scene 1: it was obvious she was flustered, though she tried to hide it. the almost inaudible sigh, the concentrated breathing, trying to sound steady, the coolness and calmness with which she moved about the room. but mostly it was the wetness of her eyes, like a spring rain threatening to spill from a cloud, doing it all it could to hold it in. who knows what had already transpired that morning, but she was late, and it seems as though the coffee always spills and the copier breaks on the day when you are late.
scene 2: help me, the hazel eyes begged. she looked up with uncertainty, with hurt. won't you please help me?
scene 3: as it comforts, so also it convicts. and to know the comfort, you must first know the conviction. where the next twenty-five minutes would take them, she could not imagine, but throw the lesson planner out the window, for this--which was not written in the job description--was what was most important. it was just the two of them and a worn, chalked up Bible. the young mind raced in curiosity and fear, while the other pleaded silently for a "fitting word, like apples of gold in frames of silver."
a word. a glance. a sigh. a smile.
these are the things which often act as catalysts for the choices i make during the days. is this right? i wonder at times. i dont think i've quite decided the answer to that question, but it does make me contemplate the outcome of these decisions and question the initial motivations.
this day is finally coming to a close, and what a day it has been. how thankful i am for the little opportunities in life, and more especially for the times when my eyes are opened to the truth...and the way the Lord gives us the right words at the right time.
scene 1 closed with a potted orange star and twenty little names on a card, delivered at the right time to return a smile to her lovely face. scene 2 was given hope, and the reminder that there is One who will never leave. and scene 3, though it brought tears to both, was a sweet embrace of the gospel, and of His great love, despite our failings.
may I ever be faithful to stop...
...and to listen to the things you have to teach me
...to encourage, to comfort, to exhort, and to show forgiveness
if they saw nothing else today, let them each have seen You.
H
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
get up, soldier
the rat-a-tat-tats
they come
far off cries echo through the night
and the only lights left
come from twinkling stars
high above their heads
another gunshot rings out
the stench of the enemy advances
and three choices hang in the bitter, black air:
the first is to run
to retreat
to cower in the overwhelming fear that threatens to swallow
their souls
the second, to charge
full-speed ahead toward the battlefield
with reckless abandonment for orders
to believe in one's own strength
and might
and power
so often have i been that soldier.
how the tears have fallen
as i thrash and slash my way through the mines and the mud
only to realize that i'm falling
that my best efforts come from weak and unsteady hands
only to realize that i, in fact, haven't even strapped on my armor tightly
if at all
that the Commander was right all along
he staggers and collapses
his opponent takes aim
more is injured than his pride
what use, he groans
this is not the tell-all
and he will obey the next time
but
for now he cannot see
[nor does he want to]
am i giving up? he wonders
while the enemy continues to pry open wounds, to inflict the poison deeper
he turns
writhing in pain
and searches desperately for that familiar face behind him
their eyes meet
one set filled with regret and shame
the other with loving rebuke and strength
he knows what's coming
or, at least, he thinks he does
and as the Commander shields the blows and carries him to safety
as his suffering comes to a temporary halt
he prepares his mind for what is next.
but before any words are spoken,
the soldier looks at his team
they tell him stories of His bravery, His faithful leadership, His care
and the soldier turns again to those eyes
"Get up, soldier."
that was all.
no harshness
no sigh
only gentleness
and a call to obey--
to love to obey
"There is one more way. And I will show you."
H
they come
far off cries echo through the night
and the only lights left
come from twinkling stars
high above their heads
another gunshot rings out
the stench of the enemy advances
and three choices hang in the bitter, black air:
the first is to run
to retreat
to cower in the overwhelming fear that threatens to swallow
their souls
the second, to charge
full-speed ahead toward the battlefield
with reckless abandonment for orders
to believe in one's own strength
and might
and power
so often have i been that soldier.
how the tears have fallen
as i thrash and slash my way through the mines and the mud
only to realize that i'm falling
that my best efforts come from weak and unsteady hands
only to realize that i, in fact, haven't even strapped on my armor tightly
if at all
that the Commander was right all along
he staggers and collapses
his opponent takes aim
more is injured than his pride
what use, he groans
this is not the tell-all
and he will obey the next time
but
for now he cannot see
[nor does he want to]
am i giving up? he wonders
while the enemy continues to pry open wounds, to inflict the poison deeper
he turns
writhing in pain
and searches desperately for that familiar face behind him
their eyes meet
one set filled with regret and shame
the other with loving rebuke and strength
he knows what's coming
or, at least, he thinks he does
and as the Commander shields the blows and carries him to safety
as his suffering comes to a temporary halt
he prepares his mind for what is next.
but before any words are spoken,
the soldier looks at his team
they tell him stories of His bravery, His faithful leadership, His care
and the soldier turns again to those eyes
"Get up, soldier."
that was all.
no harshness
no sigh
only gentleness
and a call to obey--
to love to obey
"There is one more way. And I will show you."
H
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