Jesus, You Beautify the Ugly in Me

Jesus… I cry unto You…
The only love I know will never leave me.
If there is anyone who I have hurt selfishly and in vain,
Despite all the love and sacrifice You continuously give me,
It is You…
And yet I know
That You will not give up on me.
You see my heart is filled with nothing but honest love…
Pure good intentions to care for and nurture the ones You bless me with.
Thank You for Your unconditional love…
Your never ending mercy…
And Your faithful love…
Thank You that I can sit with my head down, tears plenty, and heart sore
And feel nothing but tight hugs and compassionate kisses on my forehead,
Never a feeling of “How dare you do this to me?”
“What gives you the right?”
“My pain gives me the right to hurt you.”
“You did this to me… I am only doing what’s fair.”
Or “How could I possibly forget all the pain?
You have no idea how much you hurt me.”

Instead I am held in love and concern and comforted with
“It’s okay. I know you never meant to do it.”
“You have my love forever.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always be right here.I could never walk away from someone I love. Not only would I die for you… I already did… and I still love you.”
“You just need some love and patience.”
“No, you don’t deserve it, no one does. But my grace is sufficient and will provide all the love and mercy I want and choose to give because I love you.”

Thank You for holding me, Jesus. Thank You for never wanting me out of Your sight.
Thank You for caring enough to speak up for my heart
When someone else threatens to take it from You and me.
Thank You for letting me know that my best interest is more of Your concern
Than how much I have hurt You.
Thank You for believing me and knowing I would never intentionally hurt anyone…
And that when I do I am so genuinely sorry.
Thank You that I have to do nothing to prove my love, my sorrow, or regret,
And especially for not holding it against me
To just constantly throw in my face.

I have confidence with love like Yours that I will find a way to love people again…
To let go all of the hurt I feel from pain…
And mend all the broken fences…
And be the person Christ allows me to be.
With love like Yours… I know there is hope…
You are the reason we love to begin with…
And the reason we are all spared of the pain we have no idea we could have endured had it not been for Your mercy, patience, and love.

5-27-1999 Thursday
Written by Gail Brookshire

The Price For Loving

Being deserted, it’s not so fun.
Being betrayed, it’s not so nice.
When people hurt you…
It really hurts.
Why do people want to hurt the people they love?
Could it be they don’t love them?
And if they don’t, how do they think they do?
Don’t they know it hurts to guess
When being wrong will crush someone else?
Don’t they know playing games will only get someone hurt?
Jesus… He was deserted.
He was betrayed.
Only He knows as well as anybody
The price of loving those who don’t love you.
He knows the brutal agony.
God… He’s the only way to love.
His loves comforts, protects, and endures.
Oh how I love the love of God.
It is my source of life.

10-16-18 Friday
Written by Gail Brookshire

Needing Your Compassion

Lord, there is so much need.
So many people hurting inside.
Some struggle with how they’re living.
Some feel like they have died.
Hunger beats so mercilessly
on those already weak.
Depression fights so vigorously
on those who no longer seek.
Pain and agony rob life,
disease and illness destroy sanity.
Unkind and selfish thieves
rob the poor with their vanity.
How hopeless it all seems
when we focus on the bad.
Yet we forget you saw
all the things that make You sad.
Thank You for being our hope,
our only source of strength.
We need Your powerful compassion
to save us again and again.

2015 Written by Gail Brookshire