The Gold Paper

 

The Gold Wrapping Paper – Author Unknown 

Once upon a time, there was a  man who worked very hard just to keep food on the table for his family. This particular year a few days before Christmas, he punished his little five-year-old daughter after learning that she had used up the family’s only roll of expensive gold wrapping paper.
      As money was  tight, he became even more upset when on Christmas Eve he saw that the child had used all of the expensive gold paper to decorate one shoebox she had put under the Christmas tree. He also was concerned about where she had gotten money to buy what was in the shoebox.
      Nevertheless, the next morning the little girl, filled with excitement, brought the gift box to her father and said, “This is for you, Daddy!”
     As he opened the box, the father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, now regretting how he had punished her.
      But when he opened the shoebox, he found it was empty and again his anger flared. “Don’t you know, young lady,” he said harshly, “when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside the package!”
      The little girl looked up at him with sad tears rolling from her eyes and whispered:  “Daddy, it’s not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was all full.”
      The father was crushed. He fell on his knees and put his arms around his precious little girl. He begged her to forgive him for his unnecessary anger.
      An accident took the life of the child only a short time later. It is told that the father kept this little gold box by his bed for all the years of his life. Whenever he was discouraged or faced difficult problems, he would open the box, take out an imaginary kiss, and remember the love of this beautiful child who had put it there.       
    In a very real sense, each of us has been given an invisible golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, friends and God. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold. 

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Romans 8:35 talks about God’s unconditional love.  It says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”  Although this love doesn’t come in a box covered with beautiful gold paper, and it can often be as intangible as the little girl’s kisses, it is more real and more reliable than anything else in our lives.  It does come wrapped in the covers of any Bible you pick up as you can’t read more than a few paragraphs or pages before you encounter evidence of this love.

During this Christmas season, may we be ever aware of those around us who need to feel His love in a tangible way.  Let us be His arms, His voice and His actions in spreading His love to others.

Have a blessed day!

Flying

 

 

Flying by Roger Dean Kiser, Sr

Once upon a time there was a little boy who was raised in an orphanage.

The little boy had always wished that he could fly like a bird. It was very difficult for him to understand why he could not fly. There were birds at the zoo that were much bigger than he, and they could fly.

“Why can’t I?” he thought. “Is there something wrong with me?” he wondered.

There was another little boy who was crippled. He had always wished that he could walk and run like other little boys and girls.

“Why can’t I be like them?” he thought.

One day the little orphan boy who had wanted to fly like a bird ran away from the orphanage. He came upon a park where he saw the little boy who could not walk or run playing in the sandbox.

He ran over to the little boy and asked him if he had ever wanted to fly like a bird.

“No,” said the little boy who could not walk or run. “But I have wondered what it would be like to walk and run like other boys and girls.”

“That is very sad.” said the little boy who wanted to fly. “Do you think we could be friends?” he said to the little boy in the sandbox.

“Sure.” said the little boy.

The two little boys played for hours. They made sand castles and made really funny sounds with their mouths. Sounds which made them laugh real hard. Then the little boy’s father came with a wheelchair to pick up his son. The little boy who had always wanted to fly ran over to the boy’s father and whispered something into his ear.

“That would be OK,” said the man.

The little boy who had always wanted to fly like a bird ran over to his new friend and said, “You are my only friend and I wish that there was something that I could do to make you walk and run like other little boys and girls. But I can’t. But there is something that I can do for you.”

The little orphan boy turned around and told his new friend to slide up onto his back. He then began to run across the grass. Faster and faster he ran, carrying the little crippled boy on his back. Faster and harder he ran across the park. Harder and harder he made his legs travel. Soon the wind just whistled across the two little boys’ faces.

The little boy’s father began to cry as he watched his beautiful little crippled son flapping his arms up and down in the wind, all the while yelling at the top of his voice,

“I’M FLYING, DADDY. I’M FLYING!”

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Some of my favorite passages in the Bible have to do with wings.  My all-time favorite is Isaiah 40:31:  “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

When I first read this, I interpreted it to mean that I would be like an eagle, soaring through life majestically.  But then I looked a little closer at the words.  Now I interpret them slightly differently.  I will soar ON wings like eagles:  I will be lifted up on HIS wings and soar with HIM.  What a different picture that makes!  I soar, not on my own strength, but on His!  That is a much more comforting picture, at least for me.  I let myself down way too often- my strength is not very great and it often doesn’t have much stamina.  But His strength?  Ah, that is another story!  His strength is unsurpassable and unending!  I’d much rather be on His wings than my own!

Have a blessed day!

Wings

This morning, I started a study on scriptures mentioning wings or eagles.  I remembered this post from several years ago and wanted to share it.  This concepts of God’s protection as eagles’ wings is very comforting to me.  Enjoy!

Mommy Bird- author unknown

An article in National Geographic several years ago provided a penetrating picture of God’s wings. After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno’s damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their mother’s wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety, but had refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat singed her small body, the mother remained steadfast. Because she had been willing to die, those under the cover of her wings continued to live. “He shall cover thee with His feathers and under His wings shall thou trust” (Ps 91:4). Learn to experience the warmth and protection of life beneath the wings of the Almighty.”
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I love that picture of being under His wings. As I travel to my job, I so often see bald eagles soaring high in the sky and the verses such as Psalm 91:4 always come to mind as I see their amazing wing span. Here are a few more verses that give me that same feeling of safety and of being loved and cherised:

Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 32:7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

Ruth 2:12 May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.

Aren’t these verses fantastic? Since I found them, I had never failed to be moved by the sight of an eagle, whether in a picture or in real life. Tied with this story of the mother bird’s unselfish love, they create a quilt of comfort to wrap myself in each day. I hope you have that comfort also!

Have a blessed day!

Why Not Me?

 

(For those of you who have been following this blog, I thank you!  My life has changed greatly in this last year -for the better, but I do find that time constraints have made a change necessary.  Rather than posting daily, I will be backing up to just once per week on a regular basis with more frequent posts as things are laid on my heart and time permits.  Sometimes, as with today, I will simply be sharing what God has shared with me rather than beginning with a story as has been my habit.  I hope you enjoy today’s post. )

Why not me? By Karen McCarthy

 

Recently this question began making its appearance in my thoughts more and more often, circling around the good things in my life, threatening to squeeze their significance down into virtual meaninglessness.  That’s the way Satan works- he is very good at distracting us with something he knows he can get us to focus on, turning our attention from all of our many blessings.

In my case, it revolved around a vice I continue to struggle with, although I didn’t realize this at first.  Most people would not be aware that this is an issue in my life as it usually rears its ugly head in the alone times, not the public times.  When I was younger, I had a real ‘potty mouth,’ and although all of this ugly language is not in my daily speech as it was then, it does rear its ugly head in times of stress:  when I stub a toe, when my computer is giving me issues, when my dogs’ barking startles me, when I am having a klutzy day- you get the picture.  Actually, whenever things are not going my way perfectly.   Hmmm.   I also struggle with several health related issues.  My health has dramatically improved in the last 5 years, but there are still issues.  And the worse I feel, the less sleep I get, the more likely this ‘potty mouth’ issue will rear that ugly head.

As I said, I didn’t at first realize that my ‘why me’ moments had any relationship to this vice of mine.  I had attended an amazing evangelical service recently.  At the end of the service, the speaker invited us up for prayer, blessings and whatever else God has in store.  He wandered among those of us standing there, frequently stopping to pray over individuals and you could tell that they were having real experiences with God during those prayers.  Many were praying for healing and felt strongly they were going to get a blessing in this area.  I, however, was one of the very few (it seemed) who were bypassed and encompassed in a general prayer at the end.  The why me’s started in full force.  Why did You seem to speak to so many, but not me?  Why were so many promised healing, but not me?  And so on, and so on, and so on.

Now, don’t get me wrong- I don’t doubt God or His power, His grace or His mercy in those times.  I do trust that if something is in my life that is less than desirable, He is allowing it for a reason.  A reason that sometimes is revealed to me over time and other times is not.  But, I do desire miracles, outright, immediate miracles sometimes, don’t you?  And others seem to get them, some more often than the rest.  So, my why me’s take the form of a , “Come on, Father, isn’t it time for me to get one?”

This morning, I had a revelation in response to my why me prayer.  No, I didn’t hear the actual voice of God.  It was more of what a friend calls a deep, inner knowing.  Right in the middle of my whine and prayer (as opposed to wine and cheese), I had a deep, inner knowing.  One reason God continues to allow these physical trials, one reason he didn’t, as he did for a friend, deliver me from my foul mouth when I gave my life to Him, has to deal with as aspect of my personality that is at the root of many of my physical problems.  I allow even small trials like a stubbed toe or a computer issue to flood my body with adrenaline, causing a condition known as adrenal fatigue.  And, until I learn to temper this response, all the treatments in the world won’t keep this condition under control.  My foul mouth is my barometer.  When I am able to respond to these situations with calmness and no curses, I will be on the road to health.

I don’t know if that seems like an earth-shattering revelation to you, but it certainly was for me.  And I immediately thanked Him for not giving me that immediate miracle.  He knows what’s best and He knew that I need that barometer to help me modify this part of my personality that is causing so many health issues.

So, today, if you are not receiving the miracles you seek, as for a revelation.  You may be surprised that the miracle is in the trial itself!

Remember James 1:2-4:  “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Now listen to the same passage from the Message version, I love it!  “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”

Here’s hoping that you get one of those gifts today!  Have a blessed day!

God’s Letter

 

Usually I start my blog with a story and then tie in my thoughts on the spiritual impact or message of the story, but today’s letter says it all, so I’ll just let it speak to you. Please feel free to post your thoughts afterwards, I’d love to hear from you! Have a blessed day! Karen

God’s Letter- Author Unknown

My child,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you (Psalm 139:1). I know when you sit down and when you rise up (Psalm 139:2). I am familiar with your ways (Psalm 139:3). Even the very hairs on your head are numbered (Matt 10:29-31) for you were made in my image (Genesis 1:27). In me you live and move and have your being (Acts 17:28) for you are my offspring (Acts 17:28).

I knew you even before you were conceived (Jeremiah 1:4-5). I chose you even before I planned creation (Ephesians 1:11-12). You were not a mistake; all your days are written in my book (Psalm 139:15-16). I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live (Acts 17:26). You were fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). I knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13) and brought you forth on the day you were born (Psalm 71:6).

I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me (John 8:41-44). I am not distant and angry, but I am the complete expression of love (1 John 4:16), and it is my desire to lavish my love on you (1 John 3:1). I offer you more than your earthly father ever could (Matthew 7:11) for I am the perfect father (Matthew 5:48). Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand (James 1:17) for I am your provider, and I meet all your needs (Matthew 6:31-33)

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) Because I love you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3), my thoughts toward you are as countless as the sand on the seashore (Psalm 139:17-18) and I rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). I will never stop doing good to you (Jeremiah 32:40) for you are my treasured possession (Exodus 19:5). I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul (Jeremiah 32:41).

I want to show you great and marvelous things (Jeremiah 33:3). If you seek me with all you heart, you will find me (Deuteronomy 4:29). Delight in me, and I will give you the desires of you heart (Psalm 37:4) for it is I who gave you those desires (Philippians 2:13).

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine (Ephesians 3:20) for I am your greatest encourager (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). I am also the father who comforts you in all your troubles (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you (Psalm 34:18). As a Shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close you my heart (Isaiah 40:11).

One day, I will wipe away every tear from your eyes (Revelation 21:3-4), and I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth (Revelation 21:3-4). I am your father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus (John 17:26). He is the exact representation of my being (Hebrews 1:3). He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you (Romans 8:31) and to tell you that I am not counting your sins (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Jesus died so that you could be reconciled (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you (1 John 4:10). I gave up everything I loved so that I might gain your love (Romans 8:31-32). If you receive the gift of my son, Jesus, you receive me (1 John 2:23), and nothing will ever separate you from my love again (Romans 8:38-39).

Come home, and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen (Luke 15:7). I have always been your father and will always be your father (Ephesians 3:14-15).

My question is, will you be my child (John 1:1-13)?

I am waiting for you (Luke 15:11-32).

Love,
Your Dad, Almighty God

Mikey and the Mud Puddle

Mikey and the Mud Puddle

 Howard County Sheriff Jerry Marr got a disturbing call one Saturday afternoon a few months ago. His 6-year-old grandson Mikey had been hit by a car while fishing in Greentown with his dad.

The father and son were near a bridge by the Kokomo Reservoir when a woman lost control of her car, slid off the bridge and hit Mikey at a rate of about 50 mph. Sheriff Marr had seen the results of accidents like this and feared the worst. When he got to Saint Joseph Hospital, he rushed through the emergency room to find Mikey conscious and in fairly good spirits.

“Mikey, what happened?” Sheriff Marr asked.

 Mikey replied, “Well, Papaw, I was fishin’ with Dad, and some lady runned me over, I flew into a mud puddle, and broke my fishin’ pole and I didn’t get to catch no fish!”

As it turned out, the impact propelled Mikey about 500 feet, over a few trees and an embankment and into the middle of a mud puddle. His only injuries were to his right femur bone, which had broken in two places. Mikey had surgery to place pins in his leg. Otherwise the boy was fine.

Since all the boy could talk about was that his fishing pole was broken, the Sheriff went out to Wal-Mart and bought him a new one while he was in surgery so he could have it when he came out.

The next day the Sheriff sat with Mikey to keep him company in the hospital. Mikey was enjoying his new fishing pole and talked about when he could go fishing again as he cast into the trash can.

When they were alone Mikey, just as matter-of-fact, said, “Papaw, did you know Jesus is real?”

“Well,” the Sheriff replied, a little startled. “Yes, Jesus is real to all who believe in him and love him in their hearts.”

“No,” said Mikey. “I mean Jesus is REALLY real.”

“What do you mean?” asked the Sheriff.

“I know he’s real ’cause I saw him,” said Mikey, still casting into the trash can. 

 “You did?” said the Sheriff.

“Yep,” said Mikey. “When that lady runned me over and broke my fishing pole, Jesus caught me in his arms and laid me down in the mud puddle.”

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Yes, Jesus is real.  We may not see Him with our physical eyes as Mikey did.  we may not even actually feel His presence in a physical way.  But He promises that He is with us regardless of whether we feel or see Him.  In Hebrews 13:5, He tells us, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”  We are told that at least five times in the Bible that I know of.  In Matthew 28:20, as He was leaving this earth, Jesus assured His followers (and us), “Lo, I am with you always.

When you feel alone, when you think no one cares, remember these verses.  Remember that, just as in the Footprints in the Sand poem, Christ is there, holding you up, even carrying you through the hard times.  Draw on His strength, lean on Him and let Him carry you through to the other side.  He and He alone will never forsake you.

Have a blessed day!

Two Handles

Two Handles- Author Unknown

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, ‘God! How could you do this to me?’

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! ‘How did you know I was here?’ asked the weary man of his rescuers.

 ‘We saw your smoke signal,’ they replied.

The Moral of This Story: It’s easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn’t lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

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Recently, I was reading an email I received and found a thought that ties in well with the theme I would like to pursue for a few days.  The idea is this:  every day has two handles, a positive handle and a negative.  The handle of fear or the handle of peace.  The handle of worry or the handle of faith.  The handle of despair or the handle of hope.  You get the idea, I am sure.  This week I would like to introduce you to some stories that help to illustrate this principle.  I hope you enjoy them.

Today’s story illustrates this point well: the handle of despair and anger turned out to be the counterpart for the handle of rescue and freedom.  We have talked before about the fact that God is so very good at taking a bad situation and bringing something positive out of it.  Remember Romans 8:28? “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  That is so true.  I try to always look for the lesson He has me to learn in any given situation.  Slowly, but surely, I am able to see the positive side of even the most negative event in my life and to let Him do His thing with those events.

Life will always have its ups and downs.  But every day, we do have the power to control our reaction to what is presented to us.  Each day, ask yourself, “Which handle will I choose today?”  My hope is that I will always choose the positive handle!

Have a blessed day!

An Unusual Sword

An Unusual Sword- Author Unknown

When my parents called in the middle of the night because their furnace broke, Les went to help them. I felt a little pang of discomfort at being left alone. Well, to say I was alone isn’t quite accurate — both our young boys were upstairs asleep. Also, our fearless cockapoo, Tuesday, was snoozing outside.
 Tuesday was a lovable dog, but she had no discernment. She greeted beggar and thief, as well as doctor and chief, with sloppy enthusiasm.   She also had what I thought was a strange defect for a dog. Her barker was broken. Seldom if ever did she gr-r-r or arf. That was until . . . The Night of the Broken Furnace.
 Les was gone about an hour when the barking began. I was startled at the unfamiliar sound and thought it must be a stray. I peeked out cautiously. Tuesday was on our porch, arfing in the direction of the woods.  Oh, yes, did I mention we were living on a Boy Scout reservation containing six hundred acres of woods, swamps, lakes and assorted monsters? The latter was my immediate concern.   Stop and think about it. What else would cause a bow-wow’s barker to suddenly kick in?
 Tuesday began to run from the front door, to the back door, to the front again. I knew what this meant. Whatever was out there was closing in.   I crept out of bed and began to look for a weapon. I had always believed investing in the Kirby vacuum cleaner would one day pay off. This was the day.
 I took the long nozzled tube section to bed with me for protection. I placed the telephone beside me with the phone book open to emergency numbers. My heart was thumping as I strained to hear sounds of the approaching monster.   With Kirby in hand, I rotated my vision from watching the window to the door, to the window to the door, when suddenly I turned my head too far and caught my reflection in the mirror.   You want to talk about frightening . . . no . . . make that ridiculous.   I said to myself, “What’s wrong with this picture?”
 I’ve known the Lord well enough and long enough to realize He wants to be my refuge and hiding place. Here I was, trying in my anemic strength to handle this imagined invasion.   I laid down my Kirby sword and picked up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. I reviewed every peace and power promise I’d ever read. I’m not sure how long I’d been reading when fear started to drain out and quietness began to seep in, and I nodded off.   Soon I was sound asleep.

 I never heard my husband when he pulled up in front. I didn’t hear him when he came in the door. I didn’t even hear him when he entered our room. I didn’t hear him until he shook my foot and asked, “What’s the vacuum cleaner doing in bed with you?”

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I think I enjoyed this story because the woman in it reminded me of myself.  I must say, however, that I had never thought of using my Kirby as protection!  Like this woman, though, I often forget my first line of defense and let life panic me because I know that I am ill equipped to ward off attack myself.  It is taking less and less time these days, thankfully, before I do remember my most effective Shield!  Then I say, as the psalmist did in Psalm 91:2, “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.”

I remember a time when I was in high school and my parents were gone for a few days.  I was left ‘in charge’ and slept upstairs in their bed in case the phone rang or some emergency occurred.  My brothers slept in the basement as usual.  One night I woke up in a panic.  I’m sure I had heard some normal, neighborhood sound that seemed unusual to me in my unfamiliar room, but I was sure the house was under attack.  I was too frightened to move and the dog beginning to growl at the foot of the bed did not help the situation. (I’m sure she was reacting to my frightened mewings at the head of the bed!)   All of a sudden the following scripture, Isaiah 26:3-4, popped into my head:   “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.  Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.”  I began to pray until a feeling of peace came over me and I soon fell asleep.

When perceived or real danger does sneak into your life, remember to grab onto your first line of defense, the Word of God.  It really is much more effective than your Kirby!

Have a blessed day!

The Story of the Almonds

This gallery contains 1 photo.

  The Story of the Almonds- by Alan Bane  I woke up shivering the morning of Thanksgiving Day 1969. I’d pulled a canvas tarp over me while laying on a hay bale in a barn just off the road I was … Continue reading →

April 15: A True Friend

A True Friend- author unknown

Horror gripped the heart of the soldier as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. Caught in a trench with continuous gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier asked his lieutenant if he might go out into the “no man’s land” between the trenches to bring his fallen comrade back.

“You can go,” said the lieutenant, “but i don’t think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your life away.” The lieutenant’s advice didn’t matter, and the soldier went anyway. Miraculously he managed to reach his friend, hoist him onto his shoulder and bring him back to their company’s trench. As the two of them tumbled in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded soldier, and then looked kindly at his friend.

“I told you it wouldn’t be worth it,” he said. “Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded.”

“It was worth it, though, sir,” said the soldier.

“What do you mean; worth it?” responded the Lieutenant. “Your friend is dead.”

“Yes, Sir,” the private answered. “But it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive and I had the satisfaction of hearing him saying, “’Jim…, I knew you’d come.’”

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It was worth it.  Those four words in this story jumped out at me when first I read it.  This week, when I reread the passage in preparation for today’s blog, they jumped out again. This time, however, they took on new meaning because my thoughts are focused on the real meaning of Easter.  Easter is so much more than bunnies, candy and brightly colored eggs.  Easter is the center of the Christian faith.  Without Easter, Jesus would be just another good man, a great teacher, a prophet.  But He would not be Savior, Messiah, Lord.  In just a few days, we celebrate Good Friday, the anniversary of the gruesome events He went through to save us.  It was a horror we can’t even imagine, brutal beatings, ridicule, betrayal, and worst of all separation from His Father. Read a description of His sufferings in Isaiah 53:

Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression^[a] and judgment he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was punished.^[b]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
    and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes^[c] his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
¹¹ After he has suffered,
    he will see the light of life^[d] and be satisfied^[e];
by his knowledge^[f] my righteous servant will justify many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,^[g]
    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,^[h]
because he poured out his life unto death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.

 

Unbelievable pain, physically, emotionally and spiritually, but Jesus thought it worth everything to save us.  It was worth it!

Have a blessed day!