Enter the Lincoln Memorial. The mighty legs of Lincoln - have become my visual "go to" when my hurt is hurt, when I am discouraged,when I want to give up, when I want to get angry and speak words that are better left unsaid.
I see myself as a little girl...I have on a pretty, pink, party dress, white tights and shiny Mary Jane shoes. Except, I am dirty...I am smudged and stained, the darts of the enemy have hit me and wear the scars and the bruises to show it. I could ball my little fist and wave it in the air,stamp my foot and hurl accusations,anger and obsenities at those who have hurt me....but, we have one enemy- and it is not the hearts and the mouths that have hurt me...it is Lucifer himself.
So, I stand there - at the feet of God, on His throne and I look at His mighty leg and I whimper, "Why God??" "My heart hurts...." And He whispers to me, so lovingly, so gentle - so unlike the words that have stained me - "Come up here........".
So I hitch up my tights and I straighten out my party dress, and I start climbing up the mighty legs of God. And as I climb higher and higher - the words seem to hurt less. When I reach His lap- I melt. I put my thumb in my mouth and I pout and I sit with my back against His stomach and I look out over the terrain of my hurt heart. My feet jutting out in front of me, with my thumb in my mouth, pouting and whimpering...I tell Him what He already knows..."That hurt my heart, God"...His Mighty arm goes around me and He holds me tight on His lap - allowing me to be hurt, allowing me to walk through the disappointment- from the safety of His lap.
He shows me the backyard of my heart....and it is in order. (With these situations!!) He has me look to the left - at the backyards of those who have hurt me- there are tornadoes blowing within the confines of their fences, blowing and moving the dust and the barren dirt....and He says..."You can hurt here, within Me. I will fight your battles for you, from the safety of My lap. If you choose to engage the hurt, by entering into the backyards of those who have hurt you...I will not follow you there. You will be on your own." So I reach out to Jehovah Nissi - who's banner over me is love and I ask Him to fight for me. I clutch to His promises, never wanting to go where He isn't. I give Him my hurts and know that He will use it for good. I vow to stay in His lap, in my own "yard" . I reach out to El Roi- the God who see's me and I trust that He knows me, He knows the wounds I have taken...and, somehow it is all ok...because He holds me. He knows my heart and He knows what the enemy is up to. He gave me that heart - and He knows just how to fix it and encourage it.
I must admit- I am still looking over the terrain of my heart with my thumb in my mouth....but, my heart hurts less, and it all seems less important...because He holds me.
With each offense that I choose to let go of, my dress is less stained and it does not bear the scar of the darts....because He holds me.
I feel the safety of my God...because He holds me.
.....and I decide....I like "doing life" from the perspective of His lap. I know there are going to be times when I fall off of His lap - because of my own choosing ...to enter into the backyards of other's hurts and other's words and other's battles...and He told me He won't follow me there. But, I can always come back to His mighty leg, and my stained party dress and start the climb again---He will always be there...my Faithful, Jealous God, who sings over me.
If you are battling with something, or someone today---find your Father's leg and start the climb away from the confrontation of anger, bitterness, jealousy, sadness, disappointment, holding onto hurtful words and actions...start the climb to a higher perspective. The darts can't reach you on His lap...but the ones that you have allowed a root in your heart- will need His help to pluck out. Settle in with Him and let Him do a heart work today...Life is sweeter from His lap!
