As I've continued this eucharisteo journey, the line from the classic hymn, Come Thou Fount, has kept ringing through my head:
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Sometimes I sit and stare up at my wall of 60+ blessings, and just think, O to grace
One of the slips reads, "being in debt to grace. O to grace!" I'm grateful that I am in debt to grace because it means I know Jesus. It means that I understand the antithesis of grace.
Some of my blessings are traditionally spiritual. But some are things like "fresh basil" and "cuddles with Betsy" (Also, her being excited about wearing my shirt after I told her I'd been sleeping in it for two nights and that's why it smelled like me...)
I was mulling this all over, wondering briefly what others might think of some of my gifts. Is it possible for chickpeas mashed over spinach to truly be one of God's graces? I think it is.
And a verse came to mind:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17
If I receive a blessing and recognize that it is good, I can also thank my Father for it. Salvation, redemption, justification, sanctification; what if all these big words boil down to the simple truth of being able to enjoy the gifts that God has put before us, not the least of which is His presence? What if our right standing with the Lord is what enables us to see His hand behind all of creation, like old men cracking jokes and clean socks and water that's ice cold from sitting by an open window?
Doesn't our debt to grace only grow?
O to grace
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Wall of Blessings Update
I am only on my second day, but I can already see having a full wall. I will add more space if that becomes a necessity. Less than two days in, the eucharisteo life is changing me. It's making me steadier, calmer, more aware. It made my devotions sweeter, and every moment a little bit better. I think it's good to start this now, before the semester begins, so that I can establish a pattern of looking for blessings. I am really excited for this to continue.
"Lean into the ugly and whisper thanks to transfigure it into beauty. Give thanks for all things at all times because He is all good"
Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 106:1
Right now, I am giving thanks for:
I am looking forward to watching not only my wall grow, but myself as well.
"Lean into the ugly and whisper thanks to transfigure it into beauty. Give thanks for all things at all times because He is all good"
Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 106:1
Right now, I am giving thanks for:
- Crunchy snow
- His wounds have paid my ransom
- Winter sunset runs
- Hour long breakfasts
- Quiet worship with my God and my guitar
- Sun that makes the day sparkle
- Hearing my heart beat in the silence of a new day
- Good, strong coffee in the morning
- The right song stuck in my head
- Feeling healthy
- Grateful hugs
- Journals with pretty bookmarks
- Jesus' rescue of my soul
- Water - ice cold from sitting by the window
- Soft, sweet, slow tears
- New friends
- Lungs filled with cold, crisp air
I am looking forward to watching not only my wall grow, but myself as well.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Attitude of Gratitude
I am currently reading One Thousand Gifts. It is the story of a farmer's wife who has experienced tragedy, but also a pleasant existence. It is her journey towards a full, meaningful life.
She finds that the key is gratitude - the New Testament repeatedly uses, "take" or "took" and then, "eucharisteo", to give thanks. Part of receiving the fulness of God's blessing is being thankful. She also learns that Jesus gives thanks before multiplying the fishes and loaves. Thankfulness produces multiplicity. She begins a challenge of listing 1,000 things to be thankful for, and continues her study. After her journal is completed, she continues to stop in wonder. It's a breathtaking, beautiful book, and I knew if I didn't blog about it know, it would be forever long when I did. So, 4 chapters in, I take a breath.
Here are some excerpts:
"How do I wake up to joy and grace and beauty and all that is the fullest life when I must stay numb to losses and crushed dreams and all that empties me out?"
"Is this the toxic air of the world, this atmosphere we inhale, burning into our lungs, this, 'No, God? No, God, we won't take what You give. No, God, Your plans are a gutted, bleeding mess and I didn't sign up for this and You really thought I'd go for this? No, God, this is ugly and this is a mess and can't You get anything right and just haul all this pain out of here and I'll take it from here, thanks. And God? Thanks for nothing.' Isn't this the human inheritance, the legacy of the Garden?...I believe the Serpent's hissing lie, the repeating refrain of his campaign through the ages: God isn't good. It's the cornerstone of his movement".
"Satan, he wanted more. More power, more glory. Ultimately, in his essence, Satan is an ingrate. And he sinks his venom into the heart of Eden."
"Standing before that tree, laden with fruit withheld, we listen to Evil's murmur, 'In the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened...'(Genesis 3:5). But in the beginning, our eyes were already open. Our sight was perfect. Our vision let us see a world spilling with goodness. Our eyes fell on nothing but the glory of God. We saw God as He truly is: good. But we were lured by the deception that there was more to a full life, there was more to see. And true, there was more to see: the ugliness we hadn't beheld, the sinfulness we hadn't witnessed, the loss we hadn't known. We eat. And in an instant, we are blind. No longer do we see God as one we can trust. No longer do we perceive Him as wholly good. No longer do we observe all of the remaining paradise. We eat. And in an instant, we see. Everywhere we look, we see a world of lack, a universe of loss, a cosmos of scarcity and injustice"
This passage is hard to type, because the tears flow freely. I just think of how Adam and Eve really knew God - they tasted and walked with His goodness. And even though good was before them, walking among them, they still wanted the other, the evil. That's so sad. And then of course, I think of all that it would take to bring us back to that state, of truly knowing God and all His goodness. Doesn't it break your heart?
"I hunger for filling in a world that is starved."
"Eat the mystery"
"Isn't it here? The wonder? Why do I spend so much of my living hours struggling to see it? Do we truly stumble so blind that we must be affronted with blinding magnificence for our blurry soul-sight to recognize grandeur?"
"Deep chara joy is found only at the table of the euCHARisteo - the table of thanksgiving I sit there long...wondering...is it that simple? Is the height of my chara joy dependent on the depths of my eucharisteo thanks?"
"Jesus didn't institute the Eucharist around some unusual, rare, once a year event, but around this continual act of eating a slice of bread, drinking a cup of fruit from the vine. First Corinthians 11:26 reads, 'whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup' - whenever. Like every day. Whenever we eat."
"Joy is the realest reality, the fullest life, and joy is always given, never grasped. God gives gifts and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given: joy."
"What will a life magnify? The world's stress cracks, the grubbiness of a day, all that is wholly wrong and terribly busted? Or God?"
"In Christ, don't we have everlasting existence? Don't Christians have all the time in eternity, life everlasting? If Christians run out of time - wouldn't we lose our very own existence? If anyone should have time, isn't it the Christ-followers?"
"I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry."
"I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away. In our rushing, bulls in china shops, we break our own lives."
"Hurry always empties a soul."
"I can slow the torrent by being all here. I only live the full life when I live fully in the moment. And when I'm always looking for the next glimpse of glory, I slow and enter. And time slows. Weigh down this moment in time with attention full, and the whole time's river slows, slows, slows."
"Full attention fills the empty ache."
"Thanks makes now a sanctuary."
"The clock ticks slow. I hear it for what it is: good and holy. Time, what God first deemed holy above all else (Genesis 2:3). Thank God for the time, and very God enters that time, presence hallowing it. True, this, full attention slows time and I live the full of the moment, right to outer edges. But there's more. I awake to I AM here. When I'm present, I meet I AM, the very presence of a present God. In HIs embrace, time loses all sense of spend stress and space and stands so still and...holy"
"The real problem of life is never a lack of time. The real problem of life - in my life - is lack of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving creates abundance; and the miracle of multiplying happens when I give thanks - take the just one loaf, say it is enough, and give thanks - and He miraculously makes it more than enough."
"Life is brief and fleeting but it is not an emergency"
"When did I stop thinking life was dessert?"
I want to not just read this book, but to live it. So, I have decided to have a wall of gratitude. Every day, I will add to the wall behind my head so that when I walk in to my room, I will see it. I want a wall full of even the little things to be thankful for. I want to see it, and to remember that I have more than enough reasons to be thankful.
I will try to keep you posted as the wall is filled.
She finds that the key is gratitude - the New Testament repeatedly uses, "take" or "took" and then, "eucharisteo", to give thanks. Part of receiving the fulness of God's blessing is being thankful. She also learns that Jesus gives thanks before multiplying the fishes and loaves. Thankfulness produces multiplicity. She begins a challenge of listing 1,000 things to be thankful for, and continues her study. After her journal is completed, she continues to stop in wonder. It's a breathtaking, beautiful book, and I knew if I didn't blog about it know, it would be forever long when I did. So, 4 chapters in, I take a breath.
Here are some excerpts:
"How do I wake up to joy and grace and beauty and all that is the fullest life when I must stay numb to losses and crushed dreams and all that empties me out?"
"Is this the toxic air of the world, this atmosphere we inhale, burning into our lungs, this, 'No, God? No, God, we won't take what You give. No, God, Your plans are a gutted, bleeding mess and I didn't sign up for this and You really thought I'd go for this? No, God, this is ugly and this is a mess and can't You get anything right and just haul all this pain out of here and I'll take it from here, thanks. And God? Thanks for nothing.' Isn't this the human inheritance, the legacy of the Garden?...I believe the Serpent's hissing lie, the repeating refrain of his campaign through the ages: God isn't good. It's the cornerstone of his movement".
"Satan, he wanted more. More power, more glory. Ultimately, in his essence, Satan is an ingrate. And he sinks his venom into the heart of Eden."
"Standing before that tree, laden with fruit withheld, we listen to Evil's murmur, 'In the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened...'(Genesis 3:5). But in the beginning, our eyes were already open. Our sight was perfect. Our vision let us see a world spilling with goodness. Our eyes fell on nothing but the glory of God. We saw God as He truly is: good. But we were lured by the deception that there was more to a full life, there was more to see. And true, there was more to see: the ugliness we hadn't beheld, the sinfulness we hadn't witnessed, the loss we hadn't known. We eat. And in an instant, we are blind. No longer do we see God as one we can trust. No longer do we perceive Him as wholly good. No longer do we observe all of the remaining paradise. We eat. And in an instant, we see. Everywhere we look, we see a world of lack, a universe of loss, a cosmos of scarcity and injustice"
This passage is hard to type, because the tears flow freely. I just think of how Adam and Eve really knew God - they tasted and walked with His goodness. And even though good was before them, walking among them, they still wanted the other, the evil. That's so sad. And then of course, I think of all that it would take to bring us back to that state, of truly knowing God and all His goodness. Doesn't it break your heart?
"I hunger for filling in a world that is starved."
"Eat the mystery"
"Isn't it here? The wonder? Why do I spend so much of my living hours struggling to see it? Do we truly stumble so blind that we must be affronted with blinding magnificence for our blurry soul-sight to recognize grandeur?"
"Deep chara joy is found only at the table of the euCHARisteo - the table of thanksgiving I sit there long...wondering...is it that simple? Is the height of my chara joy dependent on the depths of my eucharisteo thanks?"
"Jesus didn't institute the Eucharist around some unusual, rare, once a year event, but around this continual act of eating a slice of bread, drinking a cup of fruit from the vine. First Corinthians 11:26 reads, 'whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup' - whenever. Like every day. Whenever we eat."
"Joy is the realest reality, the fullest life, and joy is always given, never grasped. God gives gifts and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given: joy."
"What will a life magnify? The world's stress cracks, the grubbiness of a day, all that is wholly wrong and terribly busted? Or God?"
"In Christ, don't we have everlasting existence? Don't Christians have all the time in eternity, life everlasting? If Christians run out of time - wouldn't we lose our very own existence? If anyone should have time, isn't it the Christ-followers?"
"I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry."
"I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away. In our rushing, bulls in china shops, we break our own lives."
"Hurry always empties a soul."
"I can slow the torrent by being all here. I only live the full life when I live fully in the moment. And when I'm always looking for the next glimpse of glory, I slow and enter. And time slows. Weigh down this moment in time with attention full, and the whole time's river slows, slows, slows."
"Full attention fills the empty ache."
"Thanks makes now a sanctuary."
"The clock ticks slow. I hear it for what it is: good and holy. Time, what God first deemed holy above all else (Genesis 2:3). Thank God for the time, and very God enters that time, presence hallowing it. True, this, full attention slows time and I live the full of the moment, right to outer edges. But there's more. I awake to I AM here. When I'm present, I meet I AM, the very presence of a present God. In HIs embrace, time loses all sense of spend stress and space and stands so still and...holy"
"The real problem of life is never a lack of time. The real problem of life - in my life - is lack of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving creates abundance; and the miracle of multiplying happens when I give thanks - take the just one loaf, say it is enough, and give thanks - and He miraculously makes it more than enough."
"Life is brief and fleeting but it is not an emergency"
"When did I stop thinking life was dessert?"
I want to not just read this book, but to live it. So, I have decided to have a wall of gratitude. Every day, I will add to the wall behind my head so that when I walk in to my room, I will see it. I want a wall full of even the little things to be thankful for. I want to see it, and to remember that I have more than enough reasons to be thankful.
I will try to keep you posted as the wall is filled.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Point of Observation
The more deeply invested I am in my relationship with God, the more creative I am. I am not an artist, but He makes me one sometimes. I draw in my journals, I see more pictures.
In the beginning, God created...Genesis 1:1
In the beginning, God created...Genesis 1:1
Thursday, January 3, 2013
13 in 13
I am going back to school this weekend after a year long leave of absence, so I thought I'd share 13 things I'm looking forward to in the Spring 2013 semester:
1. Living <20 seconds from Maggie and a minute from Betsy. Phone calls, texts, skypes, emails, and occasional visits cannot replace 24/7 easy access to people I love so dearly.
2. Track. I've been involved in year-round competitive sports for most of my life, so 2012 was weird. It was nice on the one hand, but I'm definitely the kind of person who enjoys competing. I like working towards a goal, challenging myself to reach it (Victoria, this is totally a C type of competitive). Plus, Beloit is hosting outdoor conference during graduation weekend, which means my parents will be able to see me compete as a collegiate trackster for the first time (second, I believe for my dad, but that was indoor and indoor is always a little rough). And the historic Beloit Relays return for the first time in years, and I get to be a part of it!
3. My space. I am excited to have a room I can "be" in. I've loved this year of moving around, living out of suitcases, and being around new people, but it'll be nice to decorate a room and be able to enjoy it for awhile. I am less thrilled about the communal bathroom, but it is not a bucket shower so I will take it.
4. InterVarsity. I'll be the first to admit that joining IV and immediately leadership, and then staying on leadership for the next four semesters left me burnt out. I am blessed to say I will be serving our chapter as vice president this semester.
5. Weekly meetings with Jane. I really want to do this, Jane, for as long as you're still in town. I love spending time with you.
6. My classes. It will be odd to go back to more traditional learning than I've experienced over the past year, but I'm looking forward to discussions and papers and taking part in that kind of creative academics that Beloit brings out in its students.
7. Rock Valley Chapel. YES! I was there all summer, and can't wait to be back. I'm also looking forward to spending time with the Johnsons again. Also, RVC and IV are teaming up to bring an Easter service to campus, so two ministries will be combined into one. Love it.
8. Campus. You just fall in love with campus from the minute you arrive. I like it in every season, and love the little places I've made my own.
9. Nikki's. It's barely off campus, but it's just enough in order to be refreshing and fun. I especially love the spring when I can get an iced coffee and go for a walk by the river. Who am I kidding? Make it a hot coffee, and I'm there in any season.
10. Being responsible for myself. For the most part, I don't have to coordinate a whole lot with other people. I can set my own schedule, and I don't need to worry about offending another culture, keeping twigs to branches in line ;), upsetting a family routine, or someone else needing the car. Right now, I enjoy doing my own thing and not having to worry if it's messing up someone else doing their thing. This is all probably some big sign about how I'm not ready to be married or have a family yet, but that's fine with me.
11. Writing (and handing in) my thesis. I'm not quite sure what it is yet, but it sounds so official and important. I hope it turns out well!
12. Graduating. I'm sad about the thought of leaving the people who have become family and the campus that's become my home, but I am excited to have finished college, and to celebrate all the experiences it gave me.
13. The moments in between, the little moments that make Beloit Beloit.
1. Living <20 seconds from Maggie and a minute from Betsy. Phone calls, texts, skypes, emails, and occasional visits cannot replace 24/7 easy access to people I love so dearly.
2. Track. I've been involved in year-round competitive sports for most of my life, so 2012 was weird. It was nice on the one hand, but I'm definitely the kind of person who enjoys competing. I like working towards a goal, challenging myself to reach it (Victoria, this is totally a C type of competitive). Plus, Beloit is hosting outdoor conference during graduation weekend, which means my parents will be able to see me compete as a collegiate trackster for the first time (second, I believe for my dad, but that was indoor and indoor is always a little rough). And the historic Beloit Relays return for the first time in years, and I get to be a part of it!
3. My space. I am excited to have a room I can "be" in. I've loved this year of moving around, living out of suitcases, and being around new people, but it'll be nice to decorate a room and be able to enjoy it for awhile. I am less thrilled about the communal bathroom, but it is not a bucket shower so I will take it.
4. InterVarsity. I'll be the first to admit that joining IV and immediately leadership, and then staying on leadership for the next four semesters left me burnt out. I am blessed to say I will be serving our chapter as vice president this semester.
5. Weekly meetings with Jane. I really want to do this, Jane, for as long as you're still in town. I love spending time with you.
6. My classes. It will be odd to go back to more traditional learning than I've experienced over the past year, but I'm looking forward to discussions and papers and taking part in that kind of creative academics that Beloit brings out in its students.
7. Rock Valley Chapel. YES! I was there all summer, and can't wait to be back. I'm also looking forward to spending time with the Johnsons again. Also, RVC and IV are teaming up to bring an Easter service to campus, so two ministries will be combined into one. Love it.
8. Campus. You just fall in love with campus from the minute you arrive. I like it in every season, and love the little places I've made my own.
9. Nikki's. It's barely off campus, but it's just enough in order to be refreshing and fun. I especially love the spring when I can get an iced coffee and go for a walk by the river. Who am I kidding? Make it a hot coffee, and I'm there in any season.
10. Being responsible for myself. For the most part, I don't have to coordinate a whole lot with other people. I can set my own schedule, and I don't need to worry about offending another culture, keeping twigs to branches in line ;), upsetting a family routine, or someone else needing the car. Right now, I enjoy doing my own thing and not having to worry if it's messing up someone else doing their thing. This is all probably some big sign about how I'm not ready to be married or have a family yet, but that's fine with me.
11. Writing (and handing in) my thesis. I'm not quite sure what it is yet, but it sounds so official and important. I hope it turns out well!
12. Graduating. I'm sad about the thought of leaving the people who have become family and the campus that's become my home, but I am excited to have finished college, and to celebrate all the experiences it gave me.
13. The moments in between, the little moments that make Beloit Beloit.
Resolved
I'm a little late, but I needed time to think.
In fact, I still need a minute, so I'm going to share some of my favorites of the famed Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards,
6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.
22. Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power; might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.
17. Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.
33. Resolved, always to do what I can towards making, maintaining, establishing and preserving peace, when it can be without over-balancing detriment in other respects.
59. Resolved, when I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times.
I have one serious resolution and one not so serious one.
The first is to stop allowing others to make me feel guilty for things that are not my fault and that I cannot control. Guilt and shame do not exist in Christ and in Christ, they should not exist in me either.
The silly one is to stop buying the wrong sized clothes. I have a serious problem of buying a 6 when I'm really a 4. I'm going to knock it off.
In fact, I still need a minute, so I'm going to share some of my favorites of the famed Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards,
6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.
22. Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power; might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.
17. Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.
33. Resolved, always to do what I can towards making, maintaining, establishing and preserving peace, when it can be without over-balancing detriment in other respects.
59. Resolved, when I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times.
I have one serious resolution and one not so serious one.
The first is to stop allowing others to make me feel guilty for things that are not my fault and that I cannot control. Guilt and shame do not exist in Christ and in Christ, they should not exist in me either.
The silly one is to stop buying the wrong sized clothes. I have a serious problem of buying a 6 when I'm really a 4. I'm going to knock it off.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Dickinson's Lament
I read through Lamentations today at lunch. I've always loved that book. When I read it, I just want to put my hands up and lift all of my sorrow and burdens and anguish straight up to the Lord. There's that real, raw, pain, and then there's this hope - that His mercies are new daily and His faithfulness is great (Lamentations 3:23).
Here are some of the excerpts that I was taken with today:
...among all her lovers she has none to comfort her...from 1:2
...she dwells now among the nations, but finds no resting place; her pursuers have all overtaken her...from 1:3
I called to my lovers, but the deceived me... 1:19a
...the Lord has made Zion forget festival and Sabbath...from 2:6
This one was particularly striking because of my own reverence for the Sabbath. I love the Sabbath because it's a gift from God to us - a day set apart for Himself, to dwell in His presence and to enjoy His pleasures. The privilege of Sabbath, in this verse, has been taken away from Zion.
The Lord has done what he purposed; he has carried out his word, which he commanded long ago; 2:17a
...Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord!...from 2:19
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion,," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 3: 21-26
For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. 3:31-33
Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven 3:41
"You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life. 3:58
The punishment of your iniquity, O daughter of Zion, is accomplished; he will keep you in exile no longer; 4:22a
We must pay for the water we drink; 5:4a (See Isaiah 55:1-2, John 4:14, Revelation 22:17 for a deeper meaning to this text)
But you, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations. 5:19
I had a few moments to kill before break was over, and I was thinking about all I'd read. I recalled a poem I'd memorized for English class about seven years ago, "Success", by Emily Dickinson:
Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne'er succeed
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need
Not one of all the purple host
Who took the flag to-day
Can tell the definition,
So clear, of victory!
As he, defeated, dying
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Burst agonized and clear.
This is Dickinson's Lament. It is the lament of the failures, the losers, the mourners, the sufferers. It's the deceitful lovers, the forgotten Sabbath, and the water we must purchase. And it's why the new mercy and enduring throne are so powerful. The victory is sweetest when you know loss. Christ's victory only means something when you know your own sin. His success is made that much bigger by your failures.
Here are some of the excerpts that I was taken with today:
...among all her lovers she has none to comfort her...from 1:2
...she dwells now among the nations, but finds no resting place; her pursuers have all overtaken her...from 1:3
I called to my lovers, but the deceived me... 1:19a
...the Lord has made Zion forget festival and Sabbath...from 2:6
This one was particularly striking because of my own reverence for the Sabbath. I love the Sabbath because it's a gift from God to us - a day set apart for Himself, to dwell in His presence and to enjoy His pleasures. The privilege of Sabbath, in this verse, has been taken away from Zion.
The Lord has done what he purposed; he has carried out his word, which he commanded long ago; 2:17a
...Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord!...from 2:19
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion,," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 3: 21-26
For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. 3:31-33
Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven 3:41
"You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life. 3:58
The punishment of your iniquity, O daughter of Zion, is accomplished; he will keep you in exile no longer; 4:22a
We must pay for the water we drink; 5:4a (See Isaiah 55:1-2, John 4:14, Revelation 22:17 for a deeper meaning to this text)
But you, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations. 5:19
I had a few moments to kill before break was over, and I was thinking about all I'd read. I recalled a poem I'd memorized for English class about seven years ago, "Success", by Emily Dickinson:
Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne'er succeed
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need
Not one of all the purple host
Who took the flag to-day
Can tell the definition,
So clear, of victory!
As he, defeated, dying
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Burst agonized and clear.
This is Dickinson's Lament. It is the lament of the failures, the losers, the mourners, the sufferers. It's the deceitful lovers, the forgotten Sabbath, and the water we must purchase. And it's why the new mercy and enduring throne are so powerful. The victory is sweetest when you know loss. Christ's victory only means something when you know your own sin. His success is made that much bigger by your failures.
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