Growing

Isn’t it funny
how we always seem to believe
that when we mess up
it’s because we are inherently bad people?

Saying to ourselves,
“You selfish person,
how could you hurt
another human being this way,”–
as if human beings
are grand enough
to orchestrate good or evil
of their own accord.

Saying to ourselves,
“Fix the problem.
Find a way to make
your wrong right.”
As if we had the power
to muster up goodness
all by ourselves.

One day,
maybe sometime soon,
we’ll learn to trust the King
and His good, good heart.

Maybe,
instead of looking
at ourselves
for answers
when we mess up,
we will learn
to identify evil
as the idea of our enemy,
to repent of agreeing
with our enemy’s ideas,
and to look at the King
for an action plan.

Maybe
we will discover
that when we mess up
the pain that follows
is miraculously transformed
by our kind King
into power-packed motivation
launching us
into deeper understanding
of our own hearts
and of his good, good plan.

Maybe
in our pain
and disappointment
over yet another failure,
we’ll see the King pointing,
Saying, “Look!
Right here is your heart’s wound.
This wound is why you agreed
to wrong actions–
this wound is why
you feel discomfort.
Will you let me
transform
your pain and regret
into daring motivation,
into bold incentive to be healed?
Do you choose
to bring this wound
to me?
Can you forgive
those who sliced
this wound into your heart?
Will you give me
complete control
in how I heal you?”

Maybe,
if we are bold enough,
desperate enough,
illogical enough,
to admit
these wounds,
allow them to be touched
by our kind King,
give them up completely,
hold no selfish
demands for the outcome…
Maybe then
we will learn
another fresh, life-giving truth.

Our King
created all good things
and gave us
the gift of regret
along with
the gift of choice
so that when
we make mistakes
we can feel pain
and be motivated
to choose to allow
the Healer to heal
our wounded hearts.

Evil
is not birthed
through our own ideas.

Good
is not birthed
through our own ideas.

But healing
is launched
through our own choices.

Maybe
someday soon
in our failures
we will learn to say,
“Thank you, Good King,
for letting me feel
this painful motivation
to grow.”

Making life out of what was dead… that’s what our King does best!