I was my fathers prized possession. The finest piece of pottery He had ever crafted.
He worked on me until His hands were pruned.. Until the smell of clay seemingly became His scent. He molded and molded until I was perfect. In His eyes.
He placed me on the top shelf and marveled at me every day and every night.
But His neighbor was overcome with jealousy... At how I glistened at the top of the mantle. At how I gleamed in the sun in all the right places.
You see, on the top of his shelf, lay nothing but dust.
So surely, I had to be destroyed.
In the thick of the night, he stole me off of the mantle and marveled at my greatness.
He brought me back to his place and stuck me in the darkest of rooms.
So that light would never be able to shine on me again.
He spun me on his fingers, no delicacy in his touch.
He tossed me up and down, mocking my beauty.
Day after day I was plagued with the imminent thought of destruction.
Overridden with depression.
I cried out to my potter, and when the thief heard, he ran into the dark room and bellowed "no one will help you", picked me up, and threw me against the ground.
Pieces of me shattered in every direction, strewn against the floor of the enemies house.
My insides, corrupted with sin from all the time collected in this place were brought forth.
All I could hear was the wicked laugh taunting me, exclaiming  "who could love you now"?
Then suddenly a light shone in my face, something I hadn't seen in years.
Every broken piece of me looked up and saw my potters face, with tears rolling down his cheeks.
He began to pick me up in an attempt to put me back together...
Abba!! I cried! Your fingers! They will bleed!
My daughter, he replied, I have one  hole in each of my hands!! My love for you has endured much more than a few scratches upon my fingertips!
He continued to piece me back together, not missing a beat, not missing a piece.
He shielded me from the looking eyes of judgement, bearing the stripes on His back for leverage.
Abba!! I cried out again, can't you see all of the sin that filled me?! I am no longer perfect! How can you love me?
I understand your sin, my daughter!  in it, my grace is perfected! You are my creation, you are my reason! Upon making you whole again, I will not put back your transgressions!
He finalized the touches, not missing one piece.
He wiped my face, not missing one tear.
He renewed my heart, not missing one beat.
He carried me back home and presented me in His name to his Father.
Took His seat upon His throne and placed me on the mantle, right by His side, letting his glory shine on me.
He smiled and said "welcome home, my daughter, welcome home."

( written by my sister, shared with permission from the author)
  
                      He Lives Within                              
                                        
Within my heart there is a place,
Where love is always found.
The place is where my savior lives,
No matter where I am bound.
His name is Jesus and his face,
I someday yearn to see .
Jesus came for you, and me,
from sin to set us free.
Reach out for His loving hand,
and though your knees are weak,
He'll help you stand.
Look into His loving gaze,
He is with you through all your days.
And when He gently whispers your name,
You will never be the same.

In the silence I hear him calling
   He's calling me
   In the silence I hear him singing a sweet melody
   through the wind and the rustling of the trees
   In the silence I sense his presence
   In the silence I reach for him
   In the silence I confess to him
   In the silence I cry out to him
   I know he comforts me  
   In the silence he heals me
   In the silence I have peace within

   In the silence I envision him dying
    He died for me and you
   In the silence I know he is living
   He is living for you and me
   In the silence I know he loves me
   In the silence I know that I want to live for him
   Jesus is there in the silence
   He's calling to all of us in the silence

We live in an age where people patronize technology,
Where criticisms exist beneath deafening reticence,
Where every truth needs to be re-examined,
And where life itself is falling on its foundations and hinges.

Beliefs and opinions are held back just for a sense of inclusion,
Letting every genuine trail of truth left behind and ignored.
And yet people wonder, why is this generation filled with delusion?
The only answer is, the loss of connection with Christ alone.

Many of us call ourselves true believers,
But when it comes to actions, the appropriate term might be barbarians.
More often than not, we only practice sanctity inside the church;
And as the mass ends, we come back to our own sordid worlds.

We are indeed sinners in different twisted ways,
Corrupted by evil, and thus to Him we go astray.
Yet, He continues to shower us with eternal love and forgiveness,
And waits patiently for us to greet him in turn with thanks, and praise.

Indeed His love for us - His children - is eternal and unconditional,
That even if we are in nature imperfect,
In His eyes, we are nothing but absolute beauty.
For we are created in His own image, liking, and serenity.

I suppose I never dreamed
that I would find
someone that understood
me.

But you.
You were different
You gave me that smile.
that honest, open, cheeky smile.

you looked me in the eye when we first met,
and you saw me.
and that’s when I knew,
that we’d be friends.

I try to avoid your eyes,
Because they make me squirm,
bright and shining, as clear as a pool of glass
and yet as deep as the rolling waves

But I find myself getting pulled in,
I get lost and can’t seem
nor am I willing
to stumble out again

You play many instruments,
too many to list
but you’re especially good at
tugging on my heartstrings

crafting music that
wraps around my head
that makes everything seem clear
and yet opaque, as if a fog

had clouded over my brain
and misted my eyes
letting the tears drip down
like a waterfall on my face

I cry for you.
And yet there is no way
I’d let the springs run dry.
Because I care.

Now, when I take the risk,
and look into the sapphires
that are your eyes,
I see storms approaching

Inevitable
no matter what I do
The thunder rumbles on
The lightening strikes soon after,

it terrifies me,
but all I can do is cling onto land
and pray that
I don’t lose you in the flood

I know you’ve cried an ocean of tears yourself
drowning yourself in your own sorrows
I know you’ve lost your only life-raft
but one day you can build another

Until then I’ll help you swim to shore
and although I’ve half-drowned myself in the process
All I know, is that if I’m going sink,
I’m lifting you until I know you’re safe

Because I may not be your life-raft,
But I’ll rescue you from the storm
I’ll stay with you through this one
and I’ll protect you through all the others

One day the skies will clear
And become a pale blue,
But that’s when I know to look away from your eyes,
and from the blinding sunshine that is you.