What I just love about my morning walks is talking with the Lord, delighting in all the amazing beauty, and praising Him for His precious promises! 🙂 Until last week. Ugh!
With colorful chalk and impeccable handwriting, someone had graced the sidewalk with the words of a poem about how we can all find peace WITHOUT GOD. Just be kind, look around, and we’ll find all we need right here, now. I wanted to cry. And throw up.
Overcome by grief, sadness and anger, I was tempted to get my own chalk and write the GOOD news about God’s love and grace through Jesus Christ (the Prince of PEACE), and how He HAS made a way for everyone to know Him and His true peace forever!
My knee jerk reaction has transitioned into pondering and soul searching. After a long life journey with the Lord through many deep dark valleys and glorious mountain tops, I know my relationship with Him is real, and I would not trade His Word, His love, His grace, His peace and joy for anything! Yet I still struggled with how to put it all into one clear word picture I could communicate.
Every day I’ve continued to walk on that sidewalk poem. And I smile as I scuff my feet, trying to assist the elements that are gradually washing these false words away. 😉
That’s it! THE WORDS ARE SLOWLY WASHING AWAY. They will not hold up to time, or wear and tear. The temporarily beautiful chalk is fading away. Along with its false message.
I often wonder why people would not want God. And I think it has something to do with unwillingness to admit we are sinners and NEED Him, resulting in a lifetime of pushing Him away. When our hearts become hardened toward God and His truth, we’ll grasp at anything else that makes us feel good. And we choose to perceive it as truth. Or adopt a relative mindset where whatever you want to believe will be the truth.
The ultimate test is time. Will it “wash away?”
I love how Jesus said it:
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)
Though I can’t change other people, I can always be a channel of His love and kindness and truth and peace to all those He brings across my path. And the beauty is that we WILL find all we need forever in God and God alone. There is no greater peace, true joy, and solid hope. 🙂
