exultation.

We were all galavanting, throwing our hands up high, parading in a single file line. Luminous whistles rang from our lips, cheers of bliss and songs of adoration rolled off our tongues. A picture of pure release. The boys were beating on drums, the girls were whistling flutes and dancing with ribbons. We had never experienced such joy.  Yes, yes, yes!

Suddenly we marched right up to a rickety, uneasy bridge crossing a mighty gorge. A spirit of darkness fell upon us. If we fell into the gorge while crossing it would be the end of the light. At such a heavy moment, we lifted our eyes to what waited for us on the other side and decided that we had no choice but to lay our lives down, risk everything we had. We had to cross that bridge to fully experience what was on the other side, the Kingdom of our Living God.

We all, at once, stormed the bridge, grasping each other’s hands, not looking back for a single moment. Just as we all hit the solid ground on the other side of the gorge the bridge gave way. Instantly we were overtaken with refined light. We all collapsed to our knees in complete awe and wonder at the presence of our Father.

It felt as though we were experiencing heaven right here on earth. Living in harmony with the one we love. Oh, how He loves us! Jubilation! Euphoria! Rapture! The freedom we had felt prior to crossing the bridge was infinitely multiplied, we couldn’t even stand in the presence of the Spirit. Tangible love encountered. We were never the same.

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12:1-2, The Message)