Heart

“I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean.  I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you.  I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God willed, not self-willed.  I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.” – God, Ez. 25-27 (The Message)

I’ve got this plant in my living room.  To be honest, I don’t know why it’s still there.  It’s at least 4 feet tall.  It’s fried.  I thought it was pretty much dead.  It was my wife’s.  It used to have lots of green leaves and gave the room a tropical kind of feel.  Now, having gone through another winter in a very dry house, everything on it is dying.  But, as you can see above, the thing just won’t die.  I don’t even know how often to water it.  I’m guessing I go at least a week and a half at a time before putting any water on it (J suggested less water, he knows some things about this particular type of plant).  It’s quite ugly.

But, as you can also see above, there’s a new green shoot coming right through the top of it.  I didn’t take a picture of it, but there’s also one or two shoots coming up from the base through the soil (which I haven’t changed in probably going on three years).

I guess one could make a million analogies out of this photo, this plant, this mostly dead thing in my living room.  I’m making this one:  If we’re in Christ, if I know Him, nothing can shake me.  Nothing can kill me.  Even though I look and feel fried on the outside, His Spirit is still there inside of me.  I can grieve it, quench it, deny it, but it ain’t going anywhere.  He’s not going anywhere.  And it’s always coming back again, ready for more.  Even if I look ugly on the outside, “God judges persons differently than humans do.  Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart”. (1 Sam. 16:7, The Message)

God has placed a new heart inside of me.  Inside of you.  Trust it.  Live from it.  Sing from it.  Compose from it.  Don’t let the world, the enemy, people, circumstances tell you any differently.  It’s good.  It’s His.