Some days I think that I’ve just about had all I can stand of humankind.  I feel crushed by the pure evil that exists in this world and I think that my heart will absolutely break into a million pieces as I read the newspaper or listen to my husband’s recanting of his previous night’s work as a police officer.

It’s just too much.  Too much absolute disregard for the life of another person.  Too much utter lack of concern for the plight of others.  Too much hate.

Too much of not enough Jesus, really.

And yet, we are all born of the same dust.  All created by the same Master’s hand.

And what I just can’t fathom is how His creations…molded by His hands…life breathed into them from His own breath can just close their hearts to Him.  Refuse the Light of the World so that they might continue to wander in darkness.

Don’t they hear Him calling?  Whispering their name as if it were honey on His lips?  Don’t they feel that draw of holiness…an age old voice of deep calling out to deep?

It’s an absolute mystery to me.

Oh Father, sometimes I wish You’d just do something so amazing, so incredible that people would have to stop and take notice.  They would have to see You. 

And then I think, how much more amazing could it get than sending your innocent Son to come and die for a sinful world so that we could be restored to You?  That’s about as incredible as it gets.

And so from here, sometimes all I know to do is put my head in my hands and cry.  To mourn for the ones who have closed their hearts to Him…to mourn for those who walked away from Him because they didn’t want what He offered when really they never knew what He held in His hands.  To weep for those who have believed lies about Jesus…precious Jesus, oh my Love, my heart breaks for You.  For what You did for us…for me…to have that ignored and made light of.  If they could only see, Lord.  If they could only see.

But I guess the reality is that they can’t see.  Their eyes have been blinded by the enemy, their hearts deceived by the liar of liars.

They have been deceived into believing that they don’t need You.  That You aren’t real.  That You aren’t good.

And somehow, if just for a second, I see it a little differently.  And I’m a little less angry.  And it’s a little easier to love.  And I’m reminded of the words uttered from the mouth of the Beautiful One while hanging ragged on the cross…

they know not what they do.

Oh God, that you would remove the blinders.  Peel back the scales, Father.

And as I’m sitting here thinking how in the world to close this post, I just keep hearing,

beauty for ashes…as long as you have breath in you, it’s not over.

And there it is.

As long as there is life, there is hope.

And where that Hope is found, there is Life.

And the Blessed Hope will be waiting with arms outstretched

for those who find that they need the Light

more than they love the dark…

and then find that they love the Light

and hate the dark.

and a bended knee brings forth a surrendered heart

and suddenly they’ll know what they’ve done

and they’ll know what He’s done

and something beautiful will be born

and they’ll become beacons of light in that same dark

that once tried to strangle the life out of them.

And so while we wait,

We  love.

We pray.

And we love some more.

And we look for something beautiful to rise up from the dust.