Rise Up And Live

In the depths of my despair, I found a strange comfort in the darkness. It was a familiar pain, a known entity that wrapped around me like a cold, heavy blanket. I had been here so long, in this tomb of my own making, that the thought of leaving terrified me more than staying. The lies I had believed about myself, about my worth, about my future, had become the very walls of my prison.

I was too lost to be found, or so I thought. In reality, I was merely asleep, oblivious to the life waiting just beyond my self-imposed confinement. But then, something extraordinary happened. A voice, clear and powerful, cut through the silence of my tomb. It was the voice of Jesus, calling my name with such love and authority that it shook the very foundations of my existence.

In that moment, I felt a surge of life course through my veins. It was as if I had been dead, and now I was alive again. The power that raised Lazarus from the dead was now working in me, breaking the chains of death and despair that had held me captive for so long.

With trembling limbs, I took my first breath of new life. The air was sweet and fresh, so different from the stale atmosphere I had grown accustomed to. As I rose, I realized that I was brand new. The person I had been before – bound by sin, shame, and fear – no longer existed. Death itself couldn't hold me in its grip any longer.

The love that filled me was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It wasn't just an emotion; it was a transformative force that washed away my sin, my past, my very identity. I stood cleansed, reborn, filled with a power I never knew existed.

As I looked around, I saw that the door to my tomb was wide open. The stone that I thought was immovable had been rolled aside effortlessly. The old life, with all its pain and darkness, was gone. In its place stood the radiant light of a new beginning.

This light illuminated everything, revealing truths I had been blind to before. I saw my value, not based on my achievements or failures, but on the immeasurable love of the One who called me out. I saw purpose where before there had only been aimlessness. I saw hope blooming in the places where despair had once taken root.

Now, as I stand at the threshold of this new life, I am filled with awe and gratitude. The journey ahead is unknown, but I'm no longer afraid. I carry within me the same power that conquered the grave, that called worlds into existence, that breathes life into the lifeless.

I realize now that my story is not unique. All around me, I see others still trapped in their own tombs of despair, addiction, fear, or shame. And I hear the same voice that called me, calling out to them too. It's a call of love, of hope, of new beginnings.

As I take my first steps into this new life, I do so with a mission. I want to echo that life-giving call, to share the transformative love I've experienced. For I know now that no tomb is too dark, no stone too heavy, no life too far gone for the redeeming power of Jesus.

The old has gone, truly gone. And the light, oh the glorious light, has come. And in this light, I will walk, I will live, I will love – forever changed, forever free.