The Fallout

I Peter 2 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Isn't that just about the best thing you have ever heard?

A chosen race. A royal priesthood. A holy nation. A people of His OWN possession.

Why? Because we are so lovely? So deserving? So....worth it?

Hardly!! So we may proclaim the excellencies of HIM who called us out of darkness into His glorious light.

I LOVE this verse. It is so close to my own heart and describes so well how I feel about what the Lord has done for me personally.

I remember the day and the exact place where darkness first came into my life. The first time I felt real fear or knew that sin existed in the form of a person.

I had my first paying job at the ripe old age of eleven. I was hired to babysit two of the most precious little girls; both blond and blue eyed like their beautiful parents. I know what you are thinking here; isn't that a little young to be babysitting? But I lived in Mayberry and nothing bad ever happens there. My mom would usually drop me off at their house, which was only about five minutes from our house, and one of the other parents would bring me home.

It is strange the things that you remember. On THAT day I had drank apple juice.

On THAT day the children's father took me home. I was happy. Naive. We were almost to my house; I could see my house, when he stopped the car and leaned across me and locked my door. Everything in my life grew a little darker and I was afraid.

I remember the strangest sensation just sitting in the car. As the tears started to fill my eyes I was looking at my house and everything started to blur with my tears. Things never looked the same to me after THAT day. It was like happiness started to drift away. I couldn't hear or speak. And then he kissed me and the world grew a little darker.

That day marked the beginning of sorrows.

I wouldn't begin to try to answer all of the questions regarding why bad things happen but here are some of my thoughts...if you are interested.

To solve a crime you must trace the event all the way to its beginning. The crime against me began in the beginning, in a garden, long ago and far away. In the garden of Eden.

With the original sin, the hearts of mankind became twisted. Away from God. I believe it was similar to the shift that took place inside of me that day. As my house began to blur my own world shifted and something in me fell away the first time I was exposed to real sin. I wonder if the same thing happened with Eve. Did she feel the moment when everything started to slide away beneath her. Did she realize that she had set in motion the destruction of every single fiber of the universe and mankind.

Because we are skewed in our thinking it is impossible for us to live in the light. Without Christ we become darkened down to the core of our being. We are incapable of purity on our own. Only the light of Christ allows us to be decent and wholesome.

If you add to this the effects of drugs, alcohol or a history of violence then it is almost impossible to be anything other than a destructive force. And children are a perfect target. Smaller. Weaker. Naive. Vulnerable. And most of all...pure.

And darkness hates purity.

This I know. God hates sin. So much so that He gave up His own Son. He delivered His Son, and in truth Himself, into the hands of sinners to be brutalized for you. For me. For my soul the Holy One of heaven was crushed. For my soul He who knew no sin became sin. For my soul, He became flesh and walked among us and if we will permit Him, He will dwell in us and we WILL be changed.

Brought from darkness to light. From death to life. From hell to heaven.

He does not just help us to behave differently. He changes us entirely and light begins to dawn again in our heart. He binds up the wounds of little girls like me. Maybe like you.

Scars remain. I still can't stand even the smell of apple juice and it pains me to see it on the shelves in the grocery store. I am able to say to you with confidence that my God is faithful in all things and is able to take our greatest hurts and fears and redeem them. He redeems us with the light of His love and covers us in the shadow of His wings.

I Peter 5 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be the dominion forever and ever.