Thursday, March 29, 2012

No Greater Love

Because I Love You

Roman soldiers stood spitting…
Right in my face no less―
 And yet I understood, this was
The beginning of the test.
While laughing loudly and mocking,
They tore my clothes away;
Then harshly placed a crown of thorns
Upon my head to stay.
Carelessly, they chained and beat me;
It seemed a contest now…
Who could inflict the greatest pain,
Take courage from my brow.
Now tired and weak they placed me
On the cross still on the ground;
The mallet used to drive the nails
Made a horribly deafening sound.
Then struggling to raise me,
They shoved the towering tree
Into a hole deep in the earth,
And they kept mocking me!
“If thou art Christ, the chosen God,
Thy power let us view!”
But I prayed “Father, forgive them
They know not what they do.”
Then searching, I found my mother,
Tears spilling down her cheek.
I gave her to John to care for;
No words of regret did I speak.
Then humbly I spoke “it is finished;”
I died on the cross that day.
But knowing you needed a Savior,
I knew there was no other way.
“I love you,” He quietly told me;
Then calling me by name
He held out His hands to show me…
Now I’ll never be the same.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Peace That Only He Can Give

Compassion

I see your tears; I feel your pain;
Your suffering is my own.
How well I know Gethsemane;
Thou dost not weep alone.

-Karla Claybrook

This just stirs my soul…to know that in my deepest darkest hours, He whom I love and reverence weeps with me and does not leave me alone.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Truth Be Told...

Logic

The fire of negative emotion
Burns hot, intensely bright
Until the flood of love puts out
The flame and makes things right.


This was inspired by an experience I had with my eldest son. He and I got into an argument on the way to my dropping him off at the bus stop one morning. As he got out of the car, he slammed the door and I breathed a sigh of relief that he was going to be gone for a few of hours. On my way back to the house, I had an impression that I should bake him a batch of cookies and leave them on his bed with a love note. I quickly decided that he was not deserving of such treatment and dismissed the impression. However, it came to me again…this time a little more firmly. Needless to say, I did end up baking the cookies and making him a card and as I did so, my heart was softened and filled with compassion toward him. When he returned home several hours later, he came inside, slammed the door and went straight to his bedroom. Only a few minutes passed before he came out and exclaimed “You sure do make it hard to be angry at you”. He hugged me and thanked me for the cookies and card and we had peaceful interaction between us for the rest of the day.