Words Can Hurt

November 2011

Wonder if Paul ever thought…”God, do I really have to be in Prison?  Can’t I do Your work on the streets or from my home with travel?”  Distraught at times, I bet Paul spoke something of this sort in those intimate times of prayer while imprisoned.  Yet to his astonishment as the days rolled by…what Glory God was rendering as many curiously listened to each word from his heart. 

Prison is sure much broader than bars in a dungeon castle or even warm cells with three meals a day.  I see prison as a locked place where words or thoughts, not conditions, have trapped a person when no escape seems possible. Not a place created but a place another creates against you.  Prison bars made of heart breaking statements.

As a child I remember saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.”  Such childish thinking attempting a barrier to ward off intrusions.  As an adult, ouch, words have power!  Words are much sharper than sticks and stones.  They cut into places you can’t see and up comes the bars built as they do their dirty work.  Fluff is accusations against your charactersuch as “you are an idiot” but words of position one stands against you is of far more piercing.  “I don’t want you ...., I will .....”  “I am ....”  “I would rather ...”  Words repeated over and over…so many times you find yourself rearranging your own statement to merit somehow they will change to something of the opposite.  Fighting to hear confirming words that do not continue to say I want to divide myself from you.  Words building bars of imprisonment to divide hearts.

Easy to handle if not attached.  Calmly walk the opposite if the heart was not sealed.  But what if love is involved and passion extreme!  What if… what if there didn’t seem to be any answer but submission to yield all to love’s measure. 

Jesus was taken all the way to death by a multitude that was finished with Him because of God’s Complete Love Story of Freedom.  Paul followed Jesus’ Example. Paul’s body was literally in prison, rejected because he would not perform laws of man; but with a flamed untamable heart full of Love Shown by Jesus, Paul set his speech as high witness of Freedom in spite of those “finished with him”. 

Paul leaned upon Jesus who Knew what it was like to be ‘finished with’ and continued to trust.

Matthew 27:35 (MSG)
After they had finished nailing him to the cross and were waiting for him to die…..

Father, my heart reaches to Your Sounds.  I reach to hear Sounds that will Heal brokenness of a song of irregular beats, a heart that can’t understand.  Thrown into courts screaming its claim night and day, in place with society, but its owner saying it is just a passing, not of value.  You stay there, I’ll stay here.  Is it really just a shadow and if so, a shadow of what? Your Perfect Beauty Sounds a Single Note that will Carry all worries into nonexistence.  Play my thoughts around Your Hearing as a train of love from my heart, for I am yearning that my noises form my song to Delight Your Ears.  Staying Here where fear is driven from its process to consume.  Hear my silent but earnest search that swiftly seeks all places for Your Sounds of Comfort.  Waiting in this moment with no other need but to find Life that is more than the struggles of rejection.  Steady my gaze, fix my eyes oh Mighty Wind.  Blow Around my heart with Your Stir as it Develops a dance from my soul.  Forgetting the enemy’s rejection placed against me by one that declares he is finished.  Mold me into Love, Your Love that Sings above these.  Often I have rejected You and You continued to be Fixed upon winning my soul.  Staying, always Staying when I struggled with Your Words.  I will stay, my Lord, I will stay and hold strong by not counting man’s rejection as reason to be of no worth.  I will lay down my life and love those that reject me with that which is Bigger than my pain.  Inside is the Song that has Resurrection Power, Your Love.  Simple Love that Follows Your Path as the Perfect Love.  Wisdom and Strength the Guiding star for depth and width of this Violent Trail Unknown.  Demonstrate Your Love as I declare war against rejection.

Jesus was taken all the way to death by a multitude that was “finished with Him” because of God’s Complete Love Story for Freedom.  Paul followed this Love Story of Freedom and was literally in prison, rejected because he would not perform laws of man.  But with a flamed untamable heart full of Love Shown by Jesus, Paul set his speech as high witness of Freedom in spite of those “finished with him”.

Ahhh, There is Your Sound.  I see the Dance as Jesus Prays.