The Lion

The lion roars! People scatter in fear,

Cover their ears and eyes,

Block out of sight and mind

The power and fury of the King.

Look a child approaches the Lion!

Women faint, men despair

As the little daughter

Draws near the King of beasts.

The lion bows his massive head, an invitation.

The child nestles in his flowing mane,

Her cheek laid in trust

Against his velvet face.

The lion roars! The people draw near,

Led by a little child

To the strength and safety

Of the King of Kings.

I Am Loved.

I had a quarrel recently with my best friend – OK, it was my husband, Jimmy.  We do life together, so we had to continue to interact with each other every day even with the unresolved conflict between us. And it wasn’t fun.  It was hard.  I found myself close to tears many times, but did not have the time or opportunity to allow myself a good cry.

I heard God say to me, “Have this mind in you…”, reminding me of the words in Philippians.  All I wanted to do was withdraw myself emotionally from my friend, insulate myself from the pain.  But God was instructing me otherwise.  Ok, God, I’ll try.

And I did try to continue in our relationship in this humble position, but it was hard.

Yesterday we talked out our issue, said our “sorrys”, and got back on the same page again, and suddenly love became effortless again.

Matthew 11:28-38.  “Come to me.  Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.  I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace…”

It’s so much easier to serve, to work side by side someone when you know in your heart you are loved.  It’s like being the birthday girl at a party and opening gifts from the ones who love and celebrate me.  No trying, just resting in the obvious adoration of my grandchildren, bringing me hand-made cards and wet kisses. I am loved and glowing with the knowledge of it.

I think that’s why every bride is so beautiful, even if she’s not the prettiest one in a crowd.  You see in her face, her countenance, her movements, the awareness “I am loved! Of all the women in the world, this man picked me to spend his life with.  He chose me!”

God uses the marriage relationship as a picture of the intimacy he desires to have with us.  So he wants me to feel every day like I did the day after my quarrel with my best friend was resolved.  Look in the mirror and see the face of one much loved, and rest in the giddy realization that I, Taffy Spaloss, am loved by the Father, chosen to be his own bride.

So I know and rely on the love God has for me.  1 John 4:16.

The Harp

I am at times an unwilling harp.

Don’t touch my strings!

I know I’m out of tune,

Strings worn, broken or missing,

Singing my song of pain.

Alone.

Then I hear the first few notes of your heart,

Your harp’s plaintive chords,

Touching places in me

I didn’t know were there.

Tears spring up unannounced.

I listen.

The words of your song

Finally penetrate my mind.

I hear my name,

Sung from a heart of love.

Your song written for me.

I weep.

I open my heart,

Offer my harp to you,

The Master tuner, lover.

You tighten, you loosen,

You remove and replace,

And you play.

Is that me? Can it be?

That this harp could make

Such beautiful melody?

Valued, nurtured by love,

This harp sings again.

Our song.

What’s that? Play your harp?

What? You would allow me

To pluck the heartstrings of

Elohim, God Most High?

“My heart is laid bare before you.

Play, Beloved.!”

I am my Beloved’s.  He is mine.

He plays the strings of my heart,

Sings my song,

And invites me

To play his harp over others.

The Melody of Intercession.

Autoimmune Disease: The Body Should Not Be Attacking Itself!

A friend recently shared what I thought were two distinct issues she was dealing with.  First she discussed an ongoing physical problem she has with an autoimmune disease.  In her frustration she blurted out, “The body should not be attacking itself!”

My spirit rose up about the injustice of it all, one’s body created to protect itself, now turning against itself and causing illness.

I found this definition of autoimmune disease online:

“Your body's immune system protects you from disease and infection. But if you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake.  No one is sure what causes autoimmune diseases. They do tend to run in families… “ (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/autoimmunediseases.html)

Later in our conversation my friend described another attack she had experienced, another incident of the body turning on itself.  But this one involved the Body of Christ.  My friend shared in honor, naming no person nor any specific details about the incident, about how she had been wounded by friendly fire – by a brother or sister in God’s family!  

I could not help myself and blurted out the phrase my friend had shared earlier, “The Body should not be attacking itself!”

I felt God getting my attention in the natural to speak to me about something he wanted me to notice in the spiritual, with the understanding that I was not to put up with either situation.  How should I cope with these two incredibly unjust situations?  1: One’s immune system attacking healthy cells instead of fighting off infection and disease, and 2. The disease that infects the Church, the Body of Jesus Christ and causes members of one Body to attack each other.

I’m learning to pray for physical healing.  I make it a point to reject the familiar diseases that seem to have a right, an excuse to attack us, since they are “in the family”.  No more excuses to accept an illness or deficiency in our bodies because my mother, my father, my uncle… had that disease.  Not when Jesus’ stripes paid for all our diseases.  I cling onto the promises of God’s Word and if I don’t see the healing I am seeking, I pray some more, and don’t give up.

Nor do I have to accept the rifts and offenses in the Body as “normal” consequences when people are involved in each other’s lives.  I love how my friend gave no details when she shared about being wounded in her Church, no foothold for the accuser of the brothers out of this girl’s mouth!  I pray for the healing of my friend’s heart, that she would not be discouraged to trust again, to share her beautiful self in the Body for fear of being rejected or attacked once more.  I saw her recently, praying over people in the House of Prayer, no trace of autoimmune disease in her spirit.  I pray that healing in her physical body will follow soon, on earth as it is in heaven.