The Pond

It was before . . .

That she stood

In the middle of the pond
On skeletal ice
With skates on her feet
Afraid to move

She watched as
Someone she had trusted
Left her

She waited
But he didn’t return
So she decided to inch her way back—
Back to safety
Back to land
Despite hearing the sounds
Of ice cracking
Beneath her feet

Then along the way . . .

She met someone else
Someone who
Extended his hand
Who said “Trust me
I will help lead you
Back to safety”
So she took his hand
And trusted
Again

But he wasn’t quite ready to head to land
For he wanted to skate awhile

And so he took her back out
Onto the ice
And although
She could still hear it cracking
Beneath her feet
And was afraid,
She trusted him
Anyway

Then he left her
Without warning
Without word
In the middle of the pond
Alone
And headed back
To the safety of land

And she heard the ice crack
And watched it break
Beneath her feet
Like an ancient mosaic
It shattered
Into thousands of pieces

And she fell

She felt the water
Close in around her
Consuming her nostrils
And squeezing her heart
With its cold
Icy
Fingers
Mocking her
Mocking her choices
And leaving her
Without hope,
Wanting to die

But there would no death
For as soon
As the last bit of light
Disappeared
And the cold
Shelf of ice
Closed in over her head,
Another came along

This One was different

He reached down
And took her hand
He pulled her out—
Out of the icy water
Out of the pond
And back onto the
Safety of land

He placed a crimson robe
Upon her shoulders
And called her His child
He warmed her feet
By His fire
And breathed life
Back into her nostrils

Where there once was pain
There was now
Peace
Where there once was hurt
There was now
Grace
Where there once was despair
There was now
Hope
Where there once was anger
There was now
Forgiveness

And looking up
She saw the face of her Savior

And she knew
He understood—
Understood abandonment
Understood the feeling
Of ice breaking
Beneath His feet
Of slivers being thrust
Through His skin
Of being left alone
To die
For a sin He didn’t commit

It was then
She knew—
Knew that
She could trust Him
Completely

So she placed her hand
Into His
And walked forward
Without looking back
She faced the wind
And closed her eyes
Then took a step
As He led her
Back out—
Out to the pond



“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight”
Proverbs 3:5-6



(The Pond, written by J. N. Hups and dedicated to her beautiful daughter, Samantha, on 12-1-06)

GOD'S GLORY

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell." --C.S. Lewis

DETERMINING LIFE

No one knows when their last breath might be. No one can control tomorrow. No one can add one inch to their stature or hour to their life. Only God knows these things and can get you through life's maze.

So next time when you are in doubt, when you are troubled, when you don't know which way to turn, instead of trying to figure it out for yourself (which, btw, we all know doesn't work because we've tried it and failed), give it to the Lord. Not only give it to Him, but ask Him to lead you down the path He knows is best for you. For there—and only there—will you find rest for your soul!

* * * * *

"For you [God] created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalms 139:13-16

"In his [her] heart a man [woman] plans his [her] course, but the LORD determines his [her] steps." (Proverbs 16:9)Therefore, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

"This is what the LORD says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.'" (Jeremiah 6:16)

Do you know who you are? I mean REALLY know?

As I peruse MySpace, I am deeply saddened by the vast amount of loneliness one finds hidden beneath the masks of its people. People—mostly young—who have no idea who they are, why they're here, what they believe in, or why. Their purpose seems lost in a black hole of "whatever." They're like reeds on a turbulent ocean, tossed back and forth by the force of a sea to which its murky depths are calling them by name. "Come to me," it cries. "Ride my wind and let freedom greet your face." Yet when they step out, they are met with surprise by another force—one that is much more sinister than expected. One that wishes to devour them and send them spiraling to the churning nadir of its abyss.

If they only knew how much the great I AM, the ONE and ONLY who created them, loves them. If they only knew how desperately HE wants them to know HIM as intimately as HE knows them, so they can have purpose and life, so they can be rescued from the darkness that so well masquerades itself as light.

The psalmist David said it best: "LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. . . . for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:1-4, 13-16)

Therefore my challenge is this: To those of you who are reading this blog, seek after the One who created you and ask HIM your purpose. Ask HIM who you are. Let HIM guide your steps and fill that void—that emptiness that garnishes your soul. And, in doing so, HE promises you this: you WILL find rest for your soul!

Are You Ready for Heaven?

"I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven."

-A.W. Tozer (Whatever Happened to Worship? 13)

Religion or Relationship?

Despite what many think, being a Christian—a Christ-follower—is not the path to religion . . . it is the path to relationship.