Pansies, Justice, and Spilled Humanity

Hot fair trade coffee in my black and steel mug. Daniel’s discarded last orange slice beside me, in fragrance fresh. A cluster of cheerful lavender and tangerine pansies crowd a short goblet down the counter from me. I journal and read God’s word while my kids sleepily watch Ponyo in the adjoining room.

Cheerful harmony failed, flopped miserably, on the drive up here the other day, resulting in tears, shame, and silence. Apologies, hugs, whispered committments throughout the day, a resolve to get more sleep and now a need to get into God’s word. Chapter five in Isaiah is intriguing me right now. God made his perfect vineyard (Israel and Judah, i.e His People. Now we qualify too for future issues), giving them everything they would need to flourish and produce good results and fruit. But when he looked back at his garden of delight, looking for two things… he didn’t find them. He came looking for:
-justice but found bloodshed
-righteousness but found distress.

Cool play on words here that ryhme, the study notes say. Justice (mishpat) rhymes with bloodshed (mispah) and righteousness (sedaqah) ryhmes with distress (se’aqah).

So God looks on his people searching for justice and righteousness. Huh. Wow, we (our country, church, families, ME) must fail him so often.

Lord, where do you look for justice in my life and home, yet all you see is “bloodshed,” spilled life, ebbing humanity, hurt and pain? Where do you look for righteousness in my life and home, yet find only distress? Wow, convicting, obvious. Lord, renew me, transform me.