And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed, and a sword will pierce even your own soul--to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. -Luke 2:34-35
The fall and rise of many...opposition and a sword piercing your soul, not they typical Sunday morning sermon fodder is it? Not the usual neat little quote in bold on the inside of the church bulletin or on the zippy sign to the next "getaway" or "retreat."
Walking this path is one that will make you weep...no, that is too soft a word, one that brings memories of little old ladies dabbing their eyes with white hankies.
No, the prophet Simeon nailed it better...it will be like someone mercilessly shoving a double bladed sword right through your chest, ripping through your heart and plunging deep into the inner most vulnerable and life crippling part of you...your very own soul.
It's all about getting torn wide open to God...being naked and exposed or being laid open and bare as the writer of Hebrews puts it. It's not pretty is it?
You can try to paint it all up in the prettiest of melodies, you can craft deeply theological treatises and blather on and on in shallow and trite sermonizing but in the end when you are agonizing with a sword of the spirit protruding horrifically from your broken soul those words don't seem to cauterize the bloody flow.
God is after our hearts...little did I know that when I invited Him to come into my heart that He would be bringing a sword...
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