Poem - In Your Arms

In Your Arms

© Alainna Norland 5/25/2015

In Your arms Lord

in Your arms

I can stand through every storm

In Your arms Lord

in Your arms

my heart's secure and warm

though I face trials

though I sink in sinking sand

though I'm in denial

though I cannot see Your hand

In Your arms Lord

in Your arms

I know that can stand

though I cry to sleep each night

I know you will not send

a battle that I cannot fight

that will cause my soul to bend

I bear such heavy weight

that tries to drag me down

Yet I will reach for Heavens gate

till I can touch Your gown

So as I trudge along this road

my shoulders heavy with sorrow

I will give Your hands this heavy load

and look forward to tomorrow

In Your arms Lord

in Your arms

I can look upon Your face

In Your arms Lord

in Your arms

I am covered with Your grace

Though I may still fall and stumble

I never shall forget

How You loved and became humble

And never had regret

Lord please make me more like You

more loving every day

Don't let me hate

but give me grace

to share along my way

There are so many who do not know

the peace found in Your arms

There are Christians who do not show

that they are free from Satan's harm

I want to show the world, my Lord

that I don't live in fear

I want to show the hurt and lost

that there is joy amidst the tears

In Your arms Lord

in Your arms

I find peace among the shame

In Your arms Lord

in Your arms

I don't have to be afraid

You have overcome the wicked one

and paid my endless debt

You have darkness, overcome

and Your pain, You don't regret

Now You share each tear and laugh

with all who will accept You

And still when all the joy past

I cry in darkness with You

In Your arms Lord

in Your arms

I cry but am not feeble

In Your arms Lord

in Your arms

I dance on wings of eagles

And as I dance

I cry and laugh

through all the pain in my heart

I know I will see better days

when only laughter's in my heart

In Your arms Lord

I am strong

I can stand though I am weary

In Your arms Lord

I find peace

though nights grow dark and eerie

In Your arms Lord

I will rise

though my heart is week and broken

In Your arms Lord

I will hear

the promises You have spoken

I may not be a perfect child

I know I am a sinner

But I'm a child of the king

and because of Him I'm a winner

In His arms

my sin's forgiven

I do not live in shame

In His arms

my tears are His

I stand firm in His name

In Your arms Lord

in Your arms

I am Your perfect creation

In Your arms Lord

in Your arms

You call me bride
Your good creation

Love verses Trust

I just read (and edited and re-posted) my "True Love" blog post from about a year and a half ago and I realized that I should probably clarify the difference between love and trust.

Like love, trust is a choice, but it is a choice that we are to make wisely. The Bible's greatest commandment says "love thy neighbor as thy self", note how it does not say anywhere, (that I can find), trust your neighbor as yourself, or your husband, or daughter, or mom, or dad, etc.
We, as christians, are commanded to love unconditionally all who we come in contact with. (that does not mean fall in love with them. there is a difference.) We are also commanded to forgive all the time. If we are supposed to love unconditionally and forgive always, then are we supposed to trust unconditionally? Not necessarily.

When someone consistently lies, you don't have faith in them to tell the truth. Right?
So when someone hurts you, like for instance, someone you have known for several years that you have been best friends with for a long time, starts being rude to you, ignoring you and spreading rumors about you. Do you still love the person? yes. Do you forgive them? absolutely. But do you trust them to not say something rude to or about you the next time you see them? no. probably not. So you don't always share everything with them. (Yes, talk to your friend and reconcile the relationship. damage has been done and it needs to be fixed!)

(side note: verbal and emotional abuse is just like physical abuse, except in some ways it's worse. Because the victims of verbal and emotional abuse don't always have physical bruises to show it, they have to deal with it on their own. Physical abuse, shows up on them and they can be removed from the abuser. Whereas verbal abuse can repeat in their head for the rest of their life and continue to damage them without anyone ever knowing about the abuse.)

You can love a person without trusting them. You don't trust your five year old with the glass dishes. He/she hasn't proven yet that he/she is strong enough, responsible enough, or careful enough to handle it without breaking it, (or maybe he/she has already proven that they cannot handle it because they broke some of the dishes already) but you love that kid so much already. They are worth more than those glass dishes to you and you can forgive them when they break the glass dishes, but you don't give the glass dishes back to them until they are older, stronger, more careful, and responsible.
The same goes for any relationship, at any level, anywhere from acquaintance to husband!
Your heart is that glass plate. When you trust someone, you are depending on them to not drop that glass plate. When they drop the glass plate and it shatters on the ground, you don't always hand them another plate. You love them and forgive them, but usually you don't trust them with your heart again, until they have proven they are mature enough to handle it.
However, you have to make sure that when you are not trusting them with whatever part of your heart, that you are not shutting God out, and you are not hardening your heart against the plate breaker! This is not a punishment for them. It is protection for you, and an opportunity for the Lord to heal you both if you allow it! If you don't allow that, then it becomes the most fertile ground for Satan to grow bitterness in the both of you, and that would ultimately destroy you both.
So, do we always hand back the plate? no. not always. But we never hold back out of hate, or unforgiveness. We hold back because we are waiting, in patient love, for our friend to grow up a little older than the 5 year old that isn't quite strong enough to be trusted with the good dishes, (metaphorically speaking). That way we protect both us and them, and allow the Lord to work in both of our hearts.
Once they do prove themselves to be capable of handling the glass without dropping it, then we happily, and proudly hand them back the "plate",  at first it's a salad plate, then it's the dinner plate, and then, if they have not dropped it so far, the good china.

No we don't always trust unconditionally. But we do always love unconditionally, waiting and praying for the Lord to work in those we love.



Loving unconditionally: is giving of yourself, and choosing to accept the other person for all of who they are, have been, and will be.

Trusting unconditionally: is allowing another person to love you unconditionally, receiving what they give of themselves freely (be it judgement or love), and allowing them to see all of who you are, have been, and will be.



May the Lord help you forgive unconditionally, and love unconditionally. May He keep your heart soft in His hands and guard it from the wiles of Satan's lies. May He teach you and your loved ones more about Him and who He is daily. May He show you how to love, and how to be loved. May He guide you in your life and protect you from harm, and lead you through the hurt, with comfort as He has me. Lord I ask that you would cover these people with your armor. Put on their feet the shoes of peace, on their shoulders the breast plate of righteousness, on their head the helmet of salvation, gird them with the belt of truth. Help them take up the sword of the spirit, the shield of faith and the spear of prayer. Keep them from hatred and bitterness. Grow them closer to You Lord. Teach them to love unconditionally and wait patiently for You to move, and teach, and work in their hearts and the hearts of their loved ones.Bless them all with You Lord, and Your love and joy and peace!
In Your name, Amen!