Alabaster

Recently life has been  busy. It has been filled with goodbyes, new teams, new ministries and cities, new countries and lots of new friends. I can’t wait to write about it all. For now though I wanted to share two poems with you. The first is about a subject I have been wrestling over with God. The second is a poem my team and I wrote together about our team name and what God has in this season for us. I hope you enjoy! (be on the lookout for another blog soon with all my new updates)

 

 

 

Why would a good God allow evil in the world? Our world designed by a perfect God should be perfect, full of beauty free of pain.

That is not what I see.

I see brokenness and hurt. I see despair; confusion.

If God is so good why would death exist? Why would fear exist?

How is it fair that a person,

created out of God’s will,

would have to feel this hopelessness and sorrow?

It’s not.

God doesn’t think so either.

In our state of brokenness God sent us Salvation in the form of a human, a baby.

Someone who lived a truly human life. Who experienced human pain and suffering.

He gave us a way to escape the distopia we created.

See, darkness was never for us.

God desires everyone to escape the evil of the world.

The Father waits and delays the destruction of evil.

Why?

Because so many of us are still trapped. Fooled into holding onto destruction believing the lie of The Enemy that it will save us.

The lie that we can save ourselves or wealth can or distraction or lists of all the ways I need to improve.

I don’t know about you but none of those have ever fulfilled me.

What has fulfilled me?

The knowledge of the deep and endless love of the God who created me in His Image.

The truth that no matter what I think say or do, I am accepted

by Him.

Acceptable

To Him

My life never encountered true change until

I stopped trying

I realized I wasn’t made to do it alone

I was made to do it in community and fellowship as a daughter of the King.

A co-heir in the kingdom of Light.

Now I see the good.

The world we live in is broken, true.

The good news is my Father the King has a plan to restore us to the perfect world we long for.

But for now, while we wait. I will be a little part of heaven on earth to those who haven’t heard this redemption story.

 

Alabaster

(in the voice of Mary of Magdalene’s father)

To my daughter, whom I love

An alabaster jar

A symbol of your heart to be given away

A gift of security for your future

Your youth is behind you and your hope is before you

Laughing without fear

A confidence in the bride you will become

A betrothal to be found

To my daughter, whom I love

My sweet Mary

(in the voice of Martha, Mary’s sister)

Jesus is here in my home, and there is so much to be done

I work alone

A service dictated by custom

An overflowing heart to show hospitality

Mary is there at his feet and there is so much to be learned

An eager student

A disregard of tradition

An act of worship in humility

“Tell her to help me”

“Mary has chosen what is better”

(in the voice of Jesus)

She has done a beautiful thing to me

An alabaster jar

A costly perfume rooted in love

A sacrifice of commitment

Her hair and heartbreak wash my feet with fallen tears

A betrothal unseen

A gift for Him who is the security of her future

A confidence in the love she has found

From her brokenness comes a sweet aroma

My sweet Mary

(in the voice of my team)

Safety and freedom in Godly identity

Refuge, rest, healing

A prayer for a new season

A vision for the future

The scent of a sweet aroma from a refining fire

Communion, unity, fellowship

A boasting in weakness

A community without striving

It’s our love written in jars of clay

Alabaster