A Purposeful Beauty

And the darkness calls unto you.

And the darkness knows you by name.

And the darkness seeks to envelope you, to cover you, to hide you, to smother your light.

Like a blanket it covers you, like a warm blanket.

A subtle thing, but an inviting thing, it pulls at you, it invites you to come closer.

Be careful what you agree with.

For I created the darkness, to showcase my light, my lights.

For with me you are never in the dark.

Embers of light shine, radiance of glory shines.

Yet you always have light, for I am your light, for in my presence there is always the light of my glory.

Yet you enemy invites you into the place of death, he contends that you agreed to die, it was your choice, in choosing him you chose death, and now who are you to argue with him?

For it was your agreement with him that lead you into the realm of death.

Everyone gets so caught up in the fact that she killed herself, but you all chose death, before you were born.

Yet my light shines in the darkness and is not overcome by it.

Do not be overcome by darkness, but shine your light.

Why so surprised that I presented you with another choice.

Dead by choice, now alive by choice, you always have a choice. I will not take that from you.

But you know me more than most.

The devil tries to convince you that it is all about your ability to perform.

If that were true, when I gave you the law, the standard, you would all have been able to perform it.

But even your commandments require a choice, not effort, but a choice. To put you at the centre or not?

For you know me so well.

It is always about choice, but remember I chose you first, I chose to love you despite your bad choices, despite your inability to perform.

Do you really think I need anyone's help to perform anything?

This whole gospel of performance does not come from me.

Yet you know what it is like to love someone with all your heart.

You only want them to be free of restraint, to embrace freedom, to become all that you wanted them to be. You are frustrated with their limitation, not their ability to perform better.

And what is it you see again now?

A picture from a long time ago, my hands placed in the the stocks, golden handcuffs around my wrists, and try as I might, I cannot move my hands.

And yet there was so much more to that story?

I was at conference, in worship and try as I might, with all my might, I could not move my arms.

And what then did I show you?

I looked down and could see that the hand cuffs were open and there was nothing stopping my movement. At this realisation I could then move freely once again.

For your enemy tries to convince you that you are bound, when you are bound to be free.

For who can contain or restrain the one who is free?

The one who convinces him that he is captive, to choose captivity and limitation.

Yet where my spirit is, there is freedom.

For I stand in contrast to all that surrounds you.

In the place of death, I am life.

In the place of darkness, I am light.

In the place of limitation, I am freedom.

In the place of weakness, I am strong.

In the place of brokenness, I am your breakthrough.

And what does it mean to break the yoke of oppression wherever you find it?

An interesting thing to bring me back to Lord, for I have for a long time wondered what the answer is?

Yet now I think you know what the answer is?

To shine the light of freedom, to announce the one who loves you the most is here, is always there for you, in the darkest place, in the limited place, in the place of death and despair.

Is that not the essence of my beauty?

For beauty smiles at you, adores you, makes room for you, invites you to come close, is happy for you to just sit and look at her with awe and wonder.

My beauty is not shy, is not embarrassed at the attention, seeks not to hide herself away, is so much more than attractive. She draws you in, she draws you, she defines you, she invites you in, she says nothing, but her face says everything.

She has a confidence about her. She has a sparkle in her eye. You know what that is all about. It is a sign of intimacy, it reveals something about her, and who she loves.

There is a kindness about her, for she is of a different kind.

There is a radiance about her, a warmth to her, that compels you to come closer.

And yet has she performed in anyway for you? For she needs not do anything, in order to manifest the glory I have bestowed upon her.

For her beauty serves a greater purpose.

For her beauty serves a greater purpose.

For her beauty serves a greater purpose.

For my beauty is not without purpose.

For my beauty stands in contrast to the ugliness of your enemies face.

For your enemy invites you back into the place of seclusion, of oppression, of restraint, of limitation, of captivity.

Yet you have a choice.

Live in freedom or be bound up with the yoke of oppression.

For he whom the Son sets free is free indeed.