Hurt within the Harvest

Hello to all of you beautiful and handsome people reading my blog (it's nice to get compliments right off the bat isn't it?) I hope that each of you reading this post today is filled with joy, happiness, peace, good will towards men-ya know, all the good stuff. And if you come to this blog with feelings far from the previous mentioned, know that I understand that today might not be a day you feel happy, but a day of great sorrow or frustration or hurt...however you are, know that you are being thought of by me right now--and I'm praying for joy to wash over you! So, today's subject, Hurt within the Harvest, it describes much of what my week has been since my last post. Hurt within the Harvest, when you think about it-is somewhat of an oxymoron. How can hurt or any pain produce anything that is good such as Harvest? Well, I guess it all comes down to once again perspective and hence some mind work. This past week, I have been flooded by the Lord with promises about how even though my life some days may be bleak, that he promises to use those bleak moments for his good purposes (Psalms 138:8), that my pain and hurt will not be in vain but will allow me victory because of the work HE is doing through me (Romans 8:28). Amen. God works overtime to produce and bring about his good purposes in my life and yours. I want to talk more about this notion of bleak days or those days that harbor much hurt and pain. As humans, because sin has entered into the world through our choice to disobey what God was telling us to not do so that we might not experience this sin (Genesis 2-3), we are now stuck with those days that house certain decisions that cause our spirits and hearts to be greatly wounded. Sometimes those decisions are hidden, and sometimes they are found in plain view of all to see. Either way, seen or not seen, the decisions we make affect us sometimes for days, weeks, months or years---but friends, this is not the end of our story! Tarry with me here: Because sin has entered the world, there created was this power over us that causes us to be less than what God intended us to be. It causes us to be stuck or feel ill about ourselves or burdened or cause us to not love our fellow man. But(!) because God did not create us to experience sin, He came decided to come to this earth as man (Jesus Christ) to die on the cross for humanity, so that sin might not longer have power over us within this world. Sin is no longer the only option or the only "power" over us humans. No no no there is a different "power-option" now--and that is one of freedom; because on the cross, Jesus bore all of humanity's sin once and for all and IF we choose to take him as our Savior, our sins have been taken upon his shoulders on the cross. NO LONGER do we have to live with them, but instead we get to give them to the Savior who "knew no sin and then became sin for the sake of us gaining HIS righteousness (his sin-less state of being) "(2 Cor. 5:21). How sweet is that? But folks, at the end of the day, it is up to us to run to this amazing Savior to give him our sins so that we might not bear them anymore. All this to say, because we still live in a fallen world, sin still will exist. And there are still going to be days where I sin, but I have the choice daily to take my sin, my pain, my filth and set this at the foot of the cross, where Jesus can bear them on his shoulders (poor guy. The weight of just one sin can be so heavy-can you imagine ALL of humanity's?!? But remember, because he is God and because he is love, he bears our sins willingly) and then I can walk away clean and free of my sin. This event is the Harvest! The event of taking that which is painful, ugly, and hurt to the foot of the cross where my Savior is, to then give him the hurt and pain, and from there be given by him the Harvest (aka HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS). Its a choice. Hurt or Harvest. Weakness or Power. Mire or Magnificence. Though some days it seems as though I am choosing the former of all these, I tell myself that I must strive for the latter of these. So, how am I today, Well, today, my spirit is dealing with certain wounds caused by decisions I've made and decisions that have been somewhat made for me. But today, I have a choice-I can do something with this hurt....yes...this hurt is so heavy, but wait, up ahead, there it is... the cross. And at the foot of the cross, there I see him with a gaze of sweet love and compassion, compelling me to come to him with my load. I have yet to move my feet towards him, so that I might enter into his sweet presence. I begin to pick up my feet and move towards him. It's difficult to move though--the weight is heavy and I'm ashamed of the sight I am-filthy, and my clothes are torn. But I press on. Finally, in his presence, I ask him, "Jesus, my Savior, here is my hurt and my pain that I have done to myself and also, hurt that has been done to me by others. I know that you will take this from me because I want what you have promised me----which is your righteousness. Jesus--I'm sorry. Please take these from me." And he answers me, "My sweet Bride, whom I love. Thank you for coming to me-yes, I will take these hurts and these burdens from you at once. I love you and condemn you not. Go and be free to live with my righteousness I desire you to have. Go and love others and also yourself as I have loved you-because now you are free of any hurt caused by others, and also that hurt you caused yourself. Precious daughter, always remember, come to me when you are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. I love you forever." In awe of his mercy and compassion, I hand over all that weighs me--and in an instant after the hand off, my spirit is full of His righteousness. No longer do I bear the weight and I look down to find that he has dressed me in splendor. Yes, " I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." (Isaiah 61:10) This is the Harvest I have now received. And now I will go and tell others about how there, in the midst of hurt, can be a great Harvest! All of you who are hurting, go to the Savior...he is waiting and utterly willing to give to you His righteousness.