And the bible goes further. The bible connects bearing good fruit with repentance. In Matthew 3:8, John the Baptist says, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”(end quote) John explains that repentance is vital for your faith, and without repentance one cannot bear good fruit. I think, I can safely say that repentance is at the heart of faith in Jesus. One cannot face Christ without feeling the need to confess ones sins and change their ways in order to live right for Him.
What I understand is this, repentance goes further than a simple apology. It asks me to change my behavior and actions. A few years ago Jesus gave me the following words that I am reminded of today, He said, “And apology is merely a collection of words, only a change of heart can redeem the soul.” (end quote) I never forgot those words, because they became a lifeline for me. Whenever I wanted to apologize to God or to others, I was always reminded of this. For my guilt, and apology to be genuine, I have to change my behavior, my life choices, and my actions.
Repentance is vital in the life of a Christian. When we give our life to Christ for the first time, it starts with repentance and the forgiveness of our sins. And during the rest of our days on earth, we keep repenting, and bringing our hearts back to God. Because that is the thing about this life, we live in a broken world, and we, or should I say, I, need to repent every single day, because I will never truly get it right, on this side of heaven. It is exactly why Jesus dies on the cross, because He knew how much humanity falls short of the glory of God.
If you do not believe in Jesus, what can you learn of this? Well, the next time you need to apologize to someone over something you did, ask yourself this question, ‘How sorry am I? Sorry enough to change? To never do it again?’ Because how much is your apology worth, if you will do it again? When you apologize, take it as a learning opportunity. Learn to grow in maturity, and change. The change of your behavior give power to your words.
Jesus died for us, but in order to produce good fruit, and be right with God, we still need to repent. We need to do it now because Jesus said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (end quote, Matthew 4:19) Jesus is coming back, and before He comes, we need to confess, and change for Him. Are you with me?
Allow silence,
to enter your mind.
Capture your thoughts,
and make them,
obedient to Christ.
Grab the hand,
of the Shepherd,
and allow His staff,
to guide your path.
You are a sheep,
lost without guidance.
Wandering around,
you tried to find,
your own way,
but you got lost.
Come back to me,
to the Shepherd,
who dearly loves you,
and let Him guide you,
all the way!
Lying on my back,
on a red and white checkered plaid,
looking up at the sky,
where bubbles in white and blue,
silently float by.
My mind is calming down.
I remember the times,
when life was faster and darker,
and I find intense joy,
in the slow pace of life,
where I am right now!
I have learned to embrace,
the here and now,
silently finding my way,
in what I already have,
forgetting all that I want,
and maybe even need.
In this quiet surrender,
I am finding peace,
and I will not forget to thank,
the One who gave me this!
You are teaching me to dance,
in a yellow summer dress,
and sing love songs,
on made up melodies.
In Your heart,
all the peace I could ever know,
was born,
and I am beyond grateful,
for Your willingness to teach me,
love me and adopt me,
and bring me Home,
into Your Father arms,
where peacefulness is the best gift,
I could have ever dreamed off!
Confidence,
is standing firmly,
in your own identity.
Your head held high,
your vision clear,
and your ears shut,
to every opinion,
that does not match,
what you know,
about yourself.
Holding on,
to your own truths,
is the only way,
to stand strong,
in whom you are,
and more importantly,
in Whose you are,
because,
believe it or not,
there is One,
who knows,
exactly who you are,
and who is proud,
of whom you are,
and what you are becoming.
Confidence,
is holding God’s hand,
no matter what resistance,
you may get!
I see you,
with a piece of chocolate,
between your teeth,
and a cup of coffee,
in your hand –
Confidence
is knowing who you are.
It is knowing,
whose you are.
The freedom of being,
without worrying,
what other people think.
You are getting there.
And my love,
it is the most beautiful thing!
In a hot air balloon
hanging
like a red rose
above my head
I oversee the land
my life
and all that is in it
Sheep
like needle points
Houses
like small pebbles
and roads like
an effortless stitch
on an embroidered patchwork
On the ground
I only see the threads
but up here
I finally understand
where life is taking me
I lift up a song
spread my wings
and get carried
on the soft wind
of God’s Spirit
My eyes see colors
I have never seen before
and the longer I sing
the more I know
that singing brings me
so much closer to God
than I have ever been before
So I sing
from the depth
of my soul
until every note
has made it
to God’s throne!
“Jesus wept.”
John 11: 35 (NIV)
It is the shortest sentence in the entire bible. Jesus wept. He wept over Marta. Over Mary. Over His friend Lazarus, who just died. And He cried over the pain of the people surrounding Him. He cried. He feels their pain!
This morning, I was studying this bible verse when the Lord asked me a question. It caused an earthquake in my soul. Jesus asked me, “How often have you read this and not cared?” Ouch, that one hurt. It did not hurt because I felt a reprimand from Him, but it hurt because I knew, He was right! And I started to write down all my thoughts in my journal. Thoughts I want to share with you now.
I have read this too many times and did not care, to be honest. Because my own grief was too big to notice it. Because I was surviving pain and anxiety every day of my life. Because I was still dragging the past along with me on my shoulders. Today however, I did notice it! Today was the first day when I noticed how wrong I was about my Lord and Savior!
You know, I always thought Jesus did not really care about me, my feelings, or my problems. There was simply too much of it. And in my own self-pity, as I was drowning in a pool of darkness, I did not notice the hand that was stretched out to me. I did not notice the tears that were shed on my behalf. Jesus ‘hand. Jesus tears. But I see it now! I see it so clearly. And it may have taken me a while, but I have grabbed His hand, and I have let Him pull me out of my darkness.
Jesus cares! He cares so much more than we could ever imagine. He is not a distant God that watches us from a throne on high, shaking His head over our inadequacy! No! He cares so much about us that He cries! He cries over our pain, our grief, and our anxiety. And today He is still reaching out to us! Desperate for us to know Him, come to Him, and be saved!
Give Him a chance! Jesus cannot help if we do not allow Him to. He reaches His hand out to you, and to me, but it is up to us to grab it! So, I am writing this today to urge you to grab His hand. Let Him save you! Let Him fill your heart and soul with His abounding love and peace! I can safely say, you will not regret it!
The sun shines on the earth,
and touches my cheeks,
with the warmth of her light.
I hear birds singing songs.
I see flowers grow,
in a million different colors,
dancing on the music,
of God’s joyful wind.
Butterflies are born in my heart,
and released on the words,
of my poetic prayers.
Heaven is a beautiful place,
where the light never dims,
and humans never fight.
Where hunger does not exist,
illness has no place to live,
and children never grow old,
without the love of a parent.
I see a world better than my own,
where my soul clearly knows,
the beatings of my own drum.
To see God in a ray of Holy Light,
smiling at me in my own dreams,
is a delight I never took for granted.
But to see it with my own eyes,
is a dream I cannot wait to happen.
