have been thinking about Bartimaeous ...
it is said he was blind ...
spending his time sitting by the roadside
on a mat

and Zaccheous ....
it is said he was short
so he climbed a tree ...
to better see
or was it to see while yet hidden ....

and Mary ....
it is said she had been with many men

they each had a level of desperation
that touched the heart of Jesus

Bartimaeous cried louder when told to be quiet

Zaccheous precariously perched to peer through the foliage

Mary pushed her way through walls of blackrobed religiosity and legalism

how many times have I too cried out louder
climbed higher
pushed harder

you weren't there
you didn't know
you didn't hear
you didn't see
when He found  me

and so I still cry
climb and push
to be with Him
to break my life open before Him
to wash His feet with my tears

to be loved while being known
is a wondrous thing ...

He knows
and
He loves

and so I will continue to cry
to climb
to push

remission

re·mis·sion

rəˈmiSH(ə)n/

noun

1. 
   

   the cancellation of a debt, charge, or penalty.

   "the plan allows for the partial remission of tuition fees"

   
   

   synonyms:

   cancellation, setting aside, suspension, revocation;  formalabrogation "the remission of all fees"

   • 
     

     a diminution of the seriousness or intensity of disease or pain; a temporary recovery.

     "ten out of twenty patients remained in remission"

     
     

     synonyms:

     respite, abeyance "the cancer is in remission"

   • formal

     forgiveness of sins.

     synonyms:

     forgiveness, pardoning, absolution, exoneration;  formalexculpation "the remission of sins"

A decrease in or disappearance of signs and symptoms of cancer. In partial remission, some, but not all, signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared. In complete remission, all signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared, although cancer still may be in the body.

we had this word spoken to us, into us, over us, a week ago and I have been pondering it ever since .....the signs, the symptoms have now been treated, dealt with and are no longer seen ..... although the remnants are still felt ...

 there is still an awareness of the cancer dragon that lurks within ....

the need to live wisely, carefully, so as not to awaken him again ....

and is this not like sin????  one can deal with the visible manifestations of sin, put sin to death.... at least for the moment .... but the propensity to sin always lurks within. ...

like cancer, the sin dragon simply waits to be awakened ......

cancer is quietened by filling the body with poison, bringing one to the very edge of death and then hopefully pulling them back ..

sin, on the other hand, comes out as poison, bringing everyone it touches to the very edge of death, and sometimes beyond the edge .....

but there is remission sometimes ....

remission of cancer

remission of the cancer of sin ....

this is quite a journey

>><>

foot prints

while glancing out the back window this morning
I noted foot prints, all sorts of foot prints, in the fresh snow ...
we live on the edge of the woods and regularly have lots of visitors
n the night searching for food but it is not always there is evidence of
their visit .... this morning it is obvious there were many last night  who stopped by ...

some prints skipped lightly across the surface
some went in a perfectly straight line
some hopped all over the place
some went very deep, pressing right down to the frozen ground
but each one left its mark

and I pondered all the people who have walked in and out of my life
some stayed for a season
some stayed for years
some were simply quickly in and out

but each one left a mark on the land of me ...

the ones who skipped lightly in and out
the ones who trod heavily
the ones who encircled

some left scars
some left deep holes
some barely scratched the surface

but
each
one
left
a
mark .....

blind and deaf

how many times are we,
am I,
blinded and deafened by only seeing the outer person
and thus unable to hear their words ....
unable to hear because of the familiarity of the person speaking .....

how often have I missed God because of the person He chose to speak through ....
or because of the situation .....

there is a cerain willingness to be shaped by the hands of God
but if He choses to shape us through another in our life ..
we resist .....
or run ....