INFINITE LOVE
I spoke to the demon from the other day. I asked him why he had to torment me. I didn't think about it at the time, but the question wasn't simply about me. A part of me loves him and retains hope that his brokenness may someday be healed.
I've always had an affinity for the outcast, the broken, the ones others have given up on, said didn't belong, or pushed to such alienation and bitterness they lashed out against others or, more often, themselves. I reached out to the kids who went goth in middle and high school, the young people who were shunned at college because they didn't make the spiritual cut, women I've known through the years who are deemed unfit to minister in God's churches because of their gender, the gay and lesbian community that's still vilified for who they love, and now the very demons who seek to prey on my soul.
I long for their wholeness with every fiber of my being. I wait for the day that God draws all things to him and will never give up hope. We're all prodigals who have homes in distant lands where our loving father patiently awaits and beckons our return.
So I lay on the ground today and refused to fight. I let God hold me in his hand and gave myself over in faith, refusing to take up weapon or shield against the demon. I let loose all boundaries and released myself freely, first to my Father and then everything else in my midst. The pain I sensed was incredible, but in the midst of the pain, I felt an uncompromising love and learned something I'll never forget.
God doesn't win by destruction, but by transformation. He doesn't vanquish; he caresses. He doesn't have enemies; he has children. This isn't a war, and it doesn't end by force or might of arms. It’s one-sided, and it ends when we relent. He is eternally patient and waits eagerly for everyone to return home.