battling{reality}

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

One of the books I am reading suddenly has a war in it. It crept up on the protagonist because there were no more wars in her life, in the world she inhabited there was not a military presence. It got me thinking about war, warzones in the world and what if?....

What if all the weapons melted and stopped being useful? What if peace reigned in the hearts of soldiers everywhere? If a person for whom war is normal, what happens when the war is over? 

And on a personal level, when you have battled and fought through everyday of your life and suddenly find peace then what happens? Well we become different kinds of soldiers, different battlers. There are people comfortable with standing on street corners in all weathers giving out pieces of paper with the message of the Good News, there are prayer warriors, there are great orators who can deliver the message of hope in such a way that it is accessible to the non-Christian, there are one-to-one givers who bring the message to one person at a time in a very personal and sharing way. The peace that transcends understanding, that settles in our hearts and allows us to do things outside our comfort zone like oration, sharing, praying, singing and being part of a unique team.

There were times when I felt I was slowly drowning in a vat of syrup, but in accepting Christ as my Lord and Saviour I can come up to the surface and breathe. It was like breathing for the first time. That first breath took my legs away. 

As I look at old hymns and new worship songs and see the words of war I do not cower in the corner. I do not now see my life as a battle, it was, and now there is peace. I surrender, waved the white flag, committed totally to following Jesus. I am not in a war. There is a battle going on around me, Satan trying to loosen my grip on the Lord but the more he tries the more I cling to the Lord. In His arms I get protection, safety, security and no worries. What is past is gone, over, forgotten. What is to come is in God's hands, not mine. I live in the moment of today. Some moments are tough, some are less so but I know that this way of living, giving my life away to the Lord, knowing he surrounds me with Love that is immeasurable. My life is not my own, if I must go through the fire again for further honing sobeit, I am ready.

 

Am I a soldier of the cross,

A follower of the Lamb,

And shall I fear to own His cause,

Or blush to speak His Name?

 

And when the battle’s over

We shall wear a crown!

Yes, we shall wear a crown! x2

And when the battle’s over

We shall wear a crown

In the new Jerusalem

Wear a crown (wear a crown) x2

Wear a bright and shining crown;

And when the battle’s over

We shall wear a crown

In the new Jerusalem.

 

Must I be carried to the skies

On flowery beds of ease,

While others fought to win the prize,

And sailed through bloody seas?

 

 

Are there no foes for me to face?

Must I not stem the flood?

Is this vile world a friend to grace,

To help me on to God?