Where God's Word Meets Our Mess
This poem is based on an analogy from Scripture. As the church—Christ's bride—we can live in gratitude and joy because we no longer wear darkness and shame. Just as the groom typically wears a black suit and the bride typically wears a white dress at their wedding, Christ wore black—our sin—so that we could wear white—His righteousness.
You hear all the cheery greetings. You read them on cards, see them on decorations, and hear them in songs. And you feel all the emotions—both good and bad—that are attached to them.
I used to hate reading this passage from John 15 because I always felt guilty after I read it. (Okay, I still feel guilty after I read it, ahem.) To be honest, I don't see fruit in my life right now. But what if I'm focusing on the wrong aspect of sanctification—the when.
We’re entering the month of July, and people are still talking about the coronavirus. We’re still reading the one-sided news and the biased viewpoints. We’re still swallowing the confusion, chaos, and despair. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel anything but free on this Independence Day.
Those scenarios are fictional, but perhaps they feel familiar to you. You may be facing a variety of unexpected situations this Christmas—a breakup, difficult family situation, death of a loved one, financial burden, health issue, church dispute, challenging move, betrayal by a friend, doubts and depression, tension at school, or something else. Christmastime is supposed to be a joyous season, but you don't have any joy right now.
Starting to wonder if I should have stayed, questioning ev’ry decision I’d made, hoping that, somehow, I’d find a safe place, but doubting that I could survive this escape.
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to criticize men and women in the Bible, especially when their sins are evident? I mean, how could Jonah run away from God? How could Rebekah play favoritism with her sons and deceive her husband? How could David commit adultery and murder Uriah? But we forget that we, too, can quickly fall into sin.
Enjoy your family, food, and fireworks! And thank God for setting us free from bondage as a nation and as sinners. Happy 4th of July!
Part of this poem comes from a song that I wrote with my younger sister years ago. I've added to it and changed some of the words, but they're based on the biblical accounts of Christ's death. I hope that this poem is as an encouraging reminder to you that Christ died for us—and for everyone involved in His crucifixion—not because we deserved it but because He loves us with an immeasurable, everlasting love.
