The good news is in the green of grass.
And the green of my stomach as it churns.
While resting in the arms of a Savior.
Who loves to care for His children.
The broken down.
The lonely.
The sick.
I vomit life and grief and the weight of all this world.
Right into the bright orange of that bowl.
The prayerful intentions I had for some time away with Him.
All about Him.
Seemingly ruined, but...
He always knows the plan.
And as I crawl across the floor to the bathroom.
I see what I wrote in permanent marker on the outside palm of my hand.
"THE LORD'S"
And it makes me cry out.
"Oh, Jesus, please not this way. Not like this."
I cover my hand and groan.
But I know.
He knows.
And He takes all the sick of me.
All that is vomit and shit.
And He wipes it away.
Tenderly.
The God of the universe cleanses me.
He hovers over my bed with washbasin and towel.
Reminds me.
Over and Over.
That He doesn't remember my sins.
That He casts them behind His back.
That He buries them in the depth of the sea.
That He remembers them no more.
Jesus. Doesn't. Remember.
But He knows that I do, and He gently washes the stains.
Whispers the Psalms and the Gospel.
The Good News about a GodMan named Jesus.
Who came to save the lost.
The blind, the lame, the unloved.
The sick.
The bed spins beneath my head while He whispers on into the night.
And I drift on His voice singing waves of Grace.
To make the sick well again.
To make us all well.
The Gospel. The Good News of Jesus Christ.
Bernadette
Wow. Powerful imagery, and such truth! I don't think I've ever heard it put that way before, which makes it even more powerful. What an incredible comparison, such a stark contrast between our repulsive illness and His beautiful, tender, loving care. Thank you so much for sharing this! (And - I'm assuming this is coming from current life experiences - I hope you feel better.)
ReplyDeleteMary,
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by again. It's fun to see your words typed out here on FreedomJournal. Yes! I am feeling better, and much healed from, not just being sick, but, well... being "sick" if you know what I mean. I am in awe at the Lord's kindness. Much needed. So humbling. My trip did not go AT ALL according to plan. My plans, at least! :)
Blessings to you, and thank you for coming alongside me so much! I'm smiling at you right now. :)
Bernadette
Dear Friend. I feel like a broken record sometimes when I come to your blog. Because always I just want to say, "Wow. This is beautiful, incredible, absolutely true." Maybe because you are beautiful, incredible, and absolutely true? Yes. I think that's it. This is what grabs me most here: "Jesus. Doesn't. Remember. But He knows that I do..." Oh, what truth here. So hard to imagine that God can loves us through our ugliest days because we can't imagine what it's like to forget that ugliness. But God forgets because He chooses to. Because He chooses us over remembering. He chooses us over everything. Maybe He's just asking us to choose Him over everything, too. I love you, Dear One.
ReplyDelete