LETTERS OF ENCOURAGEMENT- In the Spirit

Lord,
I am so thankful.
You gave me so many special moments
yesterday.
I enjoyed the
heavy darkness of the skies,
the coolness of the air
before it rains.
I saw smoke looking
like a white, water-colour wisp
against the grey sky.
The egret flapped
two beautiful, large wings…
its feet tucked under…
as it gracefully flew
before my eyes.
The bouncy flutter
of a lone, pale lemon butterfly.
Small, almost insignificant,
yet another Masterpiece
of Your Hands.

I had so many moments
of friendship.
Pleasant chatter, pleasant faces.
A shared lunch with a close friend.
A cheerful voice on the phone.
I had so much to be grateful for.
And when the rain fell…
from a heavy drizzle
to a massive downpour –
it was wonderful.
Another creative day!
Nothing could spoil that day.
Perfect – in its own way.

And today…
The dawn has barely broken,
and there is a freshness in the air.
The sky is clear…
the birds are chattering…
the plants are wet,
and refreshed
after rain.

Another day…
and I am
already thankful!

17.9.93

God,
I had this dream.
A terrible, terrible dream.
Thankfully,
the immediate horror
is slowly fading,
but strong images
are still in my mind.

The man in this dream
could have been Your Son, Jesus.
He was an innocent man –
like a child in His Heart.
And He was so wrongfully abused
by this world,
by the presence of Evil
in men.

How Your Son suffered!
His Body was a damp mixture
of sweat and blood.
His Hair was matted
and soaking.
Very rarely did I see
His Face.

I saw a few fleeting glimpses
of eyes –
eyes full of pain and suffering.
But His Face just seemed covered
with hair, sweat and blood.
He crawled, Lord.
He hardly had the strength
to move.
He was reaching out
for the goodness,
and kindness,
in the Hearts of Men.
There was none there.

His body was in so much agony.
And I, who saw,
in my dream,
could not reach out to Him.
I knew that
I could not relieve
and of His physical pain.
He was far gone…
near death…
just holding on…
holding together.
His torture was complete.

Lord,
I could not bear to see
what this man went through.
How could You?
Did Your Heart ache
as You watched Your Son
go through the paces
of Human Torture?
You saw,
but You could not stop Him.
Jesus chose to save
this World.
His goal was far greater
than His Mortal Life.
And He gave
His Mortal Life,
freely and lovingly,
in the most inhumane
and cruel way.

Lord, forgive us –
for being the human beings
we are…
for being full of Sin
and Evil…
How great was
Your Sacrifice for us.
How great was
Your Love for us.

Christ Jesus,
The Living Sacrifice,
Your Love,
and God’s Love,
are the only Hope
of Salvation
in this cruel world.

'IN THE SPIRIT' - to page 19

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