the whisper

“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.”1

you gasp when you read it—how can a verse so accurately capture your mood?

the dam bursts and out flows sobs of despair and a steady stream of tears.

you are never more alone than at that moment, not after what’s just happened.

the verse is quickly memorized in order to call upon again and again and again.

aware of the day’s responsibilities you steady your legs and rise to your feet,

and decide to get some fresh air in hopes you will be able to face the day.

but the moment the cold wind hits your face the tears flow all over again,

and your anger bubbles over like a volcano with creator god as the target.

you choke on the verse, “i love you, oh lord my strength,”2  

for your heart won’t allow the words to be uttered, at least sincerely.

screams of “now what?!” and “how do you expect me to go on?!” roll off the tongue,

giving little or no thought to who—other than the Lord—may be in ear shot.

and then it happens, just as your rage reaches its climax,  

someone whispers in your ear, “my grace is sufficient for you.”3.

the tears and anger quickly subside because you know the source of the message,

for there is no one else around and the words did not come from your own spirit.

how long you will enjoy the grace of god no one really knows,

for you are hurting, vulnerable and human to the core.

so more pain and tears are likely to come during moments of weakness,

but for now, for now, his grace is, indeed, sufficient for you.

1  Psalm 25:16

2  Psalm 18:1

3  2 Corinthians 12:9

Editor’s note:

For all those who have a broken heart. For all those who have nothing to look forward to. For all those who are burdened and unable to go on.

Know that you are in my thoughts and prayers, my friend. Also know that not all is lost. It never is when the Lord’s involved.

“My grace is sufficient for you.”

patience

I’m waiting for God to tell me what to write about today.

I asked for guidance and was sincere in my request. But there are cobwebs forming on the keyboard and the tick, tick, tick of the clock on the wall is beginning to tick me off, no pun intended.

Ever waited on God? Of course you have. Who hasn’t?

There could be any number of reasons why the Lord hasn’t provided me with a blog topic yet, but knowing my shortcomings as well as I do, I suppose it could have to do with patience. You see, I don’t have any.

Well, I guess I must have a little, otherwise my head would have burst by now and sprayed angry juice over everything.

In  meetings I want to strangle those who don’t get to the point. At the store I burn with anger when the line doesn’t go fast enough. And driving, oh my, driving is where my impatience spews out like lava out of a volcano.

In fact, this may surprise you, but in my experience everyone on the road is an idiot. Except for me, of course. And their mistakes? Well, I’ve never been guilty of committing them myself, at least not that I’d admit.

Ohhhhhhhh, crud. I think I’ve just stumbled upon a topic for today’s blog: Impatience and a short fuse.

Can you believe how sneaky God is? I never saw this coming. I just started writing and then…..this.

All right, fine, I guess I’ll go with it. Let me start with the obvious: I’m not like my heavenly Father. Unlike me He’s patient, and unlike me, He’s got a long fuse.

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”1

The above verses are talking about why the Lord hasn’t returned yet. And why hasn’t He? Because He’s “patient with” those on earth who haven’t repented of their sins yet. He’s putting up with them, hoping they’ll eventually make Jesus their Lord and Savior.

In my case, He waited patiently during 35 years of gross sin and unbelief before I finally came to my senses. He could have smited me any number of times, but didn’t. Unlike me, He kept His cool.

And so, here I am covered in sackcloth and ashes, guilty of impatience and a short temper. While I’ve had some fun with the topic, I recognize how destructive—and sinful—it is. And how destructive—and sinful—I can be.

So what about you? Are you impatient like me? Do you have anger problems like me?

If so, then you need to deal with it.  Like me, you need to confess it as sin and strive to be more like your heavenly Father.

Am I sorry now that I asked God for a blog topic? Yep. I’m guessing you are, too.

Yet, here we are. So let’s make the necessary life changes. And let’s be a little impatient about it, shall we?

1  2 Peter 3:8-9