"...Love covers over all wrongs." ( Proverbs 10:12) "Follow the way of love..." (1 Corinthians 14:1) I am amazed by the beauty of those words: "...love covers over all wrongs." ALL. Those are the wrongs done against me as well as the wrongs I have done against others. ALL. This is the whole of why I am a Christ follower---His love covered over all of my wrongs, every one of them. He didn't just cover them up, He covered them over. He gave His life for mine. He put His body in front of mine, and covered me over with His grace and mercy while He was beaten, spit upon, mocked, and nailed to the Cross. Everything I was not, everything that I am not, every wrong I had ever done or would ever do was covered over by Him and made whole by His precious blood. And not only that, but every wrong done against me: every abusive word and action, every pain I have ever felt at the hands or heart of another, every loss, every rejection, every betrayal, every lie, everything. His love covered over it all. He died my death so that I can now live His life. Romans 6:3-4 says, "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." All of my wrongs were made right in Him. As I learn of Him, remain in Him, and 'Go after a life of love as if my life depended on it,' I am made free. (1 Corinthians 14:1 MSG) Because of this beautiful, awesome truth, those things that used to trip me up, don't trip me up anymore; the mistakes I made are covered over in His grace and mercy; the wrongs I did are paid for. The same is true for you if you choose to receive Him by faith and trust His love: ---That person you can't forgive: Love covers over all wrongs. ---Those negative words you keep replaying in your mind: Love covers over all wrongs. ---Those scenes of abuse that you can't seem to erase: Love covers over all wrongs. ---That child who is silent because of your past failure: Love covers over all wrongs. ---That man who broke your heart: Love covers over all wrongs. ---That thing you did that you are so ashamed of: Love covers over all wrongs. ---That lie you told that robbed you of your peace: Love covers over all wrongs. ---That guilt you feel about what you did: Love covers over all wrongs. Let go. His love covers over all wrongs. Let yourself go. Let them go. Walk out of your prison...the door is open. Let them walk out of the prison you have put them in...the door is open. Forgiveness flows as you realize how much God forgave you...the love in my heart towards people, even those who committed grievous acts against me, even the most vile of my offenders, is all-encompassing; because I see Him, and I see me 'dying in my own blood,' (Ezekiel 16:6) from the wounds I received from others and from myself. I see Him saying to me, "Live!" (Ezekiel 16:6) I know that I have no right to hold anything against anyone because of the great love He showed toward me. He died so I might live. He lives so I might die; that I might lay down all of me on the altar of His heart, and let Him pierce me through with His overwhelming, never ending, scandalous, marvelous, extravagant love... Written by Anne Marie Hawke June 2019 If you would like to subscribe to my blog or find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com
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"...with eyes that see but don't really look, and ears that hear but don't really listen." (Jeremiah 5:21b MSG)
I could tell by the way she carried herself that she had 'come into' her confidence, perhaps the way a newly crowned Queen 'comes into' her authority and power; over time yet all at once. She spoke calmly and with great compassion toward her young adult son who sat across from her. He had just spoken words which no mother ever wants to hear; "You are a bad mother and a bad person." It affected her, and if I had been able to see her eyes, I am sure I would've found the faint trace of a tear ebbing up from within them, yet she sat and continued to speak with the calm assurance of a woman who knew the truth of who she was, and all that she had been through to just be sitting across from him now. In that moment I was given eyes to see what her son could not see: I saw her holding him close wiping his tears as she sang him back to sleep after a rough night of teething pain. I saw her making up stories at bedtime to stimulate his still forming imagination. I saw her soothing him with a cool cloth as he lay in bed suffering from a fever that was waiting to break. I saw her playing games, making him laugh, finding his favorite blanket and snuggling him up in it. I saw her helping him with school work late into the night. I saw her working hard so she could take he and his sister on trips every year. I saw her finding that black shirt, you know the one with the long sleeves, that he always liked to wear, that he had displaced until her Mom radar had located it. I saw her at their school activities, at their concerts, and sporting events. I saw her struggling with a body that wouldn't work right, and a heart that had known incredible abuse. I saw her down on her knees every night praying for him and his sister long after they had fallen asleep. I saw her make mistakes as a parent; relationships that were bad, decisions that were not good, failures that she learned to turn into fuel. I saw her grow, overcome deep adversity, conquer her inner demons, transform her life, love with every ounce of her being, even when it was undeserved, and serve others selflessly... I saw her, really saw her...and she was something to behold. The conversation came to an end, she told him how sorry she was for the mistakes she had made in the past, she asked him to get to know her now, she asked for his forgiveness, and told him that she loved him and that that would never change. And he left "having eyes that see but don't really look, and ears that hear but don't really listen." So maybe, just maybe, you haven't really been seeing the people around you? Maybe you haven't really been hearing them? Maybe we all need to have a Godly vision check and a Godly hearing test? Maybe we could "be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32) Maybe we could extend grace and mercy to those in need of it, rather than condemnation and judgement? Maybe 'toxic people' need a tonic of love and kindness? Maybe love really does conquer all? Maybe love really is the answer? Ask to see what you haven't been seeing. Ask to hear what you haven't been hearing. Open your heart to the knowledge that your perception may have been distorted and just 'see' what God will do... Written by Anne Marie Hawke June 2019 For more information about my blog, or to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com |
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February 2022
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