Inspiration

Jenna’s Journals | 1998 10.23

Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to your ears, my God and King. 

SEA OF SOULS

Silhouetted against the starlit sky, a lone boat forged its way through the sea of corpses in the frigid Atlantic waters. The dim flashlight scanned the faces of the frozen bodies, searching for a sign – any sign of life, while a lone voice called from within the boat: “can anybody hear me? Are any still alive?” The waters were unusually still as the reality of the situation struck the heart of the sailor. “We’ve come too late.” Of the hundreds of bodies that were once kept alive only by the hope that the “light in the distance” – the glowing lanterns of the nearby lifeboats, would return and find them living, only a few were saved. 

Only one boat had returned. The rest had remained in the near-distance: listening as the crying souls were silenced by the cold air, listening as baby’s cries  diminished with the passing of time; watching as thrashing bodies were stilled by the coldness of death, watching as bodies slipped away from all they once clung to and disappeared forever into the black abyss of the sea. 

Lord – I feel the weight of this spiritual truth in my heart and yet I fear it. Those of us who are saved have been unwilling to return to the mass of dying souls and search for those who are waiting for salvation. Will we watch as they fight the futile battle alone – knowing we have the only salvation available? Will we listen as they cry to the barely visible light in the distance, and will we not draw near to them and enter the mass of spiritual corpses to rescue the one living? 

Let us not return too late. Let us not wait too long. Let us not rest in the comfort of our salvation while the masses are drowning. 

Lord I need you to transfer your heart to me! I am near to realizing the dire situation of the unsaved, yet my heart has not fully accepted the weight of their reality or of my responsibility. I am distracted from seeking first your kingdom. Lord make my reluctant heart willing. 

I am 25. Yet who knows how “old” I truly am because you could take me or return at any time. I NEED, desperately WANT – You to intervene in my life and make me a vessel of your hope and light to the perishing. I’ve lived too long and wasted too much time already. 

Change me now. Let your 25th birthday gift to me be a changed heart and changed actions in line with your call. This all sounds pretty and poetic on paper, but in the reality is blood and guts. Let me follow through in action what you’ve poured out through me on paper.

When Dreams Die Young

We never thought our dreams would come through our wounds. Those dreams lay shining before us, immediately within our grasp, or so we thought. Maybe Joseph felt the same.

His own brothers sold him into captivity. The traders who bought him carried with them balm and myrrh from Gilead to be sold in Egypt, entirely unaware that those healing spices were now joined by a man who would bring healing to his generation during a time of severe famine. And this man’s journey would foreshadow a greater, eternal savior who would bring healing and salvation to all.

Do we realize that sometimes we, too, must be broken to bring healing?

Joseph likely didn’t realize this when he first received his dream—that he would have to be broken.

Broken by the hatred of his brothers.

Broken by separation from his family.

Broken in slavery.

Broken as a man falsely accused.

Broken through years in prison, though innocent.

Broken year after year as he waited until his dream was almost forgotten.

Yet God makes everything beautiful in its time. And so he did with Joseph, raising him up from the heap of ashes to a prominent place. Positioning him to save a people from certain death.

And through the lineage of those saved would come a greater savior who would suffer death on a cross to save us from sin and to defeat death through his resurrection.

“By his wounds we are healed,” we cry. And this is truth. God can heal everything from broken hearts to broken bodies. And yet, sometimes His healing comes in a different way. And dreams can only be resurrected after they’ve first been buried.

“Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it remains but a single seed.”

There’s a deeper faith that understands we are also called to be like Jesus. And because He was wounded we, too, may be wounded for a season. Is a student above his teacher? If Jesus suffered, so we may be called to the same.

Of course, our brokenness would never come to the point of bringing salvation, as He did and alone can do. But maybe our brokenness comes to a degree that we might share in pouring his healing balm on those in need.

And as we bleed through our wounds an element of His healing is brought to our own generation. A deeper healing.

Who knows how our own wounds may be used to bring healing to others?

God works miracles in unexpected ways. He is all-powerful and can certainly bring immediate healing, as he often does. Yet his greater miracles come when he brings light from darkness, good from evil, and healing from our wounds. Only God can bring glory from ashes.

Photo Credit: by Lichtmagnet from Pixabay

When We’ve Lost Everything

Each story in the history of our Savior involves loss, but also reveals how God is able to take the trials of our lives and turn them into testimonies. And each story reminds us that even when we’ve lost everything, we’re never alone.

 

Photo Credit: Free photo: Winter, Christmas Market, Lantern – Free Image on …

Blessed with Battle Scars

Blog_DepressionIf given the option, would you choose the path of suffering? I would guess the average person would answer “no.” Were it up to me, suffering would not be on my radar, and most definitely not on my bucket list.

Compared to most of the world, I can’t say I’ve suffered much. But I do have my share of battle scars. There was a season in my life when it seemed I’d escape the fires of one trial only to encounter the next. And while it wouldn’t have been my first choice to endure what I did, in retrospect I’m grateful for that season.

If anything, I’m more real now than ever before. There was a time when I lacked genuine empathy when someone else was struggling. I wanted to understand, but couldn’t. Now I can say, “I’ve been there.” Maybe not in the exact circumstance, but I’ve been in some deep valleys and survived. And because of it, I can not only relate, but I can encourage others through their own valleys.

Going through the adoption process has given me understanding for anyone waiting for something they’ve always longed for. Having a special needs child has given me greater love for other parents in a similar situation, and for children who are uniquely created. Having another child with health issues and dealing with my own chronic fatigue has given me deeper compassion for the sick. And enduring a long season where we didn’t know where our basic provisions would come from has given me empathy for the unemployed, the homeless, and anyone struggling.

The list could go on. I admit, there was a time when I’d rather pull the covers over my head than face another trial. But I can now say that my faith has been refined in the fire, and I’ve come out stronger. I’ve seen the depths of some pretty dark caverns, but I’ve also seen the point when light breaks through and darkness is overcome. My battle scars are blessings in disguise. Because of them, I can say with confidence, “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.”

Quote by: Corrie ten Boom

Photo Credit: Free stock photos of depression · Pexels

The Gift of Time

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We never know when we will take our last breath. So why not spend our every breath living the transformed life we desire, rather than living dead in the grave of regret? Change is possible. Today is a new day. We may not have tomorrow, so let’s make the most of the gift of the time we have.

 

Photo Credit: Almost Midnight Free Stock Photo – Public Domain Pictures

Our Best Interests

True faith believes God has our best interests in mind, whether or not his answers align with our desires.

 

Photo Credit: Free photo: Autumn, Fall, Falling Leaves, Macro – Free Image on …

Faith and Patience

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“…imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:12)

 

Photo Credit: File:Autumn Leaves.jpg – Wikipedia