Members of the Body of Hope

{all photo are mine}

 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. // 1 Corinthians 12:12-27  

A face you glimpse as you pass by,

And you can't help but wonder:

What put the heartache in their eyes 

And turned their path asunder?

A little glimpse revealed so much

That they would never speak of-

The pain, the sorrow, and the hurt,

The heart that never felt love.

You long to stop and pull aside

The person whose face you saw.

And tell them of the hope that's near,

And of the love that broke the laws.

But it's too late- the face is gone,

And you realize with a start

That your opportunity has passed on by

There goes another broken heart.

Oh, Lord, you pray, please help me

Next time not to just pass on by.

Not to be a priest but a Good Samaritan,

And go seek them where they lie.

I will, you hear Him answer now

For you are my hands and feet.

The body's members should be going out

With My words of hope to repeat.

A face you glimpse as you pass by,

And you can't help but remember.

You take a breath and smile bright,

And think Yes- right now I'll be a member. 

- written 10.23.17

 // click here to listen to a powerful song about this topic //

Be Overwhelmed by God

via

We hear it quite often now. Those simple, helpful words.
"Don't let it overwhelm you. It will be fine."
What's it?
School, or work, or just  l i f e  in general and the stress that comes with it.
Anything that's ongoing and hard to see too far ahead "becuase of the bend".
And who knows what's around that bend?

They're right. Those things don't need to overwhelm us.
We just need one thing to overwhelm us.
God.

Yes, we should want- need- God to overwhelm us.
He's the very definition of overwhelming personified, in the absolute best way possible.
Stronger than us.
Bigger than us.
Over every part of us.
And we need that.

Deep down, who really wants to be in control of their lives?
No one.
We all know we're not big enough.
But He is.
He's bigger than school, work, and life itself.
He created life in the first place (along with all the joys that enhance it).
He knows what's around the bend.
He planned it from the beginning.

So as long as we're overwhelmed by Him, it will be okay.
We'll be focusing on the only thing that really matters.
Our little problems will fade when we're overwhelmed by Him.
He's got it.
He created it, He sustains it, and He'll fulfill it.

And in the meantime, we'll remember. Those simple, amazing words.
"Just let Him overwhelm you. It will be fine."

And it will be.