I wrote this in 2012 and would like to share it with you today on Father's Day.
COMPLETE
By Sherry Gorslin
January 12th, 2012
One evening as I was taking a walk pondering where my life was going and why was I even alive, I came upon a large nail sticking up from a crack in the sidewalk. With the street being dimly lit from the streetlight I worried that someone might trip and get hurt. As I stopped a thought crossed my mind of how that nail at one time must have been used to hold something together and now that it has been loosened and dropped, that something was incomplete and no longer as sturdy as it once was.
I knelt to pick up that old rusty nail and all of a sudden a flash of Calvary flooded my mind. In that instant I was kneeling at Calvary’s cross. There at the base of the cross I could see the blood that had dripped down and dried on that rocky ground. As my eyes lifted to an old rugged wooden stake that appeared to be placed deep in the ground, I could see blood dripping down its crevices. My heart began to race as I thought could this be the blood of Jesus. My head lifted higher and I could see the feet of a man with a huge nail driven through them and into that stake. It was this nail that held him in place. I knew in my mind this must be the feet of Jesus I was seeing.
This man who many called the Messiah that was written about throughout the ages was in front of me. Could I bear to look up? My heart was now pounded as if it would beat out of my chest. I stretched out my hand and so lightly touched those feet with the very tips of my fingers and as I touched them one drop of blood ran down onto my finger. My heart was suddenly pierced with pain as that drop so slowly moved towards my hand. The pain was great and sorrow filled my soul. The sorrow grew until it seemed unbearable for me to carry.
What could this be that could consume my emotions in such a way? What could cause so much pain? My fingers gingerly made their way to that nail. As I touched it I knew this was the very thing that held this man to the cross. Without this nail I would be incomplete. This nail was meant for me. I realized that the pain piercing my heart and burdening me with sorrow would overwhelm me without this nail. I quickly looked up into the face of this man that took on my punishment so that I would not have to. His face filled with anguish, his eyes began to turn towards me, and I could see the pain in them. A pain so deep, a pain I knew I could never bear myself. He said, “This is My body which is broken for you.” As he spoke those words, I could feel them penetrating my body, soul, and mind, and all the pain and sorrow that seemed unendurable was instantly gone.
As suddenly as I went to that mountain, I returned. There I knelt looking at that old nail in my hand. Even though moments before it was stuck in that crack of cement, useless, abandoned, and hazardous to all who would come into contact with it, the nail was now precious and meaningful to me. My fist clenched it as a sweet reminder of the true meaning of life. I, a sinner, have been set free and there is no penalty or fine that has not been paid on my behalf.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
Whether you're a father, a son, fatherless, or a future father, you're made complete through Calvary. What a gift from our heavenly Father!
Sherry Gorslin
COMPLETE
By Sherry Gorslin
January 12th, 2012
One evening as I was taking a walk pondering where my life was going and why was I even alive, I came upon a large nail sticking up from a crack in the sidewalk. With the street being dimly lit from the streetlight I worried that someone might trip and get hurt. As I stopped a thought crossed my mind of how that nail at one time must have been used to hold something together and now that it has been loosened and dropped, that something was incomplete and no longer as sturdy as it once was.
I knelt to pick up that old rusty nail and all of a sudden a flash of Calvary flooded my mind. In that instant I was kneeling at Calvary’s cross. There at the base of the cross I could see the blood that had dripped down and dried on that rocky ground. As my eyes lifted to an old rugged wooden stake that appeared to be placed deep in the ground, I could see blood dripping down its crevices. My heart began to race as I thought could this be the blood of Jesus. My head lifted higher and I could see the feet of a man with a huge nail driven through them and into that stake. It was this nail that held him in place. I knew in my mind this must be the feet of Jesus I was seeing.
This man who many called the Messiah that was written about throughout the ages was in front of me. Could I bear to look up? My heart was now pounded as if it would beat out of my chest. I stretched out my hand and so lightly touched those feet with the very tips of my fingers and as I touched them one drop of blood ran down onto my finger. My heart was suddenly pierced with pain as that drop so slowly moved towards my hand. The pain was great and sorrow filled my soul. The sorrow grew until it seemed unbearable for me to carry.
What could this be that could consume my emotions in such a way? What could cause so much pain? My fingers gingerly made their way to that nail. As I touched it I knew this was the very thing that held this man to the cross. Without this nail I would be incomplete. This nail was meant for me. I realized that the pain piercing my heart and burdening me with sorrow would overwhelm me without this nail. I quickly looked up into the face of this man that took on my punishment so that I would not have to. His face filled with anguish, his eyes began to turn towards me, and I could see the pain in them. A pain so deep, a pain I knew I could never bear myself. He said, “This is My body which is broken for you.” As he spoke those words, I could feel them penetrating my body, soul, and mind, and all the pain and sorrow that seemed unendurable was instantly gone.
As suddenly as I went to that mountain, I returned. There I knelt looking at that old nail in my hand. Even though moments before it was stuck in that crack of cement, useless, abandoned, and hazardous to all who would come into contact with it, the nail was now precious and meaningful to me. My fist clenched it as a sweet reminder of the true meaning of life. I, a sinner, have been set free and there is no penalty or fine that has not been paid on my behalf.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
Whether you're a father, a son, fatherless, or a future father, you're made complete through Calvary. What a gift from our heavenly Father!
Sherry Gorslin