All things new
This past year I went on The World Race, which is an 11 month mission trip to 11 countries. To say this experience changed my life would be a complete understatement. I came onto the trip with a pretty good idea of who I was. I thought I had my shit together more-or-less. But I quickly realized I was carrying a weight too heavy for me. It was as if I was wearing a tattered, too-large sweater but never realized it didn't fit me. I had worn it for so long, it was comfortable. As I began to take that sweater off, I found there was a whole new creation underneath.
So, here is my story. A bunch of words that semi-rhyme. May they encourage you to share your own story. These broken pieces can become mosaics if you let Him put them together.
I've been learning a lot about
the passing of time
How it stacks itself into piles of
enough
And not enough
all to its own rhythm and rhyme
Like, how in the heck has 11
months passed so fast?
Wasn't it just August yesterday?
Are all of these memories really
in the past?
I don't know how to put this
year into words
Mountains and valleys and
burning bushes
A summary of all I've learned
I used to be an angry Amy
Read about joy but didn't
understand it's meaning
Feeling like the weight of the
world was against me
My whole life had been about endings:
Fathers leaving
Friendships failing
Homes crumbling
People dying
He promised me He would
make all things new
But I never believed it
This shattering needed more
than super glue
And I didn't think He could fix it
Hello my old heart
How do these chains feel?
Are you tired of hiding
Behind walls that keep you safe
inside but never allow your
heart to beat just right?
This breaking feels like bread
Feels like bones becoming undead
I remember sitting in the valley
month 1
And hearing the voice of God
say this strong:
"I am the God of the
resurrection
And just as I raised Jesus up
from the grave
So I am resurrecting you
Child who I so dearly made.
Your story is not the point of this
My story is the point of this
Let's use these broken pieces
and show people the beauty of
it
This life won't be easy
But there is joy at the end of it
And this I have promised you
So you can hold Me to it."
So I've decided to unravel my
fists
Begun to hold my palms wide
open like this
Stopped holding onto all that
I've missed
And begun to believe in
His promises
He took my long list of endings
And handed me a beginning
Took my shattered glass pieces
And made them into a painting
He told me He would make
all things new
Now I'm beginning to really
believe it
There is nothing He can't do
My life is a testimony to it
Philippians 4:13 says
"I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me"
And when I go home I hope
everyone will see
That in spite of the bad news
on TV
There is a Kingdom coming
that will change everything
Let's shout it out for all to hear
The only way to Make America
Great Again is for Jesus to be
near
Hope isn't found in a stable
economy or a 401K
It's found in the grave where
Jesus no longer lays
So this is for you:
The mothers and brothers,
creators and racers
The others, the good and the
bad, the sinner and saint
Who found the pearl of great
price but lost it in the couch
cushion, oh wait
Please don't give up
He's not done with you
I promise God will make you
new too.