Because He Did

“I want to stand beside people on the street and not feel beneath them.“

– Liz Murray, ‘Homeless to Harvard’

Because You said yes, today I live. I rise with the dawn, reminded of whose I am. When fear seems bigger than my faith, You send courage my way. You gave me space to breathe, a voice, a name, and a reason to hope. I stand on equal footing with no need to prove myself. Your love holds me together when the harshness of this world peels away my soft layers.
Because You faced a fate I couldn’t, you gave me wings to escape the prison of my own wretched broken soul. No longer am I a slave to the lower me. You called me up higher- changed the me that only sought to please self. You showed me a better way. Your way. I’d like to think that if I were the only soul on this earth, You would have done it any way. When You conquered death and the grave, You did it all with me on your mind. As I reflect on what You did for me – I know I owe a debt I can never repay. I’ll just echo the same question that was asked of old, ‘What will I give to the LORD [in return] for all His benefits toward me? I often feel I fall short in my effort to give my all to You. I stumble over myself and in my weakness, I miss the mark. I never want to forget that my frailty is not lost on You. You get my frequent wanderings – my shortcomings. Yet- You loved me first. Because You did, I today I can… I can stand on the street beside people and not feel beneath them. Because of you – I belong.

‘Redeemed One’

*** My reflection during the season of Lent