Peace

I had a stirring prophetic revelation today of how deeply, absolutely and completely Christ is our Peace. He is not just the terminus of sin and sorrow; of grief and despair. He is the restorer of our splendor, the One who returns to our tarnished life its luster, its lushness, its juicy promise; its vibrant harmony by His own goodness. 

His peace comforts and caresses but it also creates the future we hope for. It is a trustworthy peace.

 The Great Preacher of peace and love came for you, and His voice found those of you who were near and those who were far away.  By Him both have access to the Father in one Spirit.  And so you are no longer called outcasts and wanderers but citizens with God’s people, members of God’s holy family, and residents of His household.  You are being built on a solid foundation: the message of the prophets and the voices of God’s chosen emissaries with Jesus, the Anointed Himself, the precious cornerstone.  The building is joined together stone by stone—all of us chosen and sealed in Him, rising up to become a holy temple in the Lord.  In Him you are being built together, creating a sacred dwelling place among you where God can live in the Spirit.-Ephesians 2:17-21 (The Voice)

The Peacock Feather by Ian Rafferty

Wild Pears

Wild Pears

When first I heard it, it sounded like a stiff petticoat
or a rainstorm but it was only frantic leaves in a strong breeze.
The first time I sat high enough to make the starlings nervous
thorns drew blood.

Wild pear trees are less hospitable than apple trees.
Apples spread their branches wide and make a lap for you.
Uncivilized pears are narrow in the hips and stingy on invitations.

You might suspect that attitude would leach into the fruit
but you would be wrong. Feral pears are as sweet as
their pedigreed relations. You might not know unless you
tasted one.

I know some people who live on the street. Some are wild as
pears. They have thorns. They throw around, "God Bless"
but might as well be saying, "Go to Hell." It is easier to
pass them by than get a ladder.

I have to prayerfully remember that Jesus didn't come for the fruit
made for a still-life. He came for the feral fruit. Wild, hard to pick, 
well defended and unclaimed. He came for a hidden sweetness.

So I am learning to keep a ladder in my heart.

-kl

The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7