Wednesday, October 15, 2014

"Depart from me, I do not know you."


Source: Wikimedia Commons

This is how the story went
I met someone by accident
Who blew me away
Blew me away
And it was in the darkest of my days
When you took my sorrow and took my pain
And buried them away, buried them away
           (lyrics: Hiding my Heart by Adele)



There are little truths, small truths in life that we accept about ourselves, others, and the world around us because they are facts. Facts we can easily prove.

For instance, we know that bee stings hurt. Ouch. (Well, you may not know this but my arm knows this and assures you it's true. My hand knows this too, unfortunately.)

And then, there are TRUTHS.

You know, those TRUTHS that are so huge we can barely wrap our minds around them, and so...

... we prefer to ignore them most of the time.

But ignoring them doesn't take away the truth of them. We can ignore them all the day long but the time will come when we have no choice but to face them.

This happened to me. I came face to face with the fact that I wasn't who I thought I was and the life I was living in NO WAY resembled the life I was meant to be living. Not even close.

My life was a sad caricature, a mockery if you will, of what I was created for.

Can you imagine seeing your real true self and then realizing that you somehow created a false persona that didn't really even exist in the eyes of the Lord? And that you walked in this false self for fifteen years?

Heartbreaking.

This is what sin does to a person. It shrouds you in a cloak of filth that makes you nearly unrecognizable to the Lord.

And, sadly, it was extremely hard to let this false self go because it fit better into the "mockery" we've made of this world.

A world that should be readying  people for heaven but is instead, prepping them for hell.

Because, the truth is, the world as we see it right now resembles hell more than heaven.

Billions are living lives that are a parody of who they really are.

These seem like harsh words but they are true, nonetheless.

 TRUTH:

The moment you were conceived in your mother's womb you were born into eternity.

 You will exist forever.

You don't have to wait until you die to stand in eternity.

No, no, you are standing in it already.

Heaven exists.

But only the REAL YOU can get in there.








24 comments:

  1. Imagine ... you have a little puppy with you at home. He is small, cuddly, lovable and you care for him as best you can. You even put up with his misdemeanours when he tears your slipeprs, or the carpet or whatever. You love him for what he is.

    But God's love for us is much much more than that. He did not buy us from the pet shop. He created us, for eternity, from the moment we were conceived in our mother's womb. And as our Creator He loves us DESPITE our failings, our misdemeanours and our sins. That's why He forgives us again and again.

    We may look at ourselves and see ugliness. But He does not. Because there are no rejects off His production line. Each one is unique, beautiful and loved.

    God bless.

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  2. Hi Victor,
    Yes, He loves us very much and it is because of this great love that He will not leave us the way we are. His love IS unconditional but when a person lives in deep sin he or she cannot accept the love being poured out on them because the heart is closed off to receiving it. The trouble isn't on the giving end, it is on the receiving end.

    My puppy would roll in the mud and just stay filthy if I didn't clean him up :) I have to bathe him before he looks like himself again.

    Thanks for commenting!

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  3. Oh, I just thought of something, Victor:
    I am speaking of grave sin in this post, sin that terribly mars the beauty of the soul that God created. I am not speaking about "misdemeanors" which don't cut you off from sanctifying grace. God forgives everything, even grave sin, but the person has to be sorry for their sins.

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    Replies
    1. Yes you're correct. The person has to recognise that he has sinned, that the sin is grave, and that he is truly sorry for having committed the sin. You're also right that the trouble is from the receiving end ... we often feel/believe we are unworthy of His love and forgiveness.

      I know if I were God I would have given up on some people long ago. Thankfully, (for them), I am not God but He is. Something for me to think about the next time I give up on myself.

      God bless.


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  4. Mary, very powerful. I sometimes ponder on what my Book of Life. It scares me but then I remember His Divine Mercy and I am comforted.

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  5. Thanks, Esther - I am comforted by this too. God is good!

    What concerns me about the days we live in is how upside down the world is. Virtue is considered vice and vice, virtue. Many don't realize it but this kind of thinking is the result of "a darkened mind" and having been through it I understand what a very dangerous position this is to be in. The "wake up" call for the world will be very loud indeed. But it will be a mercy though people may not see it that way at first. The alarm is ringing even now.

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  6. When I try to stress the importance of the signs of the times to certain family and friends, they feel I am too preachy, too religious, etc. It is a grace to see clearly what is happening but how do we knock sense into people?

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  7. We pray, pray, pray that the Holy Spirit opens their hearts. I think every family is in this position right now and prayer obtains powerful help for them when they need it most. I have no doubt that my own conversion came through the prayers of others :)

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    Replies
    1. Esther,
      Regarding the first sentence in your comment, I wanted to add that many people today are looked at in the same way - as overly religious, preachy, unaccepting, etc... These are part of the "persecutions" that Jesus mentions. But we can offer these up. The demarcation lines between good and evil are becoming abundantly clear and this is a great grace. There are very few "fuzzy" lines anymore and I expect that this will become even clearer still. Many will have no choice but to choose soon. Our prayer is that they choose rightly.

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  8. Agreed, Mary. My conversion came through the prayers of my parents and likely many people I don't even know. It seems that life is one long journey into the light of Christ if we direct ourselves that way. I look back on myself 15 years and more ago and see that even after my reversion my thoughts and behavior left a lot to be desired. Maybe we all need to pray, "O Lord, save me from myself!"

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  9. Hi Barb,
    I see the same here. Spiritual growth is definitely a process that takes place over time. I particularly struggled with my thoughts, constantly submitting them to the loving authority of Jesus Christ. It has taken years and no doubt still needs some work. So, two thumbs up on your prayer :)

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  10. Wow! This is such a powerful post with so many excellent lines in it. I am feeling a lot of the same (but certainly could not articulate it like you did!). I pray that we all uncover the REAL us and find eternity in Paradise with the Lord.

    God Bless you.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Michael,
      I pray the same. It is our authentic selves that go to heaven. Thanks for commenting!

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  11. I have read and re-read this for days, wanting to comment but not being able to think of anything more to say than "wow." But maybe it's time you know. I've been sitting here saying "wow."

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  12. Thanks, Nancy! I'm sorry it took me so long to respond to your comment - we had a family get together yesterday and I never got a chance to go on the computer. I appreciate your feedback :)

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  13. I agree with Nancy..."Wow." So much truth and insight Mary. And to think of the effort at living in our false selves when we could be living more fully in Him. It is a daily struggle, this laying down what we think is ourselves. Thank you for your insights! Good to be here again!!!

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  14. Thank you, Cynthia - I appreciate the feedback!

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  15. Mary, I am so glad I fell upon this blog and you're still writing it, and all because of a search for intercessory prayer! It's a struggle to live rightly these days, thank you for this inspiration, please keep it up!

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