Author: Lauren (Heiligenthal) Demuth

Tend the Garden

A wonderful, thought-provoking story. Sometimes we dismiss people because they seem hopeless. Maybe they’re caught up with the wrong crowd, or they’re misbehaving in some way. Maybe their deeds have led to some disastrous situations. But if no one takes the time to reach out to them, what gift will we be missing? Perhaps they are meant to impact others’ lives one day. Although Stuart M. Perkins’ story may not be about Christ, I couldn’t help but think about our Savior’s desire to seek out the lost and bring them into His fold. Is this not what we are to do too?

Stuart M. Perkins's avatarStoryshucker

A longtime friend commented during dinner that her next door neighbor’s son was on the path to nowhere and constantly in trouble. She thought herself clever referring to him as “a weed in the garden of life”. Although an avid fan of barbed words and wit, I found her comment harsh directed at a kid who was barely a teenager. He was dismissed and labeled as worthless. A weed.

“But maybe he’s a pokeweed!” I said in a positive tone.

She rolled her eyes. I recognized the look of resignation on her face. The look many of my friends have when I spit out a puzzling one-liner and they know a story is coming. She sipped her drink and grinned, arms crossed in silent permission for me to proceed.

Years ago I had a yard packed with plants. It was full of boxwoods, azaleas, and geraniums surrounding a dogwood centerpiece…

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Celebrating New Life

How can I ever express how grateful I am for Christ’s sacrifice? Nothing I say seems like enough, yet Jesus simply says, “Follow Me.” In John 17 Jesus prays for His disciples before He’s betrayed. He’s always thinking about His creation. Always asking the Father on our behalf. Because He loves us tremendously! The greatest act I could ever do to express my gratitude is to live my life like Christ and follow His truth:

“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” ~ 1 John 1:5-10 NASB

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.”~ 1 John 4:7-14

“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” ~ 1 John 5:1-12

Simple, straightforward, wonderful truth! In the Son we have life and only through Him.

Below is a poem I’ve posted before, but I’d like to share it again as a testament to Christ’s great love for us. May we follow Him wholeheartedly today and remember the cost of having our sins washed away.

Beauty

Beauty is not characterized

by the efforts of my appearance,

but was borne upon two wooden beams

and through three piercing nails.

 

With each drive of a nail

faces line up in the mind of the Savior,

one after another,

each with a mask of his own:

deception, shame, pride.

 

With each tear being shed

and every cry screaming from the cross,

women fall into the arms of men,

hoping to find true love and longing to hear

“You are beautiful.”

 

With each dig from the thorns

and tearing of flesh,

men seek fortune and fame,

believing that power can only be obtained through ambition and violence.

 

“It is finished.”

The world with its

tainted love and enticing roads to death

stands still.

 

Divine blood pours over

the lost and broken,

vain and deceptive,

young and aged.

 

It penetrates every evil,

wipes off each mask,

exposes truth

and defines true love.

 

This beauty can only be found

through such brokenness,

through such sacrifice,

with the invitation of accepting it for myself.

 

Beauty is the power of Your love

that flows through my veins

and enraptures all of who You are

in me.

 

©Lauren Heiligenthal

 

 

The Way of Calvary ~ Christian Poetry

This is a poem that depicts the cost and outcome of Christ’s sacrifice in such a wonderful and truthful way. Written by fellow blogger Sue Nash 🙂

heavenlyraindrops's avatarHEAVENLY RAINDROPS

Cross draped with bordersDeceitful the way
They captured You:
By a friend betrayed,
Bound and taken away.

Fearful the way
They deserted You:
As accusers tread,
All Your followers fled.

Shameful the way
They taunted You:
All their jeering heard,
Yet You spoke not a word.

Painful the way
They tortured You:
While Your flesh was torn,
Soldiers mocked to scorn.

Awful the way
They crucified You:
Hammered nails were heard,
On a cross undeserved.

Boastful the way
They buried You:
Guarded day and night,
With the tomb sealed tight.

Joyful the way
They discovered You:
“He is risen,” confessed;
By hundreds, witnessed.

Tearful the way
They gazed up at You:
Into clouds, did ascend,
But You’ll come back again.

Wonderful the way
We’re saved by You:
From our sins, set free,
Because of Calvary.

****

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him…

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The Sermon on the Mount: A Message for Jesus’ Disciples- Part 1

Most of us have heard numerous messages on The Sermon on the Mount. Emphasis tends to be placed on the beatitudes (“Blessed are…”) and debates arise about whether it’s “blessed are the poor” or “blessed are the poor in spirit.” Jesus’ words have been picked apart, analyzed, and a number of complicated interpretations have been given. But one important factor that is often overlooked is Jesus’ audience. Who is He speaking to?

Jesus is speaking to His own disciples. And not just the chosen Twelve, but others who were following Jesus at this point in His ministry. So why is understanding the audience important? I think it’s important for three reasons. First, Jesus’ words are instructions for how His disciples should be living. They are to be the lights of the world, and their righteousness needs to be different than that of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. In essence, they need to be different from the world. Second, these instructions are important for teaching the future church. These teachings carry on long after Jesus’ death and resurrection as is evident in many of the letters to the churches. Third, because these are instructions for all of Jesus’ disciples, they also apply to Christians today. With the audience established, let’s take a look at the content.

Some people want to argue that Jesus is changing the Law with His message. I disagree. I think we forget that Jesus is God. He understands the contents and purpose of the Law better than anyone. The Law is not just about rules and regulations. It’s about motive. Why was King Saul’s kingdom taken away because he offered sacrifices (1 Sam. 13)? Sacrifices were required of the Lord according to the Law, but Saul was instructed to wait for Samuel. Samuel was supposed to offer the sacrifices, but Saul was impatient. First Samuel 15 demonstrates further that the Lord delights more in obedience than sacrifice (v. 22). Saul’s motives were wrong in both 1 Sam. 13 and 15, and he paid heavy consequences for his sin. Jesus is teaching the same thing.

For example, in Matt. 5:21-24 Jesus talks about how being angry with one’s brother is the same as committing murder. One who stays angry is guilty of sin. Jesus instructs that a person who has such anger in his or her heart should not give an offering to the Lord until he or she is first reconciled to the other person. The act of giving an offering to the Lord is a good thing, but the Lord does not desire an offering given with sin in our lives. We must make things right.

Think about this for a moment. Do we consider where we are spiritually when we give an offering to God? Are we harboring anger, bitterness, malice, etc. towards another person as we drop the envelope in the offering plate? If so, are we willing to wait to give our offering until we make things right? Just think about how much more united the church would be if we actually worked out our issues with one another.

The same thing goes for the adultery teaching (Matt. 5:27-28). It’s not just the act of adultery that is sinful, but lusting after another person. In this way, the argument of “I never touched her” or “I never touched him” doesn’t carry any weight. Sin is sin. But thank the Lord for His mercy and forgiveness. As disciples there is much to live by, but we also have access to the only One who can wash away our sins.

Another important message for Jesus’ disciples is to interact with people who are of the world (Matt. 5:43-48). Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Talk to non-Christians. Jesus called out the Pharisees and teachers of the Law because they studied the Law, had access to the truth, were taught by Jesus Himself, and still rejected Him. They followed their own devices and interpretations instead of God. Some people in the world do the same thing even when the truth is presented to them, but I believe that most of the world does not know or understand the truth. That’s why we are the light. I love what Jesus prays to the Father in John 17:14-21 (NASB):

“I have given them (the disciples) Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (Bold print for emphasis)

We are supposed to be in the world. That is why we are to be salt and light. That is why we’re supposed to be different. We need to be more than separate buildings lined up on the same block, yet all too often the church looks like the world with a veneer of light.

We must shine for God’s glory! It is becoming increasingly evident that the world needs Christ. Everything that is happening in the world is like a powder keg ready to blow. It is more important than ever to ask ourselves the following: Who will we be? What will we teach? How will we live? Who will we follow? How bright is our light?

The path of a disciple is not easy, but it is always worth it for the sake of Christ.

 

©Lauren Heiligenthal

Understanding Jesus

Jesus has been depicted in a number of ways. Love. Redeemer. Savior. Friend. Advocate. Mercy. All of these, and many more descriptions, are true. But one truth that we cannot forget is that He is just. And not simply just, but the embodiment of Justice itself.

I’ve been drawn to read through Matthew again, and one of the first things that John the Baptist says about the Messiah has caught my attention:

“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11-12 NASB

Fire. A small but powerful word used in numerous contexts. In this particular context I think fire has two meanings. First, fire purifies. If silver or gold is refined by fire this means that all of the impurities are burned away. In the same way, anyone who is a follower of Christ will not only be baptized with the Holy Spirit, an extraordinary gift, but he or she will be refined by fire. Fire is good because it gets rid of the impurities in our lives.

Second, fire destroys. Christ, with the winnowing fork in His hand, will save the wheat, those who are righteous. On the other hand, Jesus Himself will burn up the chaff, those who are wicked, with fire that can never be quenched. John the Baptist tells the Pharisees and Sadducees who come to be baptized, “‘You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.  The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire’” (Matt. 3:7-10). In the context of vv. 10 and 12, fire is still good because it gets rid of the wicked: Those who bear bad fruit. Those who deny Christ as Lord and Savior. Those who actively work against God even though trying to look like sheep. Those who openly work against God.

What also stands out to me are the words “thoroughly clear.” The Greek word for this translation is διακαθαρίζω which occurs only once in all of Scripture. (In the Luke 3:17 account διακαθαίρω is an equivalent word for διακαθαρίζω.) The verb καθαρίζω means “to make clean” or “to cleanse” and is used 31 times in the NT and over 100 times in the Septuagint. I write all of this to point out that the rare occurrence of διακαθαρίζω indicates a more significant meaning. Christ isn’t simply cleansing something. He is thoroughly clearing HIS threshing floor. There is nothing left over. There is wheat. There is chaff. Nothing in between. No stragglers who hang in some sort of limbo (or purgatory). No gray areas. Similar analogies include the separation of the sheep and goats (Matt. 25:31-33), the wheat and tares (Matt. 13:24-30), and the good and bad fish (Matt. 13:47-50).

All in all, John the Baptist sums up the Messiah’s ministry quite succinctly. First, He will come and baptize people with the Holy Spirit and fire. This has already been accomplished through His death and resurrection. I believe that we are still being refined by fire—through various tests—as long as we are on this earth.

Second, John the Baptist reveals the end result of Jesus’ mission: the ultimate separation of the righteous and wicked. This will not happen until THE harvest, Christ’s return.  Like the landowner tells his slaves in the parable of the wheat and tares, “Allow both (the wheat and tares) to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn’” (Matt. 13:30). The landowner (a representation of Christ) didn’t want his servants to accidentally uproot the wheat with the tares (Matt. 13:29).

I don’t believe Christ desires anyone to perish. Peter writes, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). However, we also have to consider what Jesus says in Luke 18:7-8, “‘now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?’” What a question: Will He find faith upon the earth? May the Lord’s patience not be in vain!

Christ is the ultimate example of love. His mercy is evident in our own lives. But we cannot forget that He is just. When that moment of separation comes there is only right and left. The fire is not only reserved for those who have never chosen to follow Christ, but also for those who have fallen away. Hebrews describes this quite plainly:

“For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.  For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.” Hebrews 6:4-8

May we recognize that the Lord’s justice is good. Let us remain faithful and see that the harvest is plentiful. May we not be so entangled with the world that we forget Christ’s mission.

Christ’s justice will prevail!

 

©Lauren Heiligenthal

 

The Beauty of Restoration

Last week I spent time doing some much needed cleaning. I had my mind set that I would clean everything that I could, but I didn’t realize how much really needed to be done. I began to notice the areas that tend to be overlooked and the small, seemingly insignificant objects that attract a terrible amount of dust. The hours passed as I noticed more areas that needed work. Sometimes I would get frustrated, or I’d initially say to myself, Well it seems clean enough. But in truth, nothing was clean enough. It wasn’t until I was scrubbing oven racks over the kitchen sink that I took the time to the listen to the Lord.

I was reflecting on the past days of cleaning and realized that I enjoyed seeing items restored to what they should be (or as close as possible). I had allowed myself to get so used to how things are that I didn’t realize their full potential. I thought their shine was bright enough, but I was wrong. Then I believe the Lord spoke a few things in my heart.

First, when I was thinking about the beauty and joy of seeing things restored, He reminded me that this is how He feels about people who are restored to Him, whether it is an unbeliever coming to Christ or a believer who is getting rid of junk in his or her life. He rejoices in our restoration! Second, there were some things I wanted to overlook cleaning because they seemed good enough, but when I took a closer look they were disgusting. There are a number of things in our own lives that we overlook because we don’t take the time to look close enough. We get used to how we live and who we are right now. We put off cleaning up until we convince ourselves that our shine is bright enough. I can’t speak for anyone else but myself, and I can honestly say that my shine can be brighter. There are things I’ve had to change and still need to change in order to be a more mature Christian. For a long time I got used to how things were, but the problem is that the longer something sits, the harder it is to clean. It is not impossible because Christ makes it possible, but it does make it more difficult to get rid of in our lives. Third, I was reminded again that Christ is the ultimate Restorer. Even when we clean something it is never as perfect as when we first bought it, but the longer we keep it clean the longer it lasts. Everything we do as Christians should result in becoming more mature in Christ. We will not be perfect until we are with the Father in heaven nor will everything be fully restored until Christ returns, but Christ has the power to renew us, to wash us clean, to scrub out the rough spots. He has become a sacrifice for our own sanctification and no matter how difficult a stain may be, He can remove it quickly and permanently.

As I stood at the sink and pondered over these things I couldn’t help but tear up. The Lord desires for us to be renewed and restored to Him for our own maturity and for His glory. It is not a punishment to get rid of things in our lives that keep us tied down to the world. In truth, it is a beautiful reward. We have Christ who makes us new. We have the opportunity and ability to be a brighter light because of Him. We have a means to escape the temptations of this life. We have the choice to be closer to the Lord by getting rid of the dirt and grime that keep us distant from Him.

May we choose to look closer at who we are and become who the Lord has made us to be.

“11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors (or ministers) and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way,21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” Ephesians 4:11-24 (NASB)

Man-Up!

This message is rarely taught within the church. I believe that part of the reason for its rarity is that it is not a popular message in the world. However, as Christians, our lives are not supposed to reflect the world. Rather, we are supposed to reflect Christ.

SandreS's avatarThe Patriarchs' Journal

The husband is head of the wife even as Christ is Head of the ecclesia (Ephesians 5:23, CV).

Someone is responsible for the wife and the family. There is a place where the buck stops. God has made the husband that responsible agent (I Corinthians 11:3). It can clearly be seen in Genesis 3 that the husband is the responsible agent. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, for whom did God come looking? He came looking for Adam!

Manhood is defined by God, not by society. Being a real man has nothing to do with body-building or “bossing women around.” It has to do with responsibility. The course of the world will lead men to become effeminate in the guise of masculinity by forsaking the seriousness of their divine responsibilities. Such emasculated men will tirelessly point in all directions in an attempt to pass off the responsibility…

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Which God Do You Serve?

As most of us know, much is happening in the Middle East and Africa. Terrorism is expanding. People are dying. Yet some want to argue that Allah and the Christian God, Yahweh, are the same. I recently wrote a brief message about this on Facebook:

A few years back I was taught at a Christian university that Allah is the same as Yahweh God because Allah means “god.” That’s like saying that Baal is the same as God because Baal means “master” or “lord.” Well, we know what happened to the prophets of Baal (refer to 1 Kings 18). Jesus Himself makes an excellent argument when people accuse Him of being the enemy:

Matthew 12:22-28: “22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. 23 All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, ‘This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?’ 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, ‘This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.’ 25 And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, ‘Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

What’s my point? If followers of Yahweh and followers of Allah are serving the same God, the kingdom of God would not last. Does God destroy Himself? Of course not!

Conclusion: Yahweh and Allah are not the same. To say that they are violates Scripture and calls God a liar since He cannot deny Himself. He cannot uplift the body of Christ and destroy it at the same time. To do so would be illogical.

—

I say all of this because I want believers (and unbelievers, too) to be discerning about what they are taught. When I heard my professor and classmates say that Allah and Yahweh God are the same, it made me pause. It even made me start to doubt my faith for a moment. But thank the Lord the truth was pointed out to me!

So to all of you I say, Do not doubt! Know who the Lord God is! Question everything you hear and test it with the truth of Scripture. Ask the Lord to lead you in truth and understanding, and He will.

May everything we say and do bring glory to our God who is the King of kings and Lord of lords!

 

©Lauren Heiligenthal

Free Show

Storyshucker (aka Stuart M. Perkins) is an excellent writer whose stories never disappoint. This story is no exception. In my opinion, it demonstrates the difference between positive and negative perspectives on life and their respective outcomes. I think you’ll appreciate a good laugh like I did 🙂

Stuart M. Perkins's avatarStoryshucker

Several of us waiting for the bus this morning watched a starling glide in and land on the pipe suspended high above our heads. The bird fluttered in the wind as it fought to balance itself on the slick rounded surface of the pipe which is attached to a pole across the street, stretches over two lanes, and its uncapped end opens directly above the bus stop and right over our heads.

The starling gained its balance, hopped sideways to the end of the pipe, and cocked its head to peek into the open hole. It then sat upright, hesitated a second, and flew across the street and into the woods.

I remembered last spring when I noticed a starling fly in and out of the open end of this same pipe. For days it carried grass and such as it built a nest, then later made trip after trip…

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Beware of Generalizations

During my years in school I’ve learned a number of important tidbits. One of these being: Do not make generalized statements. I have tried my best to remember this for papers, my book, and really, for any conversation.

On my way home from work today I noticed an interesting church sign which read: Adversity turns us to God; prosperity turns us to self. My eyebrows furrowed. My thoughts sounded something like, Is that true? Do all adverse situations turn people to God? Is prosperity always about focusing on oneself? You understand where I’m going with this right? Generalizations! Can adversity turn people to God? Absolutely! But how many of us know people who followed the Lord, and then when adversity came they hated Him? Maybe they walked away for good? Most of us would raise our hands to that. Can prosperity lead us to focusing on ourselves? Yes! But are there not many wealthy believers who use their prosperity to further the kingdom of God? Of course! To say that prosperous people do not turn to the Lord is a discredit to people like David and Lydia (Acts 16).

Perhaps this church did not mean to generalize. It’s possible that they just couldn’t fit more words on that sign. However, it is important to be aware of what we teach and learn. If a wealthy unbeliever reads this sign (which I’m sure some have) what would he/she think? What message does it send? What does it say to believers? Something to think about.

So, what should this sign actually communicate? Sometimes adversity turns us to God; it is possible that prosperity may turn us to ourselves.

It’s really about our motive, isn’t it?

©Lauren Heiligenthal