An Onion
Before Christ

Other related insights:
An Emptying Out
Sharing The Journey
Double Grace (still applies)
Moments of Visitation

I was an onion before Christ set me free,
Layers upon layers of iniquity.

An ugly old onion whose fragrance was strong;
That my Jesus bought and loved all along.

Unknown to me what He was going to do.
Of what He was planning, I had not a clue.

Pulling each layer off one by one.
In order to make me more like Jesus the Son.

The first layer wasn't so bad.
I saw all the sins that I knew I had.

They were easy to fix, just change the way I talk.
And learn more of how He wanted me to walk.

Reading His Word, and learning again;
How to put aside my life of sin.

But the next layer was pulled which hurt more.
He was getting closer to the core.

Unknown what He would find there,
I simply gave it to Him in prayer.

As another layer was removed, He started to cry
Pulling this layer brought pain to my Father on High.

And I was crying over the sadness I felt
The brokenness and all of the guilt.

Past memories that I thought were gone
But they were buried under layers disguised in a fragrance so strong.

As onions peel more and more;
And they put tears in our eyes as we get close to the core

So, my Father wept over my pain
Giving me a balm of comfort and strength to sustain.

"NO MORE LAYERS!" I would scream.
As He continued to peel them off of me.

"I'll have nothing left my Lord, what will I do?
I'll be nothing but a worthless core to You. "

But He just said, "Trust Me”, and continued to peel.
I was sure He was blinded to my pain that was so real.

Year after year, I shrunk more and more
Until all that was left of this onion was a core.

It was then that I began to understand
As the Lord embraced me in His loving hand.

He said, now and only now can you be
The creation that will minister before Me.

Clothed with the righteousness only from above
Gone are your layers of self so you can be filled with My love.

He took my layers of sin, hurt and pain
And clothed me with love, truth, and mercy in His name.

Yes, we are all onions, learning with each day
How to overcome as each layer is taken away.

Some layers tear and pull at our heart
While others grieve us to our innermost part.

But we are nothing but an ugly onion without Christ.
Layers upon layers of pride, sin, and strife.

Only God can take those layers away.
And clothe us with His righteousness in that final day.

(Author Unknown)
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But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor. 3:18

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Rom. 1:17

The Potter takes away and the Potter adds. And when He, Jesus Christ, AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith (Heb. 12:2) is finished, we will be like Him. The Alpha and Omega of the Universe is also the Alpha and Omega of our lives.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.