Poetry Deovtion: What God Calls Me When I Sin?

Shackled

--2 Timothy 1: 16b

I turn my face from you, oh Lord

Ashamed at what I bare

In You my heart belongs

My lips and words praise Your name

But my shackles remain many

My soul is free, my ransom paid

Your blood cleansing

And refreshing

 But these shackles

Still remain

When I walk this life

Baring such weight on my limbs

Am I worthy to walk in Your name?

Some will fall, break against the ground

Ringing out in victory

Yet in my weakness-some

Still remain

Will you call me, Yours

Then

Shackled and wandering

Before you

What does God think of our struggles?  Better yet, what does God think of our sin?

My “church” answer would be that God looks on us with compassion and grace. And He does. But, if I was honest with myself that’s not what my heart believes is true all the time. If I were being honest with myself I would have to say that God is ashamed of me when I sin.

I began to think about it like this: If God were my earthly father and I had just rebelled again his rules, would he still call me his child? Would I even be worthy of baring His name at that point?

Truly, no, I am not worthy.  And yet 2 Timothy tells us something completely different. Chapter one verse 16b reads, “… he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.” Take that in for a moment.

Even as saved, redeemed individuals, sin is inevitable and we will continue to fall short of God through sinful acts until we meet Him at Heaven’s gates. We are shackled, “chained” to sin and it is by grace that we can approach God for forgiveness. But, it goes further than that. God doesn’t just claim us at His feet, He claims us in our chains, too.

 This is wonderful news.

Even in our yuck, our struggles that pull our heart away from God and cause our hearts to rebel from God, He is still calling us HIS child. He does not pull back and turn away from us when we turn away from Him. He is still proudly proclaiming our name, and desiring to fill us with the right things.

“You are MY child, this is MY child”

God doesn’t deny us because we are struggling. He is unashamed of us always. Even in the midst of our doubt, wandering, our sin the Lord fights to refresh us, to strengthen us and to break our chains one by one.