"Each heart knows its own bitterness..."
This world sucks.
Why can't life just be easy? Why can't things just go right? Why does it seem like any time we finally to a point in our day to day experience where find happiness, joy, love, where things finally start looking like they're going to be amazing for once, there just has to be some sort of balance where life completely and utterly reeks. One week of joy, one month of pain and misery and frustration. And endless cycle that just absolutely sucks.
Sound familiar?
Have you ever stopped to think about the concept of darkness? What it truly is, its nature, the hows and ifs and whys. I find it interesting that we have developed the phrase, "swallowed up by the darkness," as if darkness itself had the power to overthrow the light. But I now present an interesting concept...the fact that darkness has no such power whatsoever. In reality, how is it we measure darkness but by the absence of light? For that is exactly what the dark is: the absence of light. Likewise, what is evil but an absence and utter abandonment of good? What makes a demon a demon, compared to an angel? Are they not, or at least were they not, exactly the same creature, one choosing to wholly reject the love of its creator and the other fully embracing it? The list goes on and on...I could probably write a book on such concepts...but really I'm just babbling.
This is not really my point.
How many of us have felt burden, hardship, abandonment, despair, pain that makes you wish you could simply reach in and rip your heart to shreds because at least if you're going down doing so wouldn't be so slow and agonizing? Absolutely Broken. Trapped in the tunnel...
I'm talking about sorrow.
"Each heart knows its own bitterness..."
We all feel it. We all hate it. But why? Why, why, why must we be confined to this endless, bitter cycle of up and down and around and around and around? Even those of us who have found the hope in the sacrifice of Jesus, we are far from exempt. I once heard a speaker who described how before we come to know Him, so often we find ourselves dealing with our troubles like we're simply plugging holes in a bursting dam, but every time we stick our finger in one spout another pops out to replace it! And so though we seem content to endlessly fill in hole after whole, we never solve the honest issue. That the dam is bursting. There is something more than surface-level instability, and the whole structure is about to explode. So we come to Jesus, and He totally restores us, from the inside out. We draw near to Him and He repairs us...but then, why do those of us who do hold so tightly and so truly to who He is and what He does feel so alone? So broken? So full of sorrow? Weren't we repaired already?
But still, this isn't really my point. I'm not here to explain away why the world is how it is and why life can be so simply miserable. Many have tried, and really what can I, by adding mere words to the cacophony already thundering, do?
So a thought to try and tie it all together...
What is sorrow, but the absence of joy?
We sense something missing, something totally askew to what the promises of our Savior hold, something that should be there, but just isn't. We know joy. We found it when we found Him. And yet, still...
Bitterness. Anger. Despair.
It just doesn't make sense.
But maybe it doesn't have to.
At least not to us.
I mean really, we believe that one Man, who lived thousands of years ago, lived, died, and by His own power rose from the dead, thereby obliterated Death, Hell, and the grave, and became the perfect sacrifice needed in order to obliterated the depravity of mankind and reconnect us with the Father. One man.
One man. Changed Everything.
Now that's just crazy. I can fully understand why someone would say that makes absolutely no sense in the slightest way imaginable.
But that's okay. Because Love is just crazy like that.
So then, where do we find this joy that is so absent that it leaves behind nothing but sorrow, nothing but that endless cycle of fleeting happiness and furious pain?
But then, I guess I already answered that question.
We know joy. We found it when we found Him.
And what hope we have in that!!
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12
And to think that our hope cannot be crushed by any power that has ever been or ever will be!
Yes, this world sucks. It's messed up, breaking apart and it feels like it's going everything it can to take us with it. But no matter the pain, no matter the heartache, no matter the mistakes, we do have joy.
My very existence, every single minute aspect of my life itself, is completely and utterly an illustration of how the love God has for His people so far overpowers the devastation sin can wreak when we make mistakes, when the world is falling apart. I am the very result of a mistake my parents made twenty years ago. I was a prime opportunity for sin to inject hopelessness, pain, and grief, and to potentially destroy the lives of two of God's beloved. And yet now that I have come to realize this truth I can see that every blessing, every time I have been spared, and every time I have not, every heartache I have survived, and each one I still bear, every trial I have endured, and those I still have yet to, every moment I even draw another breath, and even when I cannot, it is the direct result of God's unimaginable, irrefutable, undeniable Love totally shattering any hope for the havoc and pain sin so greatly wishes to dish out to have any sort of place for those He so desperately loves and purses and those who purse Him in return.
And if you think that's not something to be joyful about, then I cannot help you. Because I know for me, I could not be the man I am today, could not be filled with the passion and insatiable desire to love and be loved without the hope that this has brought me, without that joy. Without that Love. What hope I have to know that the very purpose of my life is to be a very real picture of the Love God has for His people in their darkest moments, and the hope and joy they can and still do have!
We just have to remember.
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."
~ John 3:16
When the tunnel is closing in around us, someone has already pierced the darkness.
"And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. "
1 John 5:14
When we stumble and fall, someone has already borne our wounds.
"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance." Romans 5:3
When the decadence of the world is trying so desperately to tear us down, someone has already repaired us and given us a home in an impenetrable fortress.
"O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge."
Psalm 62:8
When those around us cause us pain, headaches, heartaches, tears,someone has loved us beyond any ability of the human mind to imagine.
"The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives." Psalm 37:23
When we feel like we simply cannot go on, someone has already carried our burdens, and placed others around us to encourage us, drag us back to our feet, and support us along the path.
"We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy..." Colossians 1:11
When we want nothing more than to curl up in a ball and die, someone has already destroyed Death and all his friends.
"Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying." Romans 12:12
We just have to remember: we have hope. We have joy. Joy beyond any capacity to be contained.
"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. " 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Remember that joy. Remember that hope.
Will we never feel sorrow? Doubt it. Will we never feel pain, heartache? Not in this life. You're naive to think otherwise and I'd be a liar of the worst kind to say otherwise
But because of the pure joy that already consumes our hearts, we cannot and will not be consumed by that sorrow and bitterness.
As long as we remember.
And as a last little tidbit, I would like to add that you are never alone. I am here. I have no doubt that there are those around you who are truly with you and would drop anything and everything to help you through anything you need. And He is here. Always. So just ask any of us. All of us.
And just remember that hope.
"Each heart knows its own bitterness...and no one else can share it's joy." Prov 14:10
Dive Deep
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
The Pursuit
Whatever happened to the exhilaration of the pursuit?
Where the man would charge in, caring not whether he risk even his life in order to rescue and woo the woman he loves, and he would forever protect, cherish, and lavish her and she him.
The pursuit of Love. And the pursuit of that special one we will lavish with our love.
Is it our fear of rejection?
Is it our wavering belief that such a thing even can exist?
Is it our dwindling expectations for what love truly is?
But really whatever happened to the pursuit at all?
In today's world a relationship more often than not seems to consist of "hey you're cute, you're funny, let's hook up and see what happens." And so we bounce from person to person, hoping that maybe something will click or work out or whatever and we'll find happiness and the white picket fence blah blah blah.
And we call that a relationship? This is what is supposed to lead us to the Love that we so desperately desire?
I'm not going to even attempt to describe what a perfect pursuit looks like, one because I have no idea, and two because I've come to believe that really there is no such thing as one perfect pursuit, because Love works in different people in different ways.
But what I will emphatically stress is just how awesome the pursuit is. The implications it can have, the treasures that it holds.
Erwin McManus was in the Middle East discussing with some Muslims the history of Christianity as a religion, and the question was brought up of why it was necessary for God to become human.
"I once met a girl named Kim. I pursued her with my love and pursued her with my love until I felt my love had captured her heart. So I asked her to be my wife, and she did not say yes.
"I was unrelenting and asked her again, pursuing her with my love, and I pursued her with my love until she said yes.
"I did not send my brother, nor did I send a friend. for in issues of love, you must go yourself.
"This is the story of God: He pursues you with His love and pursues you with His love, and you have perhaps not said yes. And even if you reject His love, He pursues you ever still. It was not enough to send an angel or a prophet or any other, for in issues of love, you must go yourself. And so God has come.
"This is the story of Jesus, that God has walked among us and He pursues us with His love. He is very familiar with rejection but is undeterred. And He is here even now, still pursuing you with His love...
"In that moment the story of Jesus was not about who is right and who is wrong, what God's name is and who His prophet is, but what exactly God's motivation toward humanity is. If the message that God wants to get across to us is just about getting our beliefs right, then He didn't need to come Himself. If God's entire intent was to clarify right from wrong, no personal visitation was necessary. If the ultimate end was simply to overwhelm us with the miraculous so that we would finally believe, then God taking on flesh and blood and walking among us was far from necessary. There is only one reason for God to come Himself, because in issues of love, you just can't have someone else stand in for you."
What a spectacular thought and image to carry with us into this Christmas season! A what an incredible reminder that this remarkable season is yet another depiction of how awesome the discovery and illustration of Love is.
God pursues us with His love, and He pursues us and pursues us. And if we also are to discover Love and show Love, what better way to do so than to follow the example of the One who is Love. And so I urge you, do not forget the pursuit. In the pursuit we can find so much joy, and we can learn exactly what it will take to win over another with our love. We can even learn quite a bit about Love along the way. This is how we grow, how we build a relationship, a friendship, how we learn about that certain special someone and the awesome things Love is working in each of your lives, and maybe even has waiting for you to uncover together.
So don't be deterred by the fear of rejection...
In Song of Solomon 3, "Solomon is describing the desperation that comes when we seem unable to capture the heart of the one we love. I wonder if it ever occurs to us that God feels like this. But if God's love is immeasurable and unending, as the Hebrews describe Him, how deep and profound must be His sense of sorrow and rejection. If anyone know the pain of a love unreturned, it must be God." (Erwin McManus)
...or a wavering belief that such a thing even can exist or dwindling expectations for what love truly is, because really these things should not be a part of our pursuit of Love. Not with the knowledge and hope that we have in the One who is Love.
So can we contemplate our departure from the exhilaration of the pursuit, and realize just how much we are missing out on?
We have been chosen. We have been pursued. And so in return should we. For we have also been rescued, wooed, protected, and lavished. By Love.
Us. Those who never fail to be foolish, to be utterly idiotic, to destroy that which we care about most, to turn our backs on the most incredible of everything life has to offer, to fill ourselves with pointless desire. We never fail to fail. And despite knowing all this, despite knowing that He would be killed in one of the most of gruesome of manners mankind has ever conceived, that we would beat him, cut him, spit in his face and laugh all the while, relishing in our miserable and depraved state, He still came. We ran and He chased. We cursed Him and He shouted out ballads of his passion. And then the love of His life crushed that life from Him, and yet He didn't let even that stop him, it didn't even slow Him down in the slightest! And He just loved all the more. And He has not stopped. No matter how many times we kill Him, He will not stop. Period. End of story. That is the power of the love of God.
And so in return should we choose and pursue. Pursue others. And pursue Love.
"We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19
And Merry Christmas!
Where the man would charge in, caring not whether he risk even his life in order to rescue and woo the woman he loves, and he would forever protect, cherish, and lavish her and she him.
The pursuit of Love. And the pursuit of that special one we will lavish with our love.
Is it our fear of rejection?
Is it our wavering belief that such a thing even can exist?
Is it our dwindling expectations for what love truly is?
But really whatever happened to the pursuit at all?
In today's world a relationship more often than not seems to consist of "hey you're cute, you're funny, let's hook up and see what happens." And so we bounce from person to person, hoping that maybe something will click or work out or whatever and we'll find happiness and the white picket fence blah blah blah.
And we call that a relationship? This is what is supposed to lead us to the Love that we so desperately desire?
I'm not going to even attempt to describe what a perfect pursuit looks like, one because I have no idea, and two because I've come to believe that really there is no such thing as one perfect pursuit, because Love works in different people in different ways.
But what I will emphatically stress is just how awesome the pursuit is. The implications it can have, the treasures that it holds.
Erwin McManus was in the Middle East discussing with some Muslims the history of Christianity as a religion, and the question was brought up of why it was necessary for God to become human.
"I once met a girl named Kim. I pursued her with my love and pursued her with my love until I felt my love had captured her heart. So I asked her to be my wife, and she did not say yes.
"I was unrelenting and asked her again, pursuing her with my love, and I pursued her with my love until she said yes.
"I did not send my brother, nor did I send a friend. for in issues of love, you must go yourself.
"This is the story of God: He pursues you with His love and pursues you with His love, and you have perhaps not said yes. And even if you reject His love, He pursues you ever still. It was not enough to send an angel or a prophet or any other, for in issues of love, you must go yourself. And so God has come.
"This is the story of Jesus, that God has walked among us and He pursues us with His love. He is very familiar with rejection but is undeterred. And He is here even now, still pursuing you with His love...
"In that moment the story of Jesus was not about who is right and who is wrong, what God's name is and who His prophet is, but what exactly God's motivation toward humanity is. If the message that God wants to get across to us is just about getting our beliefs right, then He didn't need to come Himself. If God's entire intent was to clarify right from wrong, no personal visitation was necessary. If the ultimate end was simply to overwhelm us with the miraculous so that we would finally believe, then God taking on flesh and blood and walking among us was far from necessary. There is only one reason for God to come Himself, because in issues of love, you just can't have someone else stand in for you."
What a spectacular thought and image to carry with us into this Christmas season! A what an incredible reminder that this remarkable season is yet another depiction of how awesome the discovery and illustration of Love is.
God pursues us with His love, and He pursues us and pursues us. And if we also are to discover Love and show Love, what better way to do so than to follow the example of the One who is Love. And so I urge you, do not forget the pursuit. In the pursuit we can find so much joy, and we can learn exactly what it will take to win over another with our love. We can even learn quite a bit about Love along the way. This is how we grow, how we build a relationship, a friendship, how we learn about that certain special someone and the awesome things Love is working in each of your lives, and maybe even has waiting for you to uncover together.
So don't be deterred by the fear of rejection...
In Song of Solomon 3, "Solomon is describing the desperation that comes when we seem unable to capture the heart of the one we love. I wonder if it ever occurs to us that God feels like this. But if God's love is immeasurable and unending, as the Hebrews describe Him, how deep and profound must be His sense of sorrow and rejection. If anyone know the pain of a love unreturned, it must be God." (Erwin McManus)
...or a wavering belief that such a thing even can exist or dwindling expectations for what love truly is, because really these things should not be a part of our pursuit of Love. Not with the knowledge and hope that we have in the One who is Love.
So can we contemplate our departure from the exhilaration of the pursuit, and realize just how much we are missing out on?
We have been chosen. We have been pursued. And so in return should we. For we have also been rescued, wooed, protected, and lavished. By Love.
Us. Those who never fail to be foolish, to be utterly idiotic, to destroy that which we care about most, to turn our backs on the most incredible of everything life has to offer, to fill ourselves with pointless desire. We never fail to fail. And despite knowing all this, despite knowing that He would be killed in one of the most of gruesome of manners mankind has ever conceived, that we would beat him, cut him, spit in his face and laugh all the while, relishing in our miserable and depraved state, He still came. We ran and He chased. We cursed Him and He shouted out ballads of his passion. And then the love of His life crushed that life from Him, and yet He didn't let even that stop him, it didn't even slow Him down in the slightest! And He just loved all the more. And He has not stopped. No matter how many times we kill Him, He will not stop. Period. End of story. That is the power of the love of God.
And so in return should we choose and pursue. Pursue others. And pursue Love.
"We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19
And Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Unconditional?
As long as she looks good...
As long as he makes me feel good...
As long as she satisfies what I want...
As long as he makes me laugh...
As long as she doesn't hurt me...
As long as he doesn't hurt me...
Sound familiar?
Whenever we think of "true love", we often picture the fairy tale fantasy, you know, the fairy tale every little girl dreams of. Prince Charming, charging in on his trusty steed, slaying any atrocious beast that dares threaten his love, the beautiful princess, and then sweeping her off of her feet, he says the perfect words and she responds in the perfect way, and they ride into the sunset where they live happily ever after. Clean cut, simple, and everyone ends up happy forever.
But in the realities of our experience, as we search out love in this world, how much more often do we realize that forever seems to have a very real beginning and an even more real end? And as we seek out love over and over and over again we are so many times drawn into this cycle of elation and then ultimately disappointment, until we are left struggling with the notion that maybe love just isn't all it's made out to be. That we should just be prepared to be let down, because we can never live up to the standards of love.
We can never meet the conditions necessary to see love thrive.
But let's think about this...we've already established that God is love. So if love truly does have conditions we must meet, then in order to discover the love of God, to be embraced and blessed by Him, there are also certain requirements that we must fulfill, right?
Pray every day.
Read your Bible.
Go to church.
Don't lie.
Honor your parents.
Don't envy.
Don't steal.
Don't think about that.
Don't say this.
Do this.
Do that.
And this. And that...and that...and that...
And if you don't, God is going to withhold that love until you submit to the system.
"What governments have not always been able to do, religions have accomplished with amazing effectiveness. They keep people in line...Ironically this is where so many have a problem with Jesus. For centuries the church has been telling us if we want God to love us, we need to follow the rules. It's been far more important to focus on the sin problem than the love problem. This is the only way the institution can maintain control over our lives. After all, if love is unconditional, what will keep them following our rules? Don't we want people, first and foremost, to be good? If our goal is to get people to conform, you can accomplish that without love, but you can't maintain a civilization without the rule of law....
What in the world would happen if people actually began discovering the actual message of Jesus Christ--that love is unconditional? What would happen if we began to realize that God was not, in face, waiting for us to earn His love, but that He was passionately pursuing us with His love? What would happen if the word got out that Jesus was offering His love freely and without condition?"
(Erwin McManus in "Soul Craving")
What indeed?
People, we're human. If it is at all possible, we are going to screw it up in some way shape or form. It's a fact of life, a harsh one yes but a fact nonetheless. Some guy named Murphy actually put it this way and I guess people thought it was so good they actually made it into a scientific law, Murphy's Law: If something can go wrong, it will go wrong.
But that's the beauty of the Love of God. He doesn't care in the least. He already knows it's going to go wrong, and He simply does not care. Because His love is absolutely and forever without condition.
Sounds great.
As long as she looks good...
As long as he makes me feel good...
As long as she satisfies what I want...
As long as he makes me laugh...
As long as she doesn't hurt me...
As long as he doesn't hurt me...
Are we as humans really capable of reproducing such a seemingly impossible concept?
Erwim McManus goes on to say, "We know in the pit of our stomachs that if love is conditional, it can't really be love at all. We also know that if love is unconditional, we are neither the sources nor the instigators of such love, which again is a part of our conflict. We want what we do not give. We long for what we seem incapable of producing."
And here we come full circle. The love that we show others is the beautiful result of the Love that is flowing in and through us as we continue to learn and grow in our relationship with God, who just so happens to be Love itself. I mean we spit in His face, constantly and consistently turn our backs on Him, we even killed Him! Yet still He pursues us with reckless abandon. And as we learn of Him and His Love, so will we also be able to overcome the idiocies of our human nature and truly at least attempt to grasp the concept of Love being utterly unconditional. Easy? Oh no. But how often is it really? And how worth the effort of trying when compared with the sheer grandness of the reward.
And granted, there are definitely times when we just need to realize that something isn't working, especially if it is destructive in any way, but that doesn't mean that we should allow simple shortcomings to define the course of a relationship. Because how well aware we are that we all have them. But besides, we're talking about the discovery of Love here, not the fleeting feelings of a summer romance, though of course Love could be sowing its seeds through that as well. In any case it's yet another matter of wisdom. Thank God He promises to give it whenever we simply ask.
A thought. Something we could all use when honestly and passionately considering our discovery of the Love we so desperately desire.
As long as he makes me feel good...
As long as she satisfies what I want...
As long as he makes me laugh...
As long as she doesn't hurt me...
As long as he doesn't hurt me...
Sound familiar?
Whenever we think of "true love", we often picture the fairy tale fantasy, you know, the fairy tale every little girl dreams of. Prince Charming, charging in on his trusty steed, slaying any atrocious beast that dares threaten his love, the beautiful princess, and then sweeping her off of her feet, he says the perfect words and she responds in the perfect way, and they ride into the sunset where they live happily ever after. Clean cut, simple, and everyone ends up happy forever.
But in the realities of our experience, as we search out love in this world, how much more often do we realize that forever seems to have a very real beginning and an even more real end? And as we seek out love over and over and over again we are so many times drawn into this cycle of elation and then ultimately disappointment, until we are left struggling with the notion that maybe love just isn't all it's made out to be. That we should just be prepared to be let down, because we can never live up to the standards of love.
We can never meet the conditions necessary to see love thrive.
But let's think about this...we've already established that God is love. So if love truly does have conditions we must meet, then in order to discover the love of God, to be embraced and blessed by Him, there are also certain requirements that we must fulfill, right?
Pray every day.
Read your Bible.
Go to church.
Don't lie.
Honor your parents.
Don't envy.
Don't steal.
Don't think about that.
Don't say this.
Do this.
Do that.
And this. And that...and that...and that...
And if you don't, God is going to withhold that love until you submit to the system.
"What governments have not always been able to do, religions have accomplished with amazing effectiveness. They keep people in line...Ironically this is where so many have a problem with Jesus. For centuries the church has been telling us if we want God to love us, we need to follow the rules. It's been far more important to focus on the sin problem than the love problem. This is the only way the institution can maintain control over our lives. After all, if love is unconditional, what will keep them following our rules? Don't we want people, first and foremost, to be good? If our goal is to get people to conform, you can accomplish that without love, but you can't maintain a civilization without the rule of law....
What in the world would happen if people actually began discovering the actual message of Jesus Christ--that love is unconditional? What would happen if we began to realize that God was not, in face, waiting for us to earn His love, but that He was passionately pursuing us with His love? What would happen if the word got out that Jesus was offering His love freely and without condition?"
(Erwin McManus in "Soul Craving")
What indeed?
People, we're human. If it is at all possible, we are going to screw it up in some way shape or form. It's a fact of life, a harsh one yes but a fact nonetheless. Some guy named Murphy actually put it this way and I guess people thought it was so good they actually made it into a scientific law, Murphy's Law: If something can go wrong, it will go wrong.
But that's the beauty of the Love of God. He doesn't care in the least. He already knows it's going to go wrong, and He simply does not care. Because His love is absolutely and forever without condition.
Sounds great.
As long as she looks good...
As long as he makes me feel good...
As long as she satisfies what I want...
As long as he makes me laugh...
As long as she doesn't hurt me...
As long as he doesn't hurt me...
Are we as humans really capable of reproducing such a seemingly impossible concept?
Erwim McManus goes on to say, "We know in the pit of our stomachs that if love is conditional, it can't really be love at all. We also know that if love is unconditional, we are neither the sources nor the instigators of such love, which again is a part of our conflict. We want what we do not give. We long for what we seem incapable of producing."
And here we come full circle. The love that we show others is the beautiful result of the Love that is flowing in and through us as we continue to learn and grow in our relationship with God, who just so happens to be Love itself. I mean we spit in His face, constantly and consistently turn our backs on Him, we even killed Him! Yet still He pursues us with reckless abandon. And as we learn of Him and His Love, so will we also be able to overcome the idiocies of our human nature and truly at least attempt to grasp the concept of Love being utterly unconditional. Easy? Oh no. But how often is it really? And how worth the effort of trying when compared with the sheer grandness of the reward.
And granted, there are definitely times when we just need to realize that something isn't working, especially if it is destructive in any way, but that doesn't mean that we should allow simple shortcomings to define the course of a relationship. Because how well aware we are that we all have them. But besides, we're talking about the discovery of Love here, not the fleeting feelings of a summer romance, though of course Love could be sowing its seeds through that as well. In any case it's yet another matter of wisdom. Thank God He promises to give it whenever we simply ask.
A thought. Something we could all use when honestly and passionately considering our discovery of the Love we so desperately desire.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
On A More Personal Note...Slightly Condensed
For those of you with slightly shorter attention spans, I have managed to reduce the length of this particular entry by about a third...still a stretch I know but bear with me it's good I promise!
It all comes down to Love. It is all because of Love. Period.
In our individual lives, how do we see Love, how do we show Love, how do we find Love? And this last question especially is where the meaning of this note rests. Because really it is by a combination of the first two, first seeing Love and then showing Love, that we find Love.
Trying to find Love is something that everyone who has ever lived and will ever live has struggled tooth and nail with. But as Christians we've already found Love! So what's the big deal here? Shouldn't we be working on the seeing and showing parts?
But okay,that's not quite what I meant, so lets rewind and refocus to the first thing that probably popped into your mind when I said "finding Love," obviously finding Love with that certain special someone. A recurring thought in many of our minds, I do believe, and being so constantly personal this concept becomes just that much more essential for us to decipher.
So as we learn and learn to love, a task that undoubtedly will span through this life and even into the next, how do we discover this Love in the relationships we immerse ourselves in? And how do we find that certain special "Love" so many of us, especially those of us in the stage of life I as well am also enduring however begrudgingly at times, so desperately long for?
And the answer to this question is quite simple. It all goes back to what Love really is.
A verb.
We show Love, and we will discover it. As we continue to grow and learn about and in our relationship with our Father, and only when and as we do this, we learn Love, because obviously if we know Him and He is Love, then at the same time we know Love. And this is the underlying purpose behind anything and everything ever in this life, to know Him and at the same time to know His Love. And then to show that Love. And so we learn more. And we are able to show more.
And really, who can withstand the perfect, incredible Love of God when it is flat out staring them in the face? And especially when the one whose face it is staring into is at the same time so desperately grasping the desire to learn about that same Love.
Because when we think about it, the Love working in us is the exact same Love that is working in them. End of discussion. And what awesome implications this can hold...
A word of caution though. Of course, just because that same Love is working in and through two people does not mean that Love has them working in the same direction at the same time, even in the exact same way. So yeah, it's risky. First we have to find a person that is desperately in Love with our God just as we are, a daunting task to be sure. Then, something that is beyond our control (and trust me I hate that fact just as much if not more than anyone) must be perfectly lined up, where the place the other finds themselves on the journey of discovering Love can coincide with your own path and the plan Love is working on in and through you. It's a timing issue simply put, and can often make or break a relationship. But then we remember that Love created time, knows all that occurs in time, and wants to see Love displayed and discovered as desperately as we do.
This is one of the most difficult things we will face in life, and it is a road that will most likely be strewn with pain beyond fair explanation. But really, when considering the reward, the joy, the chance of uncovering understanding of the the most remarkable concept in history, when the burden seems too much to bear we can just remember that the end will oh so justify the pain it took to get us there. And if things don't seem to be working out as perfectly as you had planned them to, maybe the position you yourself are in is simply one of building the gratuitous amounts of patience it takes when learning and showing Love (though I am not saying this is always the case. But I can guarantee that some sort of lesson is being presented, such as maybe perseverance on the journey to finding that one who Love is working you towards, or any number of other things.)
And imperatively, the perspective must be maintained that really still the focus is on growing in and uncovering the astounding secrets of the Love God has for us, and that relationship we have with Him.
We must first make ourselves open to and transformed by that perfect Love. And I cannot emphasize this enough.
This is an outlet, a chance for us to use what we've learned, to show how brilliantly Love has changed us, and to praise Him for it, in every situation to lean on Him all the more, and for Him to reveal even more amazingly unthinkable things. It is a product of His desire to see our lives filled with complete and pure joy, and to eventually get but a taste of that incredible intimacy we will have with Him someday. But to love another with such reckless abandon as He has for us! The epitome of brilliant and beautiful perfection! But maybe that's just the hopeless romantic in me coming out. A book I read once described it as this: "He Chooses, He Pursues, He Rescues, He Woos, He Protects, He Lavishes." But then I guess that goes into part two of this discussion, what happens once we have found that perfect person and timing, and then begin to develop that perfect Love. Another time perhaps...
Again I just managed to barely skim the on this specific topic, but then if I continued to ramble how many of you would actually continue to read, being as it is probably a miracle you've made it this far. So basically, I just wanted to say don't give up hope on Love! It is real and vibrant and so awesomely fantastic, and with its great risk comes so great a reward. And hopefully the recognition of some of these ideas, or those that these ideas may give life to, will aid you in your quest to learn of Love and to love. In any case, food for thought. Thoughts you can expand as to dig a little deeper. And an interesting perspective on learning to love.
Dive Deep
Originally Posted 12/7/08
It all comes down to Love. It is all because of Love. Period.
In our individual lives, how do we see Love, how do we show Love, how do we find Love? And this last question especially is where the meaning of this note rests. Because really it is by a combination of the first two, first seeing Love and then showing Love, that we find Love.
Trying to find Love is something that everyone who has ever lived and will ever live has struggled tooth and nail with. But as Christians we've already found Love! So what's the big deal here? Shouldn't we be working on the seeing and showing parts?
But okay,that's not quite what I meant, so lets rewind and refocus to the first thing that probably popped into your mind when I said "finding Love," obviously finding Love with that certain special someone. A recurring thought in many of our minds, I do believe, and being so constantly personal this concept becomes just that much more essential for us to decipher.
So as we learn and learn to love, a task that undoubtedly will span through this life and even into the next, how do we discover this Love in the relationships we immerse ourselves in? And how do we find that certain special "Love" so many of us, especially those of us in the stage of life I as well am also enduring however begrudgingly at times, so desperately long for?
And the answer to this question is quite simple. It all goes back to what Love really is.
A verb.
We show Love, and we will discover it. As we continue to grow and learn about and in our relationship with our Father, and only when and as we do this, we learn Love, because obviously if we know Him and He is Love, then at the same time we know Love. And this is the underlying purpose behind anything and everything ever in this life, to know Him and at the same time to know His Love. And then to show that Love. And so we learn more. And we are able to show more.
And really, who can withstand the perfect, incredible Love of God when it is flat out staring them in the face? And especially when the one whose face it is staring into is at the same time so desperately grasping the desire to learn about that same Love.
Because when we think about it, the Love working in us is the exact same Love that is working in them. End of discussion. And what awesome implications this can hold...
A word of caution though. Of course, just because that same Love is working in and through two people does not mean that Love has them working in the same direction at the same time, even in the exact same way. So yeah, it's risky. First we have to find a person that is desperately in Love with our God just as we are, a daunting task to be sure. Then, something that is beyond our control (and trust me I hate that fact just as much if not more than anyone) must be perfectly lined up, where the place the other finds themselves on the journey of discovering Love can coincide with your own path and the plan Love is working on in and through you. It's a timing issue simply put, and can often make or break a relationship. But then we remember that Love created time, knows all that occurs in time, and wants to see Love displayed and discovered as desperately as we do.
This is one of the most difficult things we will face in life, and it is a road that will most likely be strewn with pain beyond fair explanation. But really, when considering the reward, the joy, the chance of uncovering understanding of the the most remarkable concept in history, when the burden seems too much to bear we can just remember that the end will oh so justify the pain it took to get us there. And if things don't seem to be working out as perfectly as you had planned them to, maybe the position you yourself are in is simply one of building the gratuitous amounts of patience it takes when learning and showing Love (though I am not saying this is always the case. But I can guarantee that some sort of lesson is being presented, such as maybe perseverance on the journey to finding that one who Love is working you towards, or any number of other things.)
And imperatively, the perspective must be maintained that really still the focus is on growing in and uncovering the astounding secrets of the Love God has for us, and that relationship we have with Him.
We must first make ourselves open to and transformed by that perfect Love. And I cannot emphasize this enough.
This is an outlet, a chance for us to use what we've learned, to show how brilliantly Love has changed us, and to praise Him for it, in every situation to lean on Him all the more, and for Him to reveal even more amazingly unthinkable things. It is a product of His desire to see our lives filled with complete and pure joy, and to eventually get but a taste of that incredible intimacy we will have with Him someday. But to love another with such reckless abandon as He has for us! The epitome of brilliant and beautiful perfection! But maybe that's just the hopeless romantic in me coming out. A book I read once described it as this: "He Chooses, He Pursues, He Rescues, He Woos, He Protects, He Lavishes." But then I guess that goes into part two of this discussion, what happens once we have found that perfect person and timing, and then begin to develop that perfect Love. Another time perhaps...
Again I just managed to barely skim the on this specific topic, but then if I continued to ramble how many of you would actually continue to read, being as it is probably a miracle you've made it this far. So basically, I just wanted to say don't give up hope on Love! It is real and vibrant and so awesomely fantastic, and with its great risk comes so great a reward. And hopefully the recognition of some of these ideas, or those that these ideas may give life to, will aid you in your quest to learn of Love and to love. In any case, food for thought. Thoughts you can expand as to dig a little deeper. And an interesting perspective on learning to love.
Dive Deep
Originally Posted 12/7/08
Saturday, December 6, 2008
On A More Personal Note
Such a remarkable thought.
Unthinkable to the limitations of the human mind alone.
Sometimes seemingly beyond understanding at al.
A concept that is the most profound, the most powerful, the most absolutely essential of all knowable things.
A concept that so often drives us to wonder, to question, to doubt, even to feel such excruciating pain in the pit of our hearts that we wish to do nothing more kill it, bury it, and curl up in a ball and attempt to sleep away the agony that haunts us still.
But still. It is the very meaning of our existence, the purpose behind our creation, the reason we were placed on this earth and given these lives to begin with.
Love.
Wow.
Please, I now beg you to leave behind all preconceptions you have of Love, what you have picked up through relationships, through reading, through whatever avenue of learning you may have contrived of the nature of Love. For many different people have many different definitions for this thing they call "love", but who more to rely on for its definition, the knowledge and understanding of everything that is Love than the One who created it, the One who literally wrote the Book on it, the One who is it. And let me tell you, He has some dumbfounding things to say about it.
"This is how we know what Love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us."
Sacrifice.
And a verb if there ever was one.
"Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
"This is love for God: to obey his commands."
Action.
The gravity of what I am attempting to convey is something that cannot possible be adequately put into words. The reality of Love, and the utterly immeasurable importance that we learn, that we love, that we lean to love, is something we Christians especially cannot risk to lose sight of, because it is what defines our very existence.
The war we find ourselves immersed in.
The sacrifice of Christ.
The hope we have.
The perseverance and patience we are urged to develop.
And of course, the relationships we build and nurture.
It all comes down to Love. It is all because of Love. Period.
But I've said most of this before in some form or fashion, and so I now wish to move on to the driving thought behind the writing of this note.
In our individual lives, how do we see Love, how do we show Love, how do we find Love? And this last question especially is where the meaning of this note rests. Because really it is a combination of the first two, first seeing Love and then showing Love, that we find Love.
Trying to find Love is something that everyone who has ever lived and will ever live has struggled tooth and nail with. But as Christians we've already found Love! So what's the big deal here? Shouldn't we be working on the seeing and showing parts?
But okay,that's not quite what I meant, so lets rewind and refocus to the first thing that probably popped into your mind when I said "finding Love," obviously finding Love with that certain special someone. A recurring thought in many of our minds, I do believe, and being so constantly personal this concept becomes just that much more essential for us to decipher.
So as we learn and learn to love, a task that undoubtedly will span through this life and even into the next, how do we discover this Love in the relationships we immerse ourselves in? And how do we find that certain special "Love" so many of us, especially those of us in the stage of life I as well am also enduring however begrudgingly at times, so desperately long for?
And the answer to this question is quite simple. It all goes back to what Love really is.
A verb.
We show Love, and we will discover it. As we continue to grow and learn about and in our relationship with our Father, and only when and as we do this, we learn Love, because obviously if we know Him and He is Love, then at the same time we know Love. And this is the underlying purpose behind anything and everything ever in this life, to know Him and at the same time to know His Love. And then to show that Love. And so we learn more. And we are able to show more.
And really, who can withstand the perfect, incredible Love of God when it is flat out staring them in the face? And especially when the one whose face it is staring into is at the same time so desperately grasping to the desire to learn about that same Love.
Because when we think about it, the Love working in us is the exact same Love that is working in them. End of discussion. And what awesome implications this can hold...
A word of caution though. Of course, just because that same Love is working in and through two people does not mean that Love has them working in the same direction at the same time, even in the exact same way. So yeah, it's risky. First we have to find a person that is desperately in Love with our God just as we are, a daunting task to be sure. Then, something that is beyond our control (and trust me I hate that fact just as much if not more than anyone) must be perfectly lined up, where the place the other finds themselves on the journey of discovering Love can coincide with your own path and the plan Love is working on in and through you. It's a timing issue simply put, and can often make or break a relationship. But then we remember that Love created time, knows all that occurs in time, and wants to see Love displayed and discovered as desperately as we do.
This is one of the most difficult things we will face in life, and it is a road that will most likely be strewn with pain beyond fair explanation. But really, when considering the reward, the joy, the chance of understanding of the the most remarkable concept in history, when the burden seems too much to bear we can just remember that the end will oh so justify the pain it took to get us there. And if things don't seem to be working out as perfectly as you had planned them to, maybe the position you yourself are in is simply one of building the gratuitous amounts of patience it takes when learning and showing Love (I am NOT saying this is always the case. But I can guarantee that some sort of lesson is being presented, such as maybe perseverance on the journey to finding that one who Love is working you towards, or any number of other things.)
And imperatively, the perspective must be maintained that really still the focus is on growing in and uncovering the astounding secrets of the Love God has for us, and that relationship we have with Him.
We must first make ourselves open to and transformed by that perfect Love. And I cannot emphasize this enough.
This is an outlet, a chance for us to use what we've learned, to show how brilliantly Love has changed us, and to praise Him for it, in every situation to lean on Him all the more, and for Him to reveal even more amazingly unthinkable things. It is a product of His desire to see our lives filled with complete and pure joy, and to eventually get but a taste of that incredible intimacy we will have with Him someday. But to love another with such reckless abandon as He has for us! The epitome of brilliant and beautiful perfection! But maybe that's just the hopeless romantic in me coming out. A book I read once described it as this: "He Chooses, He Pursues, He Rescues, He Woos, He Protects, He Lavishes." But then I guess that goes into part two of this discussion, what happens once we have found that perfect person and timing, and then begin to develop that perfect Love. Another time perhaps...
Again I just managed to barely skim the on this specific topic, but then if I continued to ramble how many of you would actually continue to read, being as it is probably a miracle you've made it this far. So basically, I just wanted to say don't give up hope on Love! It is real and vibrant and so awesomely fantastic, and with its great risk comes so great a reward. And hopefully the recognition of some of these ideas, or those that these ideas may give life to, will aid you in your quest to learn of Love and to love. In any case, food for thought. Thoughts you can expand as to dig a little deeper. And an interesting perspective on learning to love.
Dive Deep
Originally Posted 12/6/08
Unthinkable to the limitations of the human mind alone.
Sometimes seemingly beyond understanding at al.
A concept that is the most profound, the most powerful, the most absolutely essential of all knowable things.
A concept that so often drives us to wonder, to question, to doubt, even to feel such excruciating pain in the pit of our hearts that we wish to do nothing more kill it, bury it, and curl up in a ball and attempt to sleep away the agony that haunts us still.
But still. It is the very meaning of our existence, the purpose behind our creation, the reason we were placed on this earth and given these lives to begin with.
Love.
Wow.
Please, I now beg you to leave behind all preconceptions you have of Love, what you have picked up through relationships, through reading, through whatever avenue of learning you may have contrived of the nature of Love. For many different people have many different definitions for this thing they call "love", but who more to rely on for its definition, the knowledge and understanding of everything that is Love than the One who created it, the One who literally wrote the Book on it, the One who is it. And let me tell you, He has some dumbfounding things to say about it.
"This is how we know what Love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us."
Sacrifice.
And a verb if there ever was one.
"Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
"This is love for God: to obey his commands."
Action.
The gravity of what I am attempting to convey is something that cannot possible be adequately put into words. The reality of Love, and the utterly immeasurable importance that we learn, that we love, that we lean to love, is something we Christians especially cannot risk to lose sight of, because it is what defines our very existence.
The war we find ourselves immersed in.
The sacrifice of Christ.
The hope we have.
The perseverance and patience we are urged to develop.
And of course, the relationships we build and nurture.
It all comes down to Love. It is all because of Love. Period.
But I've said most of this before in some form or fashion, and so I now wish to move on to the driving thought behind the writing of this note.
In our individual lives, how do we see Love, how do we show Love, how do we find Love? And this last question especially is where the meaning of this note rests. Because really it is a combination of the first two, first seeing Love and then showing Love, that we find Love.
Trying to find Love is something that everyone who has ever lived and will ever live has struggled tooth and nail with. But as Christians we've already found Love! So what's the big deal here? Shouldn't we be working on the seeing and showing parts?
But okay,that's not quite what I meant, so lets rewind and refocus to the first thing that probably popped into your mind when I said "finding Love," obviously finding Love with that certain special someone. A recurring thought in many of our minds, I do believe, and being so constantly personal this concept becomes just that much more essential for us to decipher.
So as we learn and learn to love, a task that undoubtedly will span through this life and even into the next, how do we discover this Love in the relationships we immerse ourselves in? And how do we find that certain special "Love" so many of us, especially those of us in the stage of life I as well am also enduring however begrudgingly at times, so desperately long for?
And the answer to this question is quite simple. It all goes back to what Love really is.
A verb.
We show Love, and we will discover it. As we continue to grow and learn about and in our relationship with our Father, and only when and as we do this, we learn Love, because obviously if we know Him and He is Love, then at the same time we know Love. And this is the underlying purpose behind anything and everything ever in this life, to know Him and at the same time to know His Love. And then to show that Love. And so we learn more. And we are able to show more.
And really, who can withstand the perfect, incredible Love of God when it is flat out staring them in the face? And especially when the one whose face it is staring into is at the same time so desperately grasping to the desire to learn about that same Love.
Because when we think about it, the Love working in us is the exact same Love that is working in them. End of discussion. And what awesome implications this can hold...
A word of caution though. Of course, just because that same Love is working in and through two people does not mean that Love has them working in the same direction at the same time, even in the exact same way. So yeah, it's risky. First we have to find a person that is desperately in Love with our God just as we are, a daunting task to be sure. Then, something that is beyond our control (and trust me I hate that fact just as much if not more than anyone) must be perfectly lined up, where the place the other finds themselves on the journey of discovering Love can coincide with your own path and the plan Love is working on in and through you. It's a timing issue simply put, and can often make or break a relationship. But then we remember that Love created time, knows all that occurs in time, and wants to see Love displayed and discovered as desperately as we do.
This is one of the most difficult things we will face in life, and it is a road that will most likely be strewn with pain beyond fair explanation. But really, when considering the reward, the joy, the chance of understanding of the the most remarkable concept in history, when the burden seems too much to bear we can just remember that the end will oh so justify the pain it took to get us there. And if things don't seem to be working out as perfectly as you had planned them to, maybe the position you yourself are in is simply one of building the gratuitous amounts of patience it takes when learning and showing Love (I am NOT saying this is always the case. But I can guarantee that some sort of lesson is being presented, such as maybe perseverance on the journey to finding that one who Love is working you towards, or any number of other things.)
And imperatively, the perspective must be maintained that really still the focus is on growing in and uncovering the astounding secrets of the Love God has for us, and that relationship we have with Him.
We must first make ourselves open to and transformed by that perfect Love. And I cannot emphasize this enough.
This is an outlet, a chance for us to use what we've learned, to show how brilliantly Love has changed us, and to praise Him for it, in every situation to lean on Him all the more, and for Him to reveal even more amazingly unthinkable things. It is a product of His desire to see our lives filled with complete and pure joy, and to eventually get but a taste of that incredible intimacy we will have with Him someday. But to love another with such reckless abandon as He has for us! The epitome of brilliant and beautiful perfection! But maybe that's just the hopeless romantic in me coming out. A book I read once described it as this: "He Chooses, He Pursues, He Rescues, He Woos, He Protects, He Lavishes." But then I guess that goes into part two of this discussion, what happens once we have found that perfect person and timing, and then begin to develop that perfect Love. Another time perhaps...
Again I just managed to barely skim the on this specific topic, but then if I continued to ramble how many of you would actually continue to read, being as it is probably a miracle you've made it this far. So basically, I just wanted to say don't give up hope on Love! It is real and vibrant and so awesomely fantastic, and with its great risk comes so great a reward. And hopefully the recognition of some of these ideas, or those that these ideas may give life to, will aid you in your quest to learn of Love and to love. In any case, food for thought. Thoughts you can expand as to dig a little deeper. And an interesting perspective on learning to love.
Dive Deep
Originally Posted 12/6/08
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Perfect Love
A friend of mine recently posted this, and having now read it I cannot help but be inspired to expand and elaborate on such an incredible concept...so read on and prepare to be confounded...
Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone, to have a deep soul relationship with another, to be loved thoroughly and exclusively. But God says to a Christian, “No, not until you are satisfied and fulfilled and content with living and loved by me alone.
"I love you my child, and until you discover that only in me is your satisfaction to be found, you will not be capable of the perfect human relationship that I have planned for you. You will never be united with another until you are united with me, exclusive of anyone or anything else, exclusive of any other desires or longings.
"I want you to stop planning, stop wishing, and allow me to give you that most thrilling plan existing, one that you can’t imagine. I want you to have the BEST! Please allow me to bring it to you. You just keep watching me, expecting that satisfaction, expecting the greatest things, and know that I AM. Keep learning and listening to the things I tell you. You must wait!
"Don’t be anxious. Don’t worry. Don’t look around at the things others have received. Don’t look at the things you think you want. You just keep looking off and away up to me, or you'll miss what I want to show you.
“And then, when you’re ready, I'll surprise you with love far more wonderful than you would ever imagine. You see, until you are ready and until the one I have for you is ready (I am working this very minute to have both of you ready at the same time), until you are both satisfied exclusively with me and the life I have planned and prepared for you, you wont be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with me .. and this is perfect love.
"Dear one, I want you to have this most wonderful love. I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your relationship with me and to enjoy materially and concretely the everlasting union of beauty and perfection and love that I offer you with myself. Know that I love you utterly, I am God Almighty. Believe and be satisfied."
This short essay thoroughly encapsulates some of the most awesome ideas that we can possibly grasp about the most fantastic and incredible concept we can come across in our existence: the love of God. In my previous note I attempted to touch on the nature of this love, to convey just how astounding that nature is, and just how spectacular it is to learn. To love. To learn to love. And in my note "A World At War" I briefly went into the reality we live in, the cosmic conflict that rages around us, but "the battle is not the point. Evil is not the point. The point is the love story. We live in a love story that is set in the midst of war."
A love story.
In the middle of a war.
The most epic love story.
In the middle of the most epic war.
Better than any movie, book, or stretch of the human imaginiation. That is our reality.
And now, we have a new idea presented here that brings it all into focus.
God is the most fantastic storyteller of all time. Hey, He's the one who created storytelling! And He's authoring His most grand masterpiece in the lives of every single one of the lives of those who have with reckless abandon given Him that life. And it's a love story. The most grand romance of all time, revolved around His Great Romance, a tale of extravagant love, then abandonment, sorrow, and forgiveness, then rejection, suffering, and pain. Then the proof that through it all that same extravagant love has been running alongside, in, and through the entire time, culminating in ultimate sacrifice. And joy. And peace. And mercy.
Love.
It is the grand romance between us retched, lowly, pathetic and depraved, and the most awesome God who loved us so much as to desperately chase after us to the point of death. And the best part is, He gives us the opportunity to feel, express, and relish in that same love here in this life with another who is at the same time experiencing their own miraculous story of love! And our God, the most fantastic storyteller in history, is orchestrating it all! All we need do is follow His lead...
And yet how often do we feel as if we ourselves are sufficiently capable of directing our own tales of love?
But no! How wrong, despicably wrong we are! How are we to even know what this love is without first knowing the One who Himself is Love?! The One we can test and try, with whom we can fail and flounder, over and over and over again, and yet the reaches of His forgiveness are boundless! The depths of His mercy endless! The grace He offers unconditional and limitless, His patience undying, unyielding, incapable of being broken! In Him alone can we find our satisfaction, perfection, the longing to experience extravagant love fulfilled.
"And then, when you’re ready, I'll surprise you with love far more wonderful than you would ever imagine. You see, until you are ready and until the one I have for you is ready (I am working this very minute to have both of you ready at the same time), until you are both satisfied exclusively with me and the life I have planned and prepared for you, you wont be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with me .. and this is perfect love."
To love, we must first learn. And He is the great Teacher. And the most hopeless romantic of all time. The things He has in store for us are so unfathomable and incredible, and often this is why we must have faith, have hope in this knowledge. Because we just don't know.
"I want you to stop planning, stop wishing, and allow me to give you that most thrilling plan existing, one that you can’t imagine. I want you to have the BEST! Please allow me to bring it to you. You just keep watching me, expecting that satisfaction, expecting the greatest things, and know that I AM. Keep learning and listening to the things I tell you. You must wait! Don’t be anxious. Don’t worry. Don’t look around at the things others have received. Don’t look at the things you think you want. You just keep looking off and away up to me, or you'll miss what I want to show you."
We just don't know. But He does. Sometimes when I think about this I imagine Him sitting and watching, bouncing up and down like a little kid, smiling as wide as can be, laughing with eager, anxious anticipation at what is about to happen, because it's going to be so awesome, so perfect, that when it finally does come around such love and joy will be found we simply won't know what to do but lift our heads to Him and quietly whisper, "Thank you."
He is our Father, who loves us unconditionally with all He is, who wants the absolute best for us, and who has it! He is the one who made us to love in the first place. And in His wisdom and understanding He knows that the time will come when we are ready. But only when we are ready. Because no matter how much pain we may endure on the journey, the prize is more than we can dream of.
He is our Savior, who ran through Hell and back in order to secure our eternity with Him. He endured everything Death, Hell, and the grave could through at Him, and He came through with the keys to the gates of the pit in hand. Now why would someone who loves us that spectacularly drag us out of damnation only to leave us to fend for ourselves, to blindly fumble to discover that love we so deeply require and desperately desire? He gave us the chance to love, to love Him, and to love another. Why would He not see that through to miraculous completion? "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives." (Psalm 37:23) Every detail...
And He is our Lover, who loves us unconditionally with all He is, who wants the absolute best for us, and who has it! And it is when we can love Him, and only then, that we will truly be able to love another. Because He is that love. That perfect love.
And just imagine, that perfect love flowing not only out of you but out of another! And that current running so strong, so vivaciously, that nothing could ever even hope to stand in its path, to block its flow, to deny the power of the raging waters of that perfect love. How awesome to see the same love in me working in the same love as her, connecting us in a most brilliant harmony, more spectacular than even the most grand of symphonies, a melody utterly overwhelmingly, staggering, every aspect of it surpassing perfection.
The perfect soundtrack to the perfect story. Written by a perfect God.
The One we can test and try, with whom we can fail and flounder, over and over and over again, and yet the reaches of His forgiveness are boundless, the depths of His mercy endless, the grace He offers unconditional and limitless, His patience undying, unyielding, incapable of being broken! In Him alone can we find our satisfaction, perfection, fulfillment of the longing to experience extravagant love.
Perfect Love.
Originally Posted 11/4/08
Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone, to have a deep soul relationship with another, to be loved thoroughly and exclusively. But God says to a Christian, “No, not until you are satisfied and fulfilled and content with living and loved by me alone.
"I love you my child, and until you discover that only in me is your satisfaction to be found, you will not be capable of the perfect human relationship that I have planned for you. You will never be united with another until you are united with me, exclusive of anyone or anything else, exclusive of any other desires or longings.
"I want you to stop planning, stop wishing, and allow me to give you that most thrilling plan existing, one that you can’t imagine. I want you to have the BEST! Please allow me to bring it to you. You just keep watching me, expecting that satisfaction, expecting the greatest things, and know that I AM. Keep learning and listening to the things I tell you. You must wait!
"Don’t be anxious. Don’t worry. Don’t look around at the things others have received. Don’t look at the things you think you want. You just keep looking off and away up to me, or you'll miss what I want to show you.
“And then, when you’re ready, I'll surprise you with love far more wonderful than you would ever imagine. You see, until you are ready and until the one I have for you is ready (I am working this very minute to have both of you ready at the same time), until you are both satisfied exclusively with me and the life I have planned and prepared for you, you wont be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with me .. and this is perfect love.
"Dear one, I want you to have this most wonderful love. I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your relationship with me and to enjoy materially and concretely the everlasting union of beauty and perfection and love that I offer you with myself. Know that I love you utterly, I am God Almighty. Believe and be satisfied."
This short essay thoroughly encapsulates some of the most awesome ideas that we can possibly grasp about the most fantastic and incredible concept we can come across in our existence: the love of God. In my previous note I attempted to touch on the nature of this love, to convey just how astounding that nature is, and just how spectacular it is to learn. To love. To learn to love. And in my note "A World At War" I briefly went into the reality we live in, the cosmic conflict that rages around us, but "the battle is not the point. Evil is not the point. The point is the love story. We live in a love story that is set in the midst of war."
A love story.
In the middle of a war.
The most epic love story.
In the middle of the most epic war.
Better than any movie, book, or stretch of the human imaginiation. That is our reality.
And now, we have a new idea presented here that brings it all into focus.
God is the most fantastic storyteller of all time. Hey, He's the one who created storytelling! And He's authoring His most grand masterpiece in the lives of every single one of the lives of those who have with reckless abandon given Him that life. And it's a love story. The most grand romance of all time, revolved around His Great Romance, a tale of extravagant love, then abandonment, sorrow, and forgiveness, then rejection, suffering, and pain. Then the proof that through it all that same extravagant love has been running alongside, in, and through the entire time, culminating in ultimate sacrifice. And joy. And peace. And mercy.
Love.
It is the grand romance between us retched, lowly, pathetic and depraved, and the most awesome God who loved us so much as to desperately chase after us to the point of death. And the best part is, He gives us the opportunity to feel, express, and relish in that same love here in this life with another who is at the same time experiencing their own miraculous story of love! And our God, the most fantastic storyteller in history, is orchestrating it all! All we need do is follow His lead...
And yet how often do we feel as if we ourselves are sufficiently capable of directing our own tales of love?
But no! How wrong, despicably wrong we are! How are we to even know what this love is without first knowing the One who Himself is Love?! The One we can test and try, with whom we can fail and flounder, over and over and over again, and yet the reaches of His forgiveness are boundless! The depths of His mercy endless! The grace He offers unconditional and limitless, His patience undying, unyielding, incapable of being broken! In Him alone can we find our satisfaction, perfection, the longing to experience extravagant love fulfilled.
"And then, when you’re ready, I'll surprise you with love far more wonderful than you would ever imagine. You see, until you are ready and until the one I have for you is ready (I am working this very minute to have both of you ready at the same time), until you are both satisfied exclusively with me and the life I have planned and prepared for you, you wont be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with me .. and this is perfect love."
To love, we must first learn. And He is the great Teacher. And the most hopeless romantic of all time. The things He has in store for us are so unfathomable and incredible, and often this is why we must have faith, have hope in this knowledge. Because we just don't know.
"I want you to stop planning, stop wishing, and allow me to give you that most thrilling plan existing, one that you can’t imagine. I want you to have the BEST! Please allow me to bring it to you. You just keep watching me, expecting that satisfaction, expecting the greatest things, and know that I AM. Keep learning and listening to the things I tell you. You must wait! Don’t be anxious. Don’t worry. Don’t look around at the things others have received. Don’t look at the things you think you want. You just keep looking off and away up to me, or you'll miss what I want to show you."
We just don't know. But He does. Sometimes when I think about this I imagine Him sitting and watching, bouncing up and down like a little kid, smiling as wide as can be, laughing with eager, anxious anticipation at what is about to happen, because it's going to be so awesome, so perfect, that when it finally does come around such love and joy will be found we simply won't know what to do but lift our heads to Him and quietly whisper, "Thank you."
He is our Father, who loves us unconditionally with all He is, who wants the absolute best for us, and who has it! He is the one who made us to love in the first place. And in His wisdom and understanding He knows that the time will come when we are ready. But only when we are ready. Because no matter how much pain we may endure on the journey, the prize is more than we can dream of.
He is our Savior, who ran through Hell and back in order to secure our eternity with Him. He endured everything Death, Hell, and the grave could through at Him, and He came through with the keys to the gates of the pit in hand. Now why would someone who loves us that spectacularly drag us out of damnation only to leave us to fend for ourselves, to blindly fumble to discover that love we so deeply require and desperately desire? He gave us the chance to love, to love Him, and to love another. Why would He not see that through to miraculous completion? "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives." (Psalm 37:23) Every detail...
And He is our Lover, who loves us unconditionally with all He is, who wants the absolute best for us, and who has it! And it is when we can love Him, and only then, that we will truly be able to love another. Because He is that love. That perfect love.
And just imagine, that perfect love flowing not only out of you but out of another! And that current running so strong, so vivaciously, that nothing could ever even hope to stand in its path, to block its flow, to deny the power of the raging waters of that perfect love. How awesome to see the same love in me working in the same love as her, connecting us in a most brilliant harmony, more spectacular than even the most grand of symphonies, a melody utterly overwhelmingly, staggering, every aspect of it surpassing perfection.
The perfect soundtrack to the perfect story. Written by a perfect God.
The One we can test and try, with whom we can fail and flounder, over and over and over again, and yet the reaches of His forgiveness are boundless, the depths of His mercy endless, the grace He offers unconditional and limitless, His patience undying, unyielding, incapable of being broken! In Him alone can we find our satisfaction, perfection, fulfillment of the longing to experience extravagant love.
Perfect Love.
Originally Posted 11/4/08
Monday, September 1, 2008
For God So Loved
We've all heard it, at least what seems like a billion times. It is one of the most, if not the most, widely known verse in the entirety of the Bible. For many of us who have grown up in the church most of our lives it could very possibly have been the very first verse we ever memorized. And yet, for all the times we have heard it or said it or remembered it, it seems as if in all the repetition it often becomes dull, old, mundane, another one of those "oh yeah, been there heard that let's move on to something new and exciting!!" And we completely miss the fact that this most basic foundation of our faith is the most impossibly incredible and utterly astounding concept that we could ever hope to possibly discover.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." ~John 3:16
Love.
God's Love.
The most incomprehensible aspect of existence and reality that anyone could come across in this world or the next. It is limitless, as no one could ever hope to discover the measure of His love. It is undying, the passion He holds for us unable to be quenched until we run and throw ourselves into his arms with reckless abandon. And even then it cannot be stopped. There is no immovable object that could even have a whisper of a hope to stand against this unstoppable force. Not death, not life, not dark, not light, not demons, angels, depths, heights, past, present, future, not even ourselves, absolutely nothing that has ever been or is or ever will be can possibly stand before the sheer power of the love of our God. And our God IS love. Astounding...
And yet this word love...how often do we hear it? How often do we use it? Just thrown around like another word, another expression, another method to our unending madness? The most incredible force to ever be has been reduced to what? A cliche? I find that ridiculous. If not infuriating.
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." ~1 John 3:16
God, the Master and Creator of the universe, the One who has absolutely unlimited power and influence, turns out to be a hopeless romantic. Even in the midst of the most epic battle of all time, for all time, He...loves...us. Us.
"The battle is not the point. Evil is not the point. The point is the love story. We live in a love story that is set in the midst of war." ~John Eldredge
Us. Those who never fail to be foolish, to be utterly idiotic, to destroy that which we care about most, to turn our backs on the most incredible of everything life has to offer, to fill ourselves with pointless desire. We never fail to fail. And despite knowing all this, despite knowing that He would be killed in the most of gruesome of manners mankind has ever conceived, that we would beat him, cut him, spit in his face and laugh all the while, relishing in our miserable and depraved state, He still came. We ran and He chased. We cursed Him and He shouted out ballads of his passion. And then the love of His life crushed that life from Him, and yet He didn't let even that stop him, it didn't even slow Him down in the slightest! And He just loved all the more. And He has not stopped. No matter how many times we kill Him, He will not stop. Period. End of story. That is the power of the love of God.
And what astounds me even more? We can have this love. We can show this love. The process is long, even too long for this one lifetime, but I guess what makes that so great is that we have a chance to have more than just this one lifetime. To learn. To love. To learn to love. The complexities and depth of love are innumerable. That much I have become certain of. But still, we are a stubborn race. When have we ever let anything that has seemed totally impossible get in our way? And there is lesson one: nothing can possibly get in our way. Not where love is concerned. An unstoppable force.
But how do we grasp this? How do we abandon every preconceived notion and triviality we have contrived about love and discover it's true inconceivable and impossible nature? Love runs through anything and everything, it is inescapable. It is the very foundational reason for anything and everything good. Period. And what is evil but an adverse reaction to that good?
And now we start back at the beginning.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." ~John 3:16
He came. He died. God Himself. Loves us. Wants to be with us. For eternity. God loves us so much that He came to die so we can be together. Love is Sacrifice. And God is love. And God cannot not do something that is what He is. God cannot not love. Period. And this is the start of reconciling our minds with the incomprehensible love of God. We start with sacrifice.
And another thought...if His love is so incredible that He would be so willing to do this for us then how much more would he take care of the smallest of our pains that we endure in this life? What can we honestly ask for that He will not meet?
Since He cannot not do something that which He is in His absolute perfection, He cannot lie, and He cannot not love. And so why would He not keep the promises He has given? Simple. He wouldn't. Talk about hope...
And to think...this is only the most basic of the most limited of introductions into the unchartable vastness of the idea and reality of love. I haven't even yet scratched the surface...I can't imagine what could come of completely stripping away the misconceptions and irrational and foolish images we associate with the word "love", of wholly discovering the myriad of facets the most priceless of treasures contains. Of diving deep.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
~1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13
Originally Posted 9/1/08
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." ~John 3:16
Love.
God's Love.
The most incomprehensible aspect of existence and reality that anyone could come across in this world or the next. It is limitless, as no one could ever hope to discover the measure of His love. It is undying, the passion He holds for us unable to be quenched until we run and throw ourselves into his arms with reckless abandon. And even then it cannot be stopped. There is no immovable object that could even have a whisper of a hope to stand against this unstoppable force. Not death, not life, not dark, not light, not demons, angels, depths, heights, past, present, future, not even ourselves, absolutely nothing that has ever been or is or ever will be can possibly stand before the sheer power of the love of our God. And our God IS love. Astounding...
And yet this word love...how often do we hear it? How often do we use it? Just thrown around like another word, another expression, another method to our unending madness? The most incredible force to ever be has been reduced to what? A cliche? I find that ridiculous. If not infuriating.
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." ~1 John 3:16
God, the Master and Creator of the universe, the One who has absolutely unlimited power and influence, turns out to be a hopeless romantic. Even in the midst of the most epic battle of all time, for all time, He...loves...us. Us.
"The battle is not the point. Evil is not the point. The point is the love story. We live in a love story that is set in the midst of war." ~John Eldredge
Us. Those who never fail to be foolish, to be utterly idiotic, to destroy that which we care about most, to turn our backs on the most incredible of everything life has to offer, to fill ourselves with pointless desire. We never fail to fail. And despite knowing all this, despite knowing that He would be killed in the most of gruesome of manners mankind has ever conceived, that we would beat him, cut him, spit in his face and laugh all the while, relishing in our miserable and depraved state, He still came. We ran and He chased. We cursed Him and He shouted out ballads of his passion. And then the love of His life crushed that life from Him, and yet He didn't let even that stop him, it didn't even slow Him down in the slightest! And He just loved all the more. And He has not stopped. No matter how many times we kill Him, He will not stop. Period. End of story. That is the power of the love of God.
And what astounds me even more? We can have this love. We can show this love. The process is long, even too long for this one lifetime, but I guess what makes that so great is that we have a chance to have more than just this one lifetime. To learn. To love. To learn to love. The complexities and depth of love are innumerable. That much I have become certain of. But still, we are a stubborn race. When have we ever let anything that has seemed totally impossible get in our way? And there is lesson one: nothing can possibly get in our way. Not where love is concerned. An unstoppable force.
But how do we grasp this? How do we abandon every preconceived notion and triviality we have contrived about love and discover it's true inconceivable and impossible nature? Love runs through anything and everything, it is inescapable. It is the very foundational reason for anything and everything good. Period. And what is evil but an adverse reaction to that good?
And now we start back at the beginning.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." ~John 3:16
He came. He died. God Himself. Loves us. Wants to be with us. For eternity. God loves us so much that He came to die so we can be together. Love is Sacrifice. And God is love. And God cannot not do something that is what He is. God cannot not love. Period. And this is the start of reconciling our minds with the incomprehensible love of God. We start with sacrifice.
And another thought...if His love is so incredible that He would be so willing to do this for us then how much more would he take care of the smallest of our pains that we endure in this life? What can we honestly ask for that He will not meet?
Since He cannot not do something that which He is in His absolute perfection, He cannot lie, and He cannot not love. And so why would He not keep the promises He has given? Simple. He wouldn't. Talk about hope...
And to think...this is only the most basic of the most limited of introductions into the unchartable vastness of the idea and reality of love. I haven't even yet scratched the surface...I can't imagine what could come of completely stripping away the misconceptions and irrational and foolish images we associate with the word "love", of wholly discovering the myriad of facets the most priceless of treasures contains. Of diving deep.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
~1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13
Originally Posted 9/1/08
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