The Heart: Part 3

When God begins to thwart our sandcastle building we should ask Him why. Let us not assume that the people around us are responsible for the thwarting. When we blame people for the failure of our sandcastle building we are in the zone of idolatry. When people are a means to our success in sandcastle building and they don't co-operate with our vision (assuming we had one) and we resent them for it; we are in the zone of idolatry. This is, in truth, why God thwarts us; He is after the heart of the matter. He is after our worship. Worshiping Him in Spirit and Truth leads to life; idolatry leads to death. He is the hero; we, the object of His love, are in danger. So he begins to dismantle our idols to show us that they are not worthy, that they are deaf, dumb, blind and have no breath in them (and those who make and worship them become like them, Psalm 135) . Conversely, when He is the builder of our castle, it is on a rock and there is no lack of anything, be it people, resources, or good spiritual fruit. That sounds great doesn't it? It is, once you're there, but to get there you have to lay every single dream and ambition you have on the altar and be truly willing for God to burn it up beyond recognition if He so chooses. I think this is what it means to lay down your life for a friend. No greater love. He did it for us, we can do it for Him. Trust me, however, when I say that after the grieving (over your pile of ashes) the awesome power of His grace kicks into overdrive and you experience His love on a whole new level. He is after our hearts. That is the only thing He wants from us. Period. Out of that kind of relationship He can move mountains and shake nations, but those things pale and are not even on the grid of competing with Him having our heart. This is beyond friendship. This is passionate love. Unless we have decided to harden our hearts and refuse Him, He will mow down our idols. He is a jealous, yet gracious lover. He will always take us back and replace the ring on our finger.

The Heart: Part 2

There is a way that seems right to a man,

But in the end it leads to death.

Proverbs 14:12

It seems to me that more often than not, the path the Lord has for us is the very opposite from what we think is right. This must stem from the truth that we often live externally. We judge ourselves by what the "right" thing to be doing is. We decide what is right based on our religion. Our religion is based on what we worship and what we worship is based on what we value. What we value is either where we feel deficient or what we fear losing, what we percieve gives us our identity or defines who we are or who others say we should be (our values can also be God-given and healthy, but must not be over elevated). This track is so dangerous to our true existence that God sets Himself squarely against it. He risks "losing" us to truly save us (out of His passionate heart for us), as He knows we are actually lost already. It is in our own mind that He would actually be lost, we are often deluded that we are not (lost) - and then he thwarts our sandcastles. Oh the rage! Yes, we rage - and the heart of the matter is exposed.

The Heart

Building Castles in the Sand
Occupies the Thirsty Heart
In Temporary Reverie.
When Sounds of Rolling Thunder come
The Heart in Denial Fears,
But the Heart that Knows its Poverty
Rejoices.


Poem by Magdalena Leaker
Written May 28, 2007