Redeeming Love

REDEEMING LOVE:

I like to write poems because they help me express a little bit of what I’m feeling inside. I wrote this poem because God has lain heavily on my heart the need we each have to love one another but with this great need comes this equally daunting task because Loving people is hard. God has opened up to me this truth: It is impossible to love anyone well unless we really understand how much He loves us. I believe that as Christians we need to immerse ourselves in Christ’s love. In John 15: 9 Jesus says to, “Abide in My love.” So what have I been doing? Well I’ve been asking Jesus to teach me to remember, to dwell, abide, stay in His love and you know what, it’s been helping me, it really has! When I realize that Jesus loves me, me with all my problems, my sins and my past, I can look right into the eyes of the person who is being hard to love and with Jesus right there beside me have compassion on them.

This Poem Redeeming Love is based off of the love story found in the book of Hosea (my favorite book of all time). The story of Hosea and Gomar is the love story of Christ and His bride, which means it is your love story and it is mine! I may not have been harlot when Jesus found but I do have a testimony, I was a lost and Jesus found me, I was lonely and He invited me to live in His house, in prison and He set me free and I knew nothing of true love ( I mean TRUE love) until Jesus set the example. This story vibrates though me down to the tips of my toes. O- Jesus, now that I know love, I will love.

Redeeming Love
By: Elizabeth A. Blackwell

“Redeeming Love has been my theme and shall be till I die”- William Cowper
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I didn't know that I could feel this way
or that there was any color except for gray.
And I'd never flown before
But then You came and taught me how to soar.
I was consumed by a past I did not choose
Fighting even You, afraid to ever loose.
And I'll admit I didn't want to marry You
Thinking the vows You made weren't really true.

I ran back to the only life I'd ever known.
Trying to forget You'd ever given me a home.
But You came searching for me,
Looking in the dark corners where You knew I would be.
I'll never forget how You burst through my door,
And strangely I felt relief like I'd never felt before.
You told me Your love was not a game
With each word that You spoke I was full of shame.

Filled now with regret, I felt so guilty
And so I poured myself into making You happy.
But You told me that true love you cannot buy
No matter how much I might try and try.
But I thought true love was a cruel snare,
That You would take my love and then leave me bare.
So I kept my heart and soul in chains
Even though I saw it caused You pain.

One day You took me to see the sunrise,
You held me close and O- those- loving -eyes.
You reminded me of the life You had prepared
And deep inside a flame flared.
After that I caught myself thinking of You more and more
But I kept away still yet unsure.
I had been taught that men were only cruel,
Why were You different from the usual?

Nevertheless, You Beloved were so very odd,
Instead of sleeping, late at night You would talk to me of God.
It made me want to run far, far away,
I knew then it was impossible for me to stay.
So the next morning I was gone,
I had left in the darkness before dawn.
On foot I raced past the barn and field, to find my way
But I was lost before mid-day.


It began to rain and I felt despair!
I looked at the unknown forest, what was I doing there?
I wiped away the willful tears
And tried to keep warm, hoping the rain would clear.
Then there You came riding up to me,
Your sad eyes all I could see.
I stood my ground and waited for Your fist,
Surly this time You'd me angry at all of this!

You stopped and stared at me for the longest time,
Your eyes piercing right through mine.
Then came Your hand but not to hurt,
Instead You helped me up and wrapped me in Your shirt.
Back at home You placed me before the fire,
My heart and soul filled with desire!
I longed to let You know what I was afraid of:
You, this place and what You called true love.

There was so much that could have been said,
But You only washed my feet and placed me in bed.
Could You really love me like You say?
Or would you soon be sick of me and send me away?
But You never went back to that night
It was like You had put it completely out of sight.
Your forgiveness shot love through my veins
And little did I know that it had rattled my chains.

I questioned if You were for real, I thought You maybe could be.
But dare I hope, dare I even say maybe?
Hope, to me was such a frail word
And the person I use to be would have thought it absurd!
But then I wasn't the girl I had once been,
Things were starting to change deep within.
When You were happy I rejoiced, when You were sad I grieved
And I started to believe that You really didn't want me to ever leave.

Then one day it just happened...

Maybe it was Your continual smile, that twinkle in Your eyes,
Or the laughter I heard that finally made me realize:I am here, this is my life, I really get to be with You!
Nothing about it is shadowed or untrue.
I sat and remembered every moment and sound,
And I saw that for a long time my feet hadn't touched the ground.
From the moment You saved me, You'd been teaching me to fly,
To leave my chains behind and head for the sky.

I searched for an answer, a reason for this Redeeming Love
But who can reason loving me, a soiled dove.
I buried my head in my hands and cried for awhile,
Then my tears of joy turned into a smile.
A smile for You, a smile fore my Beloved!
I ran from the house, past the barn and the field toward the One I loved.
And I found Him in the meadow, the wind caressing His hair.
I stopped and watched Him, His head bowed in prayer.

Then He turned and our eyes meeting, I ran to His side
And when He held me close I knew my past had died.
I was a new infant and a free bird,
"Beloved," I whispered, "At last I am cured!"
Cured from the fear, the hate and the lies,
Free to now live a life without worldly ties!
His love like Joshua's horn had knocked down each wall
Leaving me standing straight and tall.

He held me for a long time and I was lost in His embrace,
Then I turned my head to look into His face.
“Beloved I waited so long for this,” He whispered in my ear
And then with His own hand wiped away each tear.
We headed back to our house, it all feeling so new,
My heart rejoicing that the impossible had come true.
I searched for His hand, it wasn't hard to find,
O- At last I was ready for all Jesus had in mind!!



Those who choose to let Jesus love them do indeed Live Happily Ever After!