there is a purpose....there is a plan.

i watch her...

so much promise...risking it all because she's afraid she'll never find someone with enough love in their heart for both her and Jesus...

counsel falls on deaf ears and faithfulness to God and His Word fades with each compromise...

i am burdened and i remember...

there is a purpose...there is a plan.

i watch them...

purpose overshadowed by disconnect and conflicting passions...the target of an enemy who hates the family God has established...

all that Jesus desires to do through them...sacrificed on altars built to the temporary...

i wish her heart were open and do my best to reach out...

there is a purpose...there is a plan.

i watch him...

memories flood my mind of how he has spit and cursed...trying to convince us he doesn't need the love and acceptance we're offering...

every day the offer stands...and every day he throws it away...choosing instead to keep his grip on the anger and resentment choking his soul...

we keep the offer on the table and trust...

there is a purpose...there is a plan.

i watch her...

lips curved in a smile...her spirit sweet despite the pain of circumstance.  her eyes, much older than her eleven years, beg for a hug.

i wrap my arms around her and try not to imagine the events she has endured...the reality she faces every day...

i wonder about her future...and her present...i grab hold as i repeat to myself...

there is a purpose...there is a plan. 

i watch them...

a smile on my face as the love they've found in Jesus spills over onto the little children surrounding them...

the same way the baptismal waters of a bathtub did three months ago when they publicly professed their faith...

yes...there is a purpose...there is a plan...

sometimes it seems to allude me...so far removed from my understanding or abilities...

and sometimes it screams out in the enormity of what God is doing all around me...

but...realized or not...it is there...

and i can breathe...resting...trusting the heart of the One who put it into motion...