A Garment of Praise

My friend is hurting. She is desperate for some relief from the pain she feels. It's so intense that she cannot sleep. When exhaustion finally drowns wakefulness, her dreams are restless and she wakes up disoriented and agonized. One day, the troubles of this life will be fleeting reality. In our ultimate reality, we will be fully loved, fully forgiven, fully free. The thing is: We are all of those things now as we abide in Christ. We just do not embrace the full love, forgiveness, and freedom of being IN Christ. You do know that it's all a lie that we are not completely forgiven, that no one could love us completely, that we will always be slaves to our sin. It's a thinly veiled disguise that the enemy is wearing. Look inside the sheep's head and see it for the dragon it is. Run from the lies! Isaiah 61 describes this favor of the Lord: "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me." Yes, that's a good thing. The Spirit of the Lord is peace. We need that! The Spirit of the Lord is joy. We crave happiness! The Spirit of the Lord is on us to do good to each other; to tell each other that we are loved; to remind each other of the bond of love we share in Christ. I think one of the wonderful perks of being on mission for God--going out of our comfort zone--is the way we are forced to lean on Him for everything. When we were in Arizona on mission, I could feel the Body being a cooperating, supporting system as she should be. Back inside our cocoons, we often retreat into our own resources to find solutions. We have a mission. Each of us has one. We get to put bandaids on each other's hurting hearts. We get to tell everyone, "This way to the Escape! No more bars and bland food for you. Come to the Table He's prepared for us!" We get to trade our black attire of sadness over sin for some new threads of undeserved and unmerited favor and kindness. You see, what waits for us is a "garment of praise" instead of the hand-me-down, ashen wardrobe of despair and mourning. Take the blinders off. See the glory. Wear the praise. Let His light shine through the holes in your life. Do not be ashamed of your past. None of us deserves it, and that's okay. That was His plan all along! Let Him heal your hurts. Trust me when I tell you that I understand the agony of wallowing in a lie. Too much of my life has been spent feeling unworthy, rather than embracing my status as daughter of the King. Do not listen to the creepy voice in your head or envelope yourself in the limp, wet blanket of oppression. It's familiar and seems more comfortable. For a brief instant, come out of the dark and into the blinding Light and let His warmth cover you. He has a glowing crown of beauty to put on your head. No more ashes and rags for His child! Wear His praise. "He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and to provide for those who grieve...--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." Isaiah 61:1b-5a.