"Nevertheless"

"I am nothing but sharp edges and splinters.. shards of a splattered and shattered faith, using those shanks and points to keep His love at a distance so I don't have to face Him.   Yet He allows Himself to be pierced and bloodied once again as He draws me close, holding me in His arms of love and grace and pulling those spears and swords into His own body and heart as He covers me.   How can He stand it?  How can He stand me?" I wrote these words one 2:00 a.m. morning several years ago.   It was a time when my life was broken, and I felt that I had nothing left to give.  Nothing but pain. Looking back, I see the hand of God in my life, shaping me and changing me into the person He created me to be.  Growing me.   Growing my faith.   Growing my confidence and trust in Him. The following hymn (written by Elisha Hoffman) comes to my mind with new understanding of the lyrics. I laid my life in the hands of Jesus.  He has not disappointed.  He has not let me down.  Ever.  He