Dirt

 

You know what I hate? Dirt on the floor. But even more than that I hate when I am cleaning and I find that SOMEONE has swept all the dirt under the rug and hid all their mess to the point where all looks clean and perfect to everyone who walks in the door. Very much like a “white washed tomb”

But the ugly truth is I do it too.

We work to maintain appearances, not deal with the problem, the dirt. The smelly, nasty, putrid… dirt.

But over time we encounter a problem, after all that time we have swept the dirt under the rug it has accumulated and has become a pain to the feet and a sore for the eyes. Turns out, our dirt is not so hidden after all. We are not as perfect as we would like everyone to believe.

And everyone can see it. But still pretend its not there? What?!

We all have dirt, and it’s well, nasty. But what should we do with our dirt? Our hurt? Our pain? Our wounds? The holes in our hearts that have been left by a loved one now gone?

When laughter is but a distant memory, a legend of a time now past, a strange sound.

Where do we go? We sweep it all under the rug. Pretend we are not broken, weak, sick, dirty and as far as we are concerned, with out hope.

To the world we are perfect and we tell everyone we are handing it off to Jesus. While it eats and nags and tears us up day and night.

Congratulations! We are “over it” Really?

Even worse, when we expect others to get over it. Instead of leading them to the loving, healing arms of Jesus. We assault them with with the need to be perfect. They are not allowed to be hurt, grieve, or be in pain. And the worst of all we do it all in Jesus name.

We give Love a bad name…

We need to re-examine what it looks like to hand everything over to Jesus, not get over it. To heal. To become a living testimony, to live, to love, to show people to the only one who can heal all wounds.

Because of him, we don’t have to wound our selves, to cause our selves emotional pain (or let others do the same to us), we don’t have to get over it because by our Savior, by our brother, our mediator, our counselor, our healer, we have to freedom to hand our dirt over to Him.

And by His wounds we are healed…..

The Awesomeness of God/ Isaiah 40:12-31

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?

Who has understood the mind of the LORD,
or instructed him as his counselor?

Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge
or showed him the path of understanding?

Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.

Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.

Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.

To whom, then, will you compare God?
What image will you compare him to?

As for an idol, a craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and fashions silver chains for it.

A man too poor to present such an offering
selects wood that will not rot.
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not topple.

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?

He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

“To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.