There it was again ...always when I am haunted by the frail attempts of my faith to be fearless; the darkened glass seemed to make a metallic wind-like noise to call for my attention. The sound took my imagination to a double edged sword being swung through the air by a mighty angelic warrior.
And again, the sound alerted me as my fading hope led me to the edge of the field of sin with all of its bright lights and mysterious wonders that were just beyond my reach. This time the metallic sound whined within the realm of the sound of screeching brakes or a blade sharpening on a grinding wheel. "OK, I hear you!"
It didn't matter which direction I would turn at this juncture of the confrontation with the "darkened glass", for it would always be with me, and it would reveal itself everywhere that I would turn. Knowing this I closed my eyes. The thought of coddling my disappoint to justify my decision and grasp for justification to cross the line was slowly fading against the sound of the Darkened Glass.
Then I heard my own voice cry out of my distress, "Why should I care?" And upon hearing this I yelled all the louder in an upward direction "WHY SHOULD I CARE?" ... Just like I suspected there was no immediate reply... But that high pitched metallic sound of the "darkened glass" stopped with an eerie and awkward silence; And my question with fading delays repeated itself like echoes across the vast plain of my memory.
Now, I was left to whatever my heightened senses could pull in through their emotionally weakened receptors. Still and small ... Between each echo was the resonation of His Voice from the Darkened Glass bringing comfort with each wave of celestial flow:
Why should I care?
"I persevere through your loss of heart and continue to offer kindness and favor!"
Why should I care?
"I do not put my power in your face with boasting, magnifying myself to put you down!"
Why should I care?
"I stay constant in my support for you; nothing will provoke me to think evil of you!"
Why should I care?
"I cannot rejoice when you step aside of truth; but I rejoice in your choices for truth!"
Why should I care?
"I create a protective covering for you, in all of your moments!"
"I choose to give you my constant confidence, in all of your wavering!"
"I wait with a joyful anticipation, for you!"
"AND no matter what - I will not recede, nor flee, nor fall back in your time of need!"
"I WILL REMAIN!"
"Faith may and will fade to fear -- Hope will dwindle until temptation may win -- BUT"
... "But what?" I moaned... ... The silence grew thick;
My eyes were still closed ... "BUT WHAT?" I cried.
I spun around,
opened my eyes,
and there written on the steam-like fog on the darkened glass appeared the words:
My Love remains -- I love you!
I Corinthians 13:13 - "Now abideth faith, hope and Love, and the greatest of these is Love".
This is why I care!
HLFA,
Jeff