"Tender Love"

 "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies." (S.O.S. 6:3)

  What does it take to capture a heart? Most of the world is not all that interested, if you were to ask any of them what they might think. But, if you get right down to it, this is something that is part of every great movement, passionate adventure, unbeatable quest, and unstoppable love. Just so you know, the word tender that is shown above, is not the an adjective or a verb, it is a noun; and not the kind that might be associated with Chicken Tenders, nor that which might be associated with money or an offer. No sir; this is that specific person that watches over, cares for, and protects, whomever or whatever they might be made Tender of, be it a person, place or thing, it becomes their responsibility to tend to it. 

  In the case of us, these silly lilies, we are quite the challenge! Heads that are held up by stiff-necks; and hearts that start hard, get hard, and sometimes remain hard; it requires that the Tender not only have patience, but that He have compassion; knowing full well that without His help, we are never going to make it, never! Thus, a heart is captured! Who's heart, you might be wondering: His! Not only does He love us, His love for us is to stop and prevent our destruction, each and every one. 

  To put this in a smaller light, one that we might be able to relate to: If you can imagine you have very hard to train pet; a pet that you loved dearly, wanted to protect, and nurture it, that it might be loyal and stay by your side; however, this particular pet is head-strong, filled with energy, and loves to destroy almost everything in sight. If you really truly loved this pet, what would you do? For one thing, you would not loose patience! (I am speaking from experience!) Gently and with as much consistency as you can, you would work one small attribute of obedience at a time, to mold this crazy pet into the imagine that you would imagine it to be. Now go try that with a Rottweiler and tell me how it works out for you!   

  Seriously, this is more than just His passion, this is the Way! There is only one way to do what He does, He is the Master Tender, there is none other; no one can do what He does: No, not one! And guess what this Young Woman has just realized: She has seen Him being first; "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine!" We did not choose Him, He chose us! He is the one that is holding onto us! We simply get to abide in Him; but He is the one that keeps us, regardless of our stupidity and our silly, destructive habits, He keeps on loving us and molding us into what He imagines, no, He knows, that we will be! 

  If you really want to get right down to it, it is His passion! He feeds among these silly lilies, and it is more than satisfying, it is what He feeds upon: "My meat is to do the will of  him that sent me, and to finish his work." (John 4:34) And His work is still not over! Thank goodness for hard-headed me...

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, then he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:29-31)