Turn the other cheek

Pippy is the best teacher. She doesn't need words, she teaches by example. Today I was back in the life lesson classroom with Pippy, my beloved teacher and dog.  
This afternoon Pippy and I went out on one of our daily walks. Today was cold but windless which made our walk pleasant. It's the wind that really puts a damper on our walks. But today it wasn't the wind that made the walk difficult, it was the plethora of out-of-control dogs we encountered. 
First we came across a stocky black dog that looked to be some sort of lab mix. He was on a walk with a middle-aged woman who was struggling to keep the over-excited dog on his side of the road. He kept tugging on the leash, growling at Pippy. The woman leaned back and put all her weight behind that leash to keep the dog from running in our direction. I picked up the pace to get past the touchy situation as quickly as possible. Pippy didn't miss a beat. Her little legs began prancing at a faster pace.  She wanted away from that dog as badly as it wanted off its leash. We turned the corner and soon were out of ear shot of the growling beast. 
Little did we know that the next encounter was only a few houses away.
The house came up on our right. Both Pippy and I heard all the dogs before we saw them. A grouping of small black and white dogs with fierce barks and sharp teeth came bolting to the street. At first it seemed that they were safely behind invisible fencing. They all were wearing the special collars that immediately put passerbys at ease. But then one dog neglected the shock of the fencing system and bolted onto the street. I do believe he was the fiercest of the pack because he was growing and charging with the most intensity of the bunch. Although he was small he was still bigger than Pippy and much angrier. 
He kept trying to get at Pippy, showing his sharp teeth all the while. Pippy didn't make a sound but she was obviously frightened. I could tell by the slight tugging on the leashing and darting back and forth between my legs to get as far away as possible. I did as much as I could to stop the dog. I stepped in front of Pippy and scolded the attacker. I charged back at him. I yelled at him to go home! (Making quite a scene, I'm sure)
His owner came out and did some hollering. He never left their yard to come after their escapee-attack animal. Finally the dog gave up. I was in its way and his owner was obviously not pleased with his bully-behavior, so the dog turned around and ran home. 
Pippy was relieved. As we walked away she looked up at me with the most precious and innocent eyes I've ever seen. My little dog would never attack a fly. The cruelest thing she does is destroy dog toys, which are meant to be ripped to shreds anyways, right? Poor Pippy, taunted and harassed at no fault of her own. 
And yet she never fought back. She never even let out as much as a lame attempt at a growl. She is just too kind for that kind of behavior. 
Pippy believes in turning the other cheek. 
Pippy practices the Biblical command to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Okay, so dogs probably don't pray. But you get the point! Even under attack, Pippy wouldn't fight back. She doesn't allow the harassment of another dog change who she is or how she behaves. She simply isn't a fighter and even a vicious neighborhood dog can't change that fact. 

In my walk of life there have been instances where I have come across individuals who don't see eye to eye with me. They don't share my beliefs and faith and they've made that point crystal clear. Have I responded with the humility and grace that Pippy displayed today on our walk? Have I always turned the other cheek or have I fired back in my own defense?
Time for some honesty: I have not always put into practice Matthew 5:39. I have not always turned the other cheek. I've thrown up my defenses. When attacked with caustic words, I've been known to fight back. I certainly have not always displayed the meek and mild attitude of Pippy. 
As a Christian I am bound to come under attack from all different angles. The world doesn't like the Gospel and they abuse it at every opportunity. They mock God and all those who submit to his Kingship. Claim Jesus Christ as the Lord of all the earth, the one and only way to eternal salvation and attacks are sure to follow.
But that doesn't give the Christ follower a pass on fighting back. The scripture still holds true. Jesus' command is still the words to live by: "But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also." (Matthew 5:39).

Pippy put this scripture into practice today as she resisted the evil attackers on our walk. Inside I'm sure she was shaking in her fur, but on the outside she didn't stoop to the level of fighting back. Pippy simply stood in the confidence that I would protect her. She didn't need to fight back. 

When I am tempted to fight against my attackers I can, like Pippy, turn the other cheek, resting in the knowledge that I am under the protection and care of my Heavenly Father. I don't need to be my own fighter. I don't need to throw any punches or come up with some clever come back. God wants me to let Him be the avenger and judge. He will administer justice. 

In the face of persecution, mocking and abuse I am called to be a Pippy. Stand without returning the attack with a punch or a jab. Stand without waging a counterattack. I am simply to stand in the confidence of God, knowing that He will be my shield and protector even in the midst of the most vicious of attacks. 

A walk on bay

The Great Lakes are making history. There is more ice on the lakes this winter then there has been in over a decade. 88% of the lakes are covered in ice. I pulled up a special map designed to display ice coverage and was not surprised to find that my great lake, Lake Erie, is completely covered in ice. I could have told you that without a map. If you've lived through the past two months in Erie then you could practically write the map for the National Weather Service. After all, experience is the best teacher and there is no doubt we have experience with ice. 
I've enjoyed the scenes that accompany a frozen lake and bay. In Erie the ice fisherman are out in full swing and even walkers, photographers, ice skaters and ice boaters are all out on the bay enjoying activities that are only offered when thick ice is available. During my runs down at the Peninsula I take in the view of the winter warrior's activities. My favorite groups to watch are the parents and grandparents with their kids who love the thrill of walking on the ice. The surface that is usually freely flowing, lapping up against the shore with gentle waves has turned into a rock solid ice floor that is over a foot thick. 
In all my years of living in Erie I've never walked on the bay in the winter. Even when the ice has been thick enough I've never wanted to venture out onto its surface. I guess I've always been afraid that I'll be that one single unfortunate soul that steps on the solitary patch of thin ice, sending me down into the icy waters below. That possibility has never been worth the risk, in my opinion. So I've always avoided the scenario all together.
Until today.
If the ice is record breaking then I suppose now would be my best shot at exploring the surface of the bay without risking life and limb, right? So today after my run I decided to finally experience the thrill of a walk on the ice. 
Gently and carefully, I stepped out onto the ice. The view was pretty much the same as from the sidewalk but there was an added excitement because I knew that this was not pavement or dirt underneath all the snow. It was a sheet of thick ice with water flowing underneath. 
As I walked along the slippery surface, relying on the traction of the snow to keep me upright, I couldn't help but think of Peter walking on the water to Jesus. In Matthew 14 the familiar story is recounted.
"Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”  “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said,“why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (V. 25-33)
These verses came to mind as I nervously explored the ice. All of the sudden I started to see the Peter in me.
How often have I read this story of Peter and thought, "Come on Peter! Jesus is calling you. Get over your fears and walk out there!" I tell myself that I wouldn't have been afraid. With my have faith I would have been running on that water to get to Jesus!
...But would I really? I was nervous to walk on ice! I was watching little kids run and play on the ice, fisherman pitch tents on the ice, photographers set up tripods on the ice… And I still had this lingering nervousness that I might possible fall into the icy waters. How silly! If my faith in rock solid ice had doubts, what would my level of doubt be if asked to walk on freely flowing water?
As I walked further out onto the ice I repeated those words of Jesus in my mind, "why did you doubt?" Those are words I don't want God to ever have to speak to me. I don't want to be nervous, anxious and fearful. I don't want to hesitate to put my entire, wholehearted faith in God. When He says, "come" I want to be ready and willing to heed the call with every ounce of my being!


My walk continued on but my nerves didn't. As I walked along the bay I realized that I was no longer anxious. My fears about crashing into a freezing pool of water were gone. I was walking with nothing but assurance and confidence that the ice would hold and my steps would be secure. 
It might have been just a small, almost laughable, act of faith but this morning walking on ice was what I had to give to God. That walk was my display of mustard seed sized faith.
Next time God calls me forth I pray that I will cast off any anxieties that tempt to hold me back. Instead I'm going to put on my ice-walking faith that relies on the solid and secure foundation of Jesus Christ.

Snowy circumstances

This winter has been brutal, breaking records for snow accumulation, ice thickness and freezing temperatures. I've taken to calling it the frozen tundra. This is as close to Siberia as I ever want to get. The cold is so intense that it blasts through three layers of clothing rendering even the fuzziest of coats inadequate.
My pets and I have been spending more time indoors than usual. Pippy and I still go for our walks, although I must admit they have become increasingly shorter. Other than those brief expeditions around the neighborhood Pippy is mostly inside. Patches, the overweight cat, hasn't passed over the threshold of the front door in over two months. In fact, she has barely come within five feet of the door. I believe she is trying to make her point crystal clear: I'm not going out there and you can't make me. Point taken. I haven't even attempted to corral her out the door and into the snow globe on the other side. She's old and, in my opinion, cranky. So, let her be - even if that means having to put up with a stinky litter box from December till March (if we're lucky).
Pippy, on the other hand, doesn't have such an aversion to the cold and snow. In fact, sometimes she seems to thoroughly enjoy it. Take, for example, last night. Pippy was prancing around, signally a need for a trip outside. I proceeded to the back door where I let her out so she could wander off the deck and into the yard to do her business. This is our typical evening routine.
After her normal five minutes I went back to the door and called her name. I must admit to a bit of nighttime cold paranoia. What if she freezes out there? What if she gets stuck in a big mound of snow? I can ward off these thoughts for about five minutes before I head to the door to retrieve the Pipster.
Last night I called her name and waited... No sound. I called again. Waited. And heard a little rustling. So I called again and didn't have to wait long because there came Pippy ripping around the corner. She bolted through the back door, stopped on a dime and looked up at me with her signature cocked head. And there it was, a snow covered face that was a dead give away that fun in the snow had just occurred. Pippy was off having a good romp, whooping it up in her own snow covered playground that was previously just a grassy backyard.
That little face looking up at me was one of pure joy. I can just picture what she was doing out there for those five minutes. I'm sure she was sticking her face in the snow, rolling around on her back, jumping up snowy stairs and licking at the wet substance. All the wonders of winter were at her disposal and she was obviously thrilled.
Across the room from the exuberant Pippy sat the ornery Patches. One would spend an hour in the snow if I would let her and the other would claw me to pieces if I tried to expose her paw to temperatures below forty-five degrees. This stark dichotomy put the wheels of my mind into motion. Two pets can take a very different view and opinion of the same circumstances. One sees a reason for celebration while the other wants nothing to do with the festivities.
I guess pets aren't all that different from people. Some people look at this snow and cold and see nothing but misery. Others put on their skis and hit the slopes. One person might loath the months of January, February and March while the other sees beauty and enjoyment in the change of scenery and activities that accompany the falling temperatures and rising snow.
The difference in perspective doesn't just stop at snowy winters. Some people see a hiccup in their plans as the ruination of a day. Another person sees that same hiccup as the chance for a different adventure. One person looks at a past failure and places a heavy burden of guilt on themselves. Another person might take a failure and use it as a learning opportunity. One person might interpret a Valentine's Day without a date as a sign of loneliness and inadequacy. Another person spends that same dateless night making themselves a cup of hot cocoa and watching a funny sitcom, not even remembering it's Valentine's Day at all.
In all circumstances, good or bad, there is always a choice to be made: see the good or sink into a pit with the bad.
Pippy's play time in the snow reminded me that I want to be one of those people that sees the good no matter what the weather. As 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "Give thanks in all circumstances." If Pippy could talk I think she would have been giving abundant thanks last night for the snow and for the frosty air. But she can't talk so instead she just enjoyed the blessing, giving thanks by displaying an undeniable pleasure and joy.
Today when I go out to walk Pippy, which I promise to do even if it is only fifteen degrees outside, I am going to do it with a thankful heart and a joyful spirit. Because I don't want to be a Patches type of person. I don't want to look at every circumstance and weather pattern as a reason for sorrow. I don't' want to grumble and complain when life doesn't go exactly my way. I want to look at every hiccup as an opportunity and every snow fall as God's wonderland. I want to enjoy life with a Pippy attitude that makes even the coldest and snowiest of days a cause for celebration and thanksgiving.

Once again my dear Pippy comes through with another lesson. And the timing is just perfect because once again, it has begun to snow. Looks to me like a good morning for a walk. Ready, Pippy?

New Life

Scripture says that I need to lose my life. 
Before I go any further let me thank Jesus for His full disclosure on this fundamental aspect of faith. He didn't mince words. He was straightforward. No campaign speech, no bait and switch. You want  to follow me? Lose you life. Get rid of it. There is no confusion here. Jesus is clear with His commands. 
So, back to losing my life. 
There are a few different ways to define lose. One is to have something taken away. Personally, I like the definition that puts it this way, "mislay something: to be unable to find something". Jesus wants me to lose my life that I've come to know so that I can never find it again. I have to throw it into a black hole. Let it slip into a great abyss. 
Essentially, I need to let my life become like my Mom's prescription sunglasses, which have ended up in the Bermuda Triangle of lost spectacles on a number of occasions  Somewhere, in the ocean and probably in some land fills, are multiple pairs of tortoise shell sunglasses with horribly scratched lenses. At one time they belonged to my Mom, but now they are lost forever.
After losing my life it is on to step two: follow Jesus so I can find a new life. 

So far I like the sounds of all this. It's a bit exciting. Sort of like a treasure hunt. I'm going to lose one thing that is flawed and eternally separated from Christ and I'm going to suddenly find a new one that is eternal and glorious! Sign me up! 
Oh, but wait a second… How will I find this new life? And when will I find it? How does this work exactly? I give up my old life and then what? Do I instantaneously get a new life that provides me with a new job, some new hobbies and a new group of church friends that get together and play Scrabble every Thursday night? When I trade out my life, do I get a prepackaged, quick-start new life that I can jump right into and enjoy?
Jesus' words in Matthew 10 provide clarity. In verse 39 He tells His disciples, "Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." But right before He speaks those words He tells them this: "Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me."
When read together there is a deeper understanding of just what is required to find this new life. This is a life with a cross, not necessarily a six-figure job. This is a life of persecution, not a life that is guaranteed a thriving social circle. This is a life of humility, not one of fame. This is a life of service and obedient surrender. 
Jesus carried His cross on His back up the hill of Calvary so that He could be crucified in my place. That wasn't an enjoyable walk. It was painful and grueling. He carried a physical cross that bore not only wood and nails, but the shame, guilt and punishment of the sins of the world. He carried a cross that He didn't do a single thing to deserve. That was the most torturous cross ever placed on a man's back and it has already been carried for me.
And now He is asking that I take up my own cross and follow Him. This cross won't have to be one that leads to a physical death by crucifixion to pay for all my sins. He already took that punishment. My cross is of obedience and surrender, living my life to serve the God who saved me from eternal damnation and separation from glory.

You and I can find our lives in Jesus when we pick up our own cross and follow Him. We have to leave our old life behind. There is no way to balance both our old lives and the cross at the same time. So we have to put down the old life so we can pick up our cross. When we pick up that cross we can start following Jesus. When we follow Jesus we can be led to our new life.

The challenge in following is to not put down the cross; not sit down on a nearby rock for a breather. Jesus' walk up the hill to Calvary reminds me that He didn't stop carrying the cross and neither can I. The One I'm following never took a break, He never lamented that the cross was too heavy to continue on His journey up the hill. Jesus kept walking with that cross on His back in the face of mocking, spitting, flogging and jeers from a crowd who hated Him and relished His slow and painful demise.
I have no excuse to put down my cross when I'm following Jesus. No matter how difficult and heavy that cross may be, no matter what the conditions, I must continue forward, following Jesus to the life He has for me.

Jesus will lead you and me to a life that is far better than the old one we had to lose when we picked up that cross. Will this life be easy? Heavens no! But far, far better! Because the life Jesus has leads to an eternal relationship with our heavenly Father. God longs to invade our lives and He can do it right now if we will surrender our old lives and take up the cross of His Son.
There is a glorious life to be found and it is in the cross of Jesus. So I am going to throw off my old self, pick up my cross and follow Him into that magnificent new life.

Dear Daughter

Dear daughter,
I see that you have a deep craving. There is something in you that yearns to be satisfied and fulfillment. You are antsy and restless.
The world certainly provides you with a variety of options to try out. Your choices are many, displayed with flashy advertising and clever campaigns. They all claim that what they have to offer will be the magic "something" you have long searched for. Just take your pick: entertainment, money, social gatherings, dating, looks, the latest car or an exotic vacation… The world has a plethora of possibilities. You can try every one of them if you so desire. You can try out one today and another tomorrow.
But will you ever be truly satisfied?
What this world has to offer you will never fill you up because you are not of this world. You are mine. You are my child. In you I have put a void in which only I can fill. You have cravings that only I can satisfy. This world can and never will be able to meet that need. I placed it in you and I alone can fill it. But do not despair because I am here, present and active. I have given you life and I have given you all you need to live it to the fullest.
I can satisfy your cravings. There is no need for you to ever go hungry. I have more than enough to fill you to the overflowing. I have set before you a feast in which you can freely partake : my Word.
This Word is written and given for your benefit and for your fulfillment. Delight in it. Soak in its presence and let it quench your thirst.
Are you restless, is your heart fidgeting within you? Come to my word and find peace for your soul. Are you adrift? Have you lost your way or stumbled on the path? Open my Word once again and reclaim my truths. Are you downtrodden, feeling stuck in the mire of life? My Word has the story of victory and joy that is yours in Jesus Christ.
You may find yourself at a place in life where nothing seems to be happening. You are hungry for some excitement or thrill. Despite the lights and displays of this world believe me when I tell you that it has nothing to offer you that will do anything but give you a temporary fix. All of the glitter and sparkle will fad and every high will fall flat. The world is temporal.
What I have is everlasting. My Word is eternal, it is a light for your path and true delight for your soul. No matter where you are in life, My Word can provide what you have been desperately seeking. All you need to do is come and sit at the table and feast on what I have prepared for you. My table has been lavishly set with the truth of my love, joy, grace, peace and mercy and I am asking you to join me in partaking of the magnificent spread I have to offer. Only I can give you this true nourishment that will give you lasting contentment for your soul. Come, dear one, and delight in my Word and be truly satisfied.
                                         Love,
                                            Father God

Faith in the footnotes

Of all the translations of the Bible, the NIV is my favorite. Some people prefer to read from the NKJ or ESV or even the contemporary translation, The Message, but for me, I turn to the NIV. Particularly, my NIV Study Bible with Jesus' words in red, a lime green and baby blue leather cover and brown silk ribbon book marker. This beautiful Bible is marked with the bright yellow of a highlighter, underlined words and scribbled notes in the margins. It is my morning companion who joins me for breakfast.
This particular Bible has been a fundamental part of my interaction with God. Not only does it provide the very word of God but this Bible provides footnotes. I love the footnotes. When I don't understand a scripture or want to gain more insight into a verse I've read a hundred times I turn to the little notes at the bottom of the page and my eyes are further opened and my understanding deepened.
This morning as I read through Romans 4 I realized that I was merely skimming the words, not really feasting on the glory of the message. Then I remembered the footnotes.
The note for verse nineteen of chapter four brought me back to truly soaking in the goodness of God. In referring to Abraham and God's promise to him that he would be the father of many nations, Romans 4:19 says, "Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead - since he was about a hundred years old - and that Sarah's womb was also dead." This is a familiar passage but the footnote that accompanied it made me take pause and look at Romans 4:19 as if seeing it for the first time. The NIV study Bible says about this verse, "Faith does not refuse to face reality but looks beyond all difficulties to God and his promises."
Faith isn't foolish. Faith doesn't deny reality. But faith is bigger than reality. What a beautiful truth! Reality might look overwhelming but faith is more powerful than our realities. God gave Abraham a promise, He gave him His word, and Abraham stood on God's word in the face of reality. He was far too old to have kids. So was Sarah, his wife. Still, God's promises trumped all of those technicalities. Reality, "fact", said that children were no longer possible for Abraham. God said you will be the father of many nations no matter what your age may say about you. Abraham choose to put his faith in God.
Our realities and difficulties exist but God can overcome them with His power, bringing glory to His name. When Abraham fathered Isaac there was no one but God who could get the credit. Fact and reason said Abraham would never have a child with Sarah. But God's promise was bigger than human reason and proved utterly faithful. In His time, God brought forth a son to Abraham because Abraham put His faith in God and trusted that God's word was true.
Even when you and I stand in the midst of difficulty or a trying circumstance we can look past the realities of our lives and look to the God who is faithful, knowing that He is bigger than the facts. The design and plans He has for you and I can't be thwarted by age, health, money or any human reason. When our faith is in God there is no fact on earth that can stop His will from being done. He will overcome all logic and every reality so that He can reign all-powerful and mighty over our circumstances.
Abraham had to wait a long time to see the fulfillment of the promise God made to him. But he didn't lose faith. He saw the impossibility of the promise and the stark reality of his circumstances, yet he put his faith in God. The promise wasn't delivered on his time table, but because he was faithful it was delivered in God's perfect timing. All the glory for the birth of Abraham's son Isaac went to the ultimate keeper of promises and the faithful fulfiller of His word, the Lord our God.

Change my heart, oh God

The lyrics are simple and easy to remember. Maybe that's why my childhood pastor loved to have the congregation sing the song "Change My Heart, Oh God" at the end of practically every Sunday service. At the time I must admit I was sick of singing the refrain. After every sermon I would internally roll my eyes, "Here it comes…again!" I would think. Sure enough, the piano would play those familiar opening chords before the congregation joined in with the words, "Change my heart, Oh God. Make it ever true. Change my heart, Oh God. May I be like you…. You are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me, this is what I pray…"
The melody is flowing and smooth, with the rhythm of a lullaby. The tune lends itself perfectly to a prayer but in my younger years I didn't appreciate the beauty of the song. I merely focused on how often I heard it and what I perceived as a lack of original thought. Why wouldn't our pastor choose a different salvation message chorus to conclude the service every now and again? "Change My Heart, Oh God" is a nice song but there are many wonderfully composed choruses and hymns that we could sing on occasion. Mix things up a bit; keep the congregation on its toes. That was my thinking.
My mind was so fixated on the routine of the song that I missed the profound message found in the lyrics I was singing. Now, when I read those simple words, I am stunned by their substantial meaning.
"Change my heart"…Had I realized what I was singing all those years? The words were never, "change my circumstances," "change that person's attitude," "change the trials" or "change the world." No, the words cried out for a change in ME. Dramatically alter, reconfigure, redesign, transform who I am, Lord.
I sat in the midst of a congregation of Christian believers for my whole childhood and teenage years singing that song almost every Sunday and yet I never stopped to think about the gravity of the words I sang. The words that passed through my lips asked God to turn me upside down, inside out. I wasn't asking for anything around me to change, only me.
The prayers I have prayed on my own, far removed from the chords of "Change My Heart, Oh God" haven't always reflected that same desire. I have often prayed for the changed behavior of those around me. I have prayed that I would be delivered from my difficulty and pain. I've prayed for blessings and asked God to do X, Y, and Z in my life and in that order. But how often have I prayed solely for my own heart to be changed? How often have I simply asked God to change who I am so that I look more like Him?
Maybe my pastor knew something I didn't understand. All those years he choose to sing that simple chorus over and over, could it be that he knew all those who sang the words weren't really getting the message just yet? We needed to hear it repeated a hundred times and maybe that wouldn't even be enough. The message he was trying to impart to us, the truth he was trying to reveal, was that God doesn't want us to be concerned with our circumstances. God wants us to be concerned about the condition of our hearts. He wants us to be begging for our souls to be transformed by the work of God.
My life might look exactly the same tomorrow as it does today. That's okay by me. What won't be okay is if tomorrow my heart looks the same as it does today. Every day I want to be further molded and sculpted to the image of Christ. I don't want my heart to go a day unchanged. I want the work of the potter to be active in my life each and every day.
The heart is where God can do His most masterful work on you and I, His cherished works of art. He can change our perspective on our circumstances by changing the condition of our heart. Our entire lives can be transformed when we earnestly seek to have our hearts invaded by Jesus Christ, submitting to the molding and shaping He has in store for His beloved creation.
I want to sing with sincerity the words that were once nothing more than a Sunday routine. I want to lay myself down at the feet of the cross, desiring for nothing but a changed heart. Let my circumstances remain but not my heart. God, I want a changed heart, made ever true. Please, change my heart, Oh God, so that I may be like you.