Choice.

Child why have you forsaken me?
It wasn't I who hurt you,
it was the enemy.
Here are my arms
open wide for you,
I'm waiting 'til you decide
that I love you.
Yes I love you,
precious you.

It is easy to blame God for hurt, issues, struggles, brokeness, loss, fear, destruction, death. It is, in fact, a cop out; we are good blame-shifters and bad responsibilty- takers. God gave us choices, He instilled in us a pursuit for ethical decisions. Humanity has contorted, distorted, redefined what "good" is. Comparing our wrongful actions with those associated as "bad" humans rather than the standard of God; ultimately diminishing the perfect-ness. God's glory is so great, so vast, so abundant, so radiant that it merely shines on our face, or ... is supposed to anyways...

Where is the shine? Jesus is the light of the world, but honestly I'm feeling like we are all looking a bit dull. We need a gleen, we need sparkle; fervent shine. Something, no, Someone came and tried to polish us. That Someone tried with all their might to reveal the incredible Creator who loves us, it took death to accomplish yet for some it's just not enough. For some, it's a fairytale story about a man in history who did "good" things for some middle eastern people a long, long time ago. He didn't do "good," He IS good.

He is, just is.

Can you think about that for a moment?

Can you just exist without anything sustaining you, providing you life? God is. We subconsciously take in oxygen in order to live.

Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.

You begin to notice your heartbeat as blood pulses through your veins. You are once reminded that there is more than the epidermal layer that is the shell of your being. What you see is merely a case to hold the intricties of your bodily functions yet it also holds your emotions, thoughts, soul.

Your soul. Did you forget that you had one? Did you forget that the Holy Spirit of God penetrates you and holds your soul so that you may walk in the ways of God, if you allow it to? If you give over the control, God can change your life. He isn't requiring you to love Him. He doesn't force a relationship with you. You can make that decision on your own, He knows you can handle that choice, but He is jealous for you. That is love.

So when you fall away, when someone pushes you down because they're broken, when you are at a crossroads and decide on the wide path, when you lose hope because the ones you trusted spoon fed you lies: know that it wasn't Him who did it. He set you free to make your decisions yet He also sets you when you let the world overcome you.

He's patienty waiting. He's earnestly watching. He's ready when you are.