First, I want to edit some of my writings in “Oh to see my name written in His wounds.” I felt a little “awkward” about the ponderings I included in there even when I posted it. I couldn’t tell if they were blasphemous or not. I concluded they were NOT blasphemous, and so chose to post them, but I would still like to clarify.
I don’t want to take away from the horrible pain, suffering, and agony the Lord was experiencing on the cross. He experienced the wrath of God, separation from God, and the physical pain of being abused in the flesh. That is agony.
Yes, even the death on the cross can be included in why He was feeling agony. “Probably not agony. Discomfort, but…”
I shouldn’t have used the weak term of “discomfort.” I was trying to highlight the difference in pain between the physical cross and the spiritual anguish, but discomfort is not proper.
“Then look at His words and actions after praying. He is in control of Himself and brings glory to the Father. We never hear of Him being in agony again – not even when He is hanging on the cross. Perhaps on the cross He is the most in control of His words and actions; knowing this is the fulfillment of His Father’s will.”
I don’t like the way this sits. True, we don’t hear of Him being in agony again, but He must have been. He was SEPARATED from the close relationship of THE TRINITY!!!! He was (as Zimmer’s sermons have recently highlighted), experiencing the guilt and sorrow of OUR sin. He experienced God’s WRATH the stored up WRATH of GOD – the Just.
And yes, He is in CONTROL of His words and actions. As I ponder it more even now -- amazing how controlled he was.
He was no longer sweating blood, but He was pouring blood from His wounds.
See how amazing His obedience is. See His love for the Father!! (Love is obedience; obedience is love.)
“I am going to conjecture that He was earnestly praying for His will to be conformed to the Father’s.”
Just let me say, “duh”. That is what the Bible SAYS. He prayed, “not my will, but Yours be done.” And then returned and prayed again. Of course that is what He was praying! How could anyone (I) think otherwise?!!
So there are my edits. PLEASE, if ever I try to post in that manner again; tell me if I am off. I like "searching" and probing and thinking, so please if I am wrong -- TELL ME!!!!!
Thank you.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Portrait of an Old Woman
Smooth and pudgy are the fingers that hold the mirror. Age spots and wrinkles are sprinkled around the veins that pop out across the back of her hand. These hands that have cared for and loved many, these hands that were once strong are now filled with arthritic pains that strain their use. These hands are not what they once were, nor is the reflection shown in the mirror. Her face seems to have lost its color; at times it seems she has been sprinkled with flour. The cheeks which were once called bright and vibrant now droop below her jaw like the loose jowls of a bird dog. They seem to prove the law of gravity. She looks at the creases across her forehead, wondering how they so quickly multiplied. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes give her hope: they are a testimony to her times of joy. They are a testament to the time she gave for laughter and smiles. She then takes time to look into her eyes. They are still blue. They still sparkle. No longer are they framed with eye-shadow, mascara, or eye-liner, but they still communicate to the world around her. Their ability to function properly may have diminished, but their shine still remains; though now they tend to reveal length of days and occasional weariness.
A stray, white hair hangs in front of her face. She slowly raises the grandmotherly hand to brush it away. What color was her hair in her youth? That shade has long since vanished, but she is not saddened. She has hair that is white as the new fallen snow and it speaks of the years the Lord has given her to learn wisdom and patience. It speaks of her life as a vapor. It reminds her to look forward to that day when she will see her Lord face-to-face and be known as He knows her. It reminds her that though this life has brought fires to prove the quality of her faith, she will see Him and know Him and be known by Him and be made as He is. He will take away her pain.
She sets down the mirror and chuckles at the fat that swings on the back of her arm. Another proof of gravity; she never wanted it to come.
She sighs as she realizes she needs to call for someone to help her use the toilet and wash herself.
No, no, she will not give in to the temptation of frustration and discontent. She will wait patiently on the Lord. She will love Him and depend on Him – even to death He will be her guide. Even to death she will be His servant. Oh how she longs for that day! May she finish the race with perseverance! May He bring the end of her race quickly; come Lord Jesus.
I greatly love and admire old people. I long to be old. Those who are old will mock me. Those who are young will accuse me of lunacy. There was a time when I delighted in the idea of joining the Red Hat Society. There are times when I pray that I will be one who is able to make it to the days of white hairs. I don’t want to experience all that old age has to offer (I am almost certain that if I live to be in my eighties or beyond...I will probably have Alzheimer's or Dementia), but I want to belong in the “mature and aging” group. I am not opposed if “to be aged” is not in the Father’s will for my life, but I hope it is. I would like to be a testimony to Him to the young people around me.
I have already made myself a list of helpful things to remember:
--I MUST have young friends who will tell me when I stink. I will not be offended by their comments and then my visiting guests will not be repelled by my stench either.
--I also plan to have shoulder-length hair, wear large-brimmed hats, and bright, flower-print dresses.
--I would like to be a respected eccentric.
--I want to be the neighborhood grandma.
--I would love to tell stories to the children and smile at the young people and hold their faces in my wrinkled hands.
I just love old people. They have so much to teach us. They have so much from which we can learn – even if they have led horrid lives; they will teach us the consequences of wicked choices. How clear I see in elderly people’s attitudes the principle of, “what you sow you shall also reap.” I want to be a PATIENT and SELF-CONTROLED and CONTENT and KIND old person. I want to share Jesus with the others at my retirement center. I want to smile at the other ailing people and look forward to my soon-to-be-given-pain-free body!!! Oh, dreams…
A stray, white hair hangs in front of her face. She slowly raises the grandmotherly hand to brush it away. What color was her hair in her youth? That shade has long since vanished, but she is not saddened. She has hair that is white as the new fallen snow and it speaks of the years the Lord has given her to learn wisdom and patience. It speaks of her life as a vapor. It reminds her to look forward to that day when she will see her Lord face-to-face and be known as He knows her. It reminds her that though this life has brought fires to prove the quality of her faith, she will see Him and know Him and be known by Him and be made as He is. He will take away her pain.
She sets down the mirror and chuckles at the fat that swings on the back of her arm. Another proof of gravity; she never wanted it to come.
She sighs as she realizes she needs to call for someone to help her use the toilet and wash herself.
No, no, she will not give in to the temptation of frustration and discontent. She will wait patiently on the Lord. She will love Him and depend on Him – even to death He will be her guide. Even to death she will be His servant. Oh how she longs for that day! May she finish the race with perseverance! May He bring the end of her race quickly; come Lord Jesus.
I greatly love and admire old people. I long to be old. Those who are old will mock me. Those who are young will accuse me of lunacy. There was a time when I delighted in the idea of joining the Red Hat Society. There are times when I pray that I will be one who is able to make it to the days of white hairs. I don’t want to experience all that old age has to offer (I am almost certain that if I live to be in my eighties or beyond...I will probably have Alzheimer's or Dementia), but I want to belong in the “mature and aging” group. I am not opposed if “to be aged” is not in the Father’s will for my life, but I hope it is. I would like to be a testimony to Him to the young people around me.
I have already made myself a list of helpful things to remember:
--I MUST have young friends who will tell me when I stink. I will not be offended by their comments and then my visiting guests will not be repelled by my stench either.
--I also plan to have shoulder-length hair, wear large-brimmed hats, and bright, flower-print dresses.
--I would like to be a respected eccentric.
--I want to be the neighborhood grandma.
--I would love to tell stories to the children and smile at the young people and hold their faces in my wrinkled hands.
I just love old people. They have so much to teach us. They have so much from which we can learn – even if they have led horrid lives; they will teach us the consequences of wicked choices. How clear I see in elderly people’s attitudes the principle of, “what you sow you shall also reap.” I want to be a PATIENT and SELF-CONTROLED and CONTENT and KIND old person. I want to share Jesus with the others at my retirement center. I want to smile at the other ailing people and look forward to my soon-to-be-given-pain-free body!!! Oh, dreams…
Second Graders and Swine Flu
“We’re all going to DIE!!”
That is one of the first comments my students made as they entered the classroom Friday morning. Spring fever-like energy has already captured the minds and bodies of my little dears and the Swine Flu buzz did nothing to calm them down. Sweatshirts were pulled over noses and mouths.
“My mom says that I cannot breathe in the other germs.”
Another child pulled her hands inside of her jacket to grab a chair and pencil. When asked to take her hands out in order to properly take her chair for the morning she replied, “My mom says I can’t touch things the other kids have touched.”
Well guess what? You can’t hold your chair in that precarious manner either. The metal legs have fewer germs on them. Touch the chair with your bare hands.
The same child then took the disinfectant hand rub to cleanse her pencil before she used it. “My mom said…”
Yes, yes, I know, but our classroom must still FUNCTION with some amount of normalcy. You must have some germs to live.
After a good time talking about how to cough, how to blow one’s nose, how to cleanse one’s hands, what a virus is, etc, etc we then turned to God’s Word.
Our memory verse for last week was 1st John 5:11-12, “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
So we spoke about who is in control, who has a plan, who we can trust. Who has already defeated death?! If anyone dies, who can we still trust?
We then moved to God’s will for our lives based on another memory verse from a previous week, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1st Thessalonians 5:16-18) And another one, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
Can we be worried anytime? NO! When we are worried, what does God tell us to do? PRAY! And what will He do for us? GUARD our hearts with PEACE! Who can we trust? JESUS!!! What can we thank Him for?
It didn’t help that during this conversation, though at the beginning, a student raised his hand to add, “You know, 1,050 people died in Texas from the Swine flu.”
Not QUITE…and not so loud, sir.
That is one of the first comments my students made as they entered the classroom Friday morning. Spring fever-like energy has already captured the minds and bodies of my little dears and the Swine Flu buzz did nothing to calm them down. Sweatshirts were pulled over noses and mouths.
“My mom says that I cannot breathe in the other germs.”
Another child pulled her hands inside of her jacket to grab a chair and pencil. When asked to take her hands out in order to properly take her chair for the morning she replied, “My mom says I can’t touch things the other kids have touched.”
Well guess what? You can’t hold your chair in that precarious manner either. The metal legs have fewer germs on them. Touch the chair with your bare hands.
The same child then took the disinfectant hand rub to cleanse her pencil before she used it. “My mom said…”
Yes, yes, I know, but our classroom must still FUNCTION with some amount of normalcy. You must have some germs to live.
After a good time talking about how to cough, how to blow one’s nose, how to cleanse one’s hands, what a virus is, etc, etc we then turned to God’s Word.
Our memory verse for last week was 1st John 5:11-12, “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
So we spoke about who is in control, who has a plan, who we can trust. Who has already defeated death?! If anyone dies, who can we still trust?
We then moved to God’s will for our lives based on another memory verse from a previous week, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1st Thessalonians 5:16-18) And another one, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
Can we be worried anytime? NO! When we are worried, what does God tell us to do? PRAY! And what will He do for us? GUARD our hearts with PEACE! Who can we trust? JESUS!!! What can we thank Him for?
It didn’t help that during this conversation, though at the beginning, a student raised his hand to add, “You know, 1,050 people died in Texas from the Swine flu.”
Not QUITE…and not so loud, sir.
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