Fierce Beauty by Kim Meeder

self-justifications? The honest answer for each of us can be found by simply looking at
what
we’re driving out of our hearts: our sin … or our Savior?
    We cannot run toward and away from God at the same time.
    It is our actions, words, and thoughts that prove what is true. If these things point toward serving ourselves, how do we make it right? How do we realistically chase sin out of our lives?
    Well, light and darkness cannot live in the same place.
    The answer, then, is simple: we must first recognize our sin. This is necessary because we will not fight that which we do not acknowledge exists. Once we’ve identified our sin and darkness, we need to drive them out by inviting our Lord to transform and cleanse our minds. He does this by pouring His redeeming light of truth into our lives.
    Romans 12:2 states, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God
transform
you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will
know
what God wants you to do, and you will
know
how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”
    Plainly stated, we force sin out of our lives by driving the truth of God’s Word in. How? The same way we drive anything into our lives—through repetition. We do this by purposefully choosing to follow Jesus’ Word and just as purposely choosing to release our own desires. God’s truth will become part of our lives when we
make
it a part by spending time in His Word every day.
    Equally important is setting aside time to pray. Prayer is a vital connection between God and us. It changes everything in our lives. Because it changes our very foundations, it changes our hearts. When our foundations are strong, everything we build on top of them is strong as well. A simple reflection of this truth is how difficult it is to maintain ill feelings toward others when we purpose in our hearts to
consistently
pray for them. They may or may not change … but
we
do.
    Remember, light and darkness cannot share the same territory.
    On that long drive from Yellowstone, Jenna’s soft voice echoed my thoughts when she asked herself a single question: “Within the territory of my heart, am I choosing to tolerate sin, or am I fiercely defending the heart Jesus Christ gave His life to set free?”
    Friend, how would you answer?

THE KING

8

THE WOMAN
A Crown and a Sword
    On a late summer evening, the last fiery slivers of sunlight splayed between the craggy peaks of the Cascade mountains. I was working in my lookout, a small room perched on ten-foot stilts, located on the highest crest of our ranch. From this special refuge I took a few moments to admire the saw-toothed beauty of the mountains and reflect on the dream I’d had a few weeks before—the eagle that refused to leave its gilded prison because it was more concerned with appearance and ease than with true freedom.
    I wondered,
Am I somehow like this majestic bird? Am I more focused on my own selfish pursuits and the praise of others than on God’s perfect plan for my life?
    I closed my eyes and released my thoughts to drift.

    Unbidden, my mind filled with the image of a woman in dim light, a solitary figure on her knees. She appeared to be cast in nearly the same position as the eagle bowing low within its confining crown. The woman’s blond hair fell in a soft curtain around her lowered face. I had trouble making out the details. Something about the woman seemed out of focus.
    I looked closer, trying to clarify what I was seeing. As I did, the woman appeared to change subtly. Her hair color was slowly
shifting
. Asthe seconds passed, it seemed to alternate between blond and gray, then gray and red, then auburn, brunette, and black. Everything about her seemed to be softly phasing, as if I were watching her through a gently turning kaleidoscope. At different moments she looked like an acquaintance at church, then a previous neighbor, then an old friend in high school.
    Gradually something else became apparent. The