LOVE ALWAYS

How often do you consider this...?

You Are (Always) Loved “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3, NIV). The enemy of our souls will relentlessly bombard us with thoughts and feelings of inadequacy, guilt, shame, condemnation, insufficiency, insecurity, fear, doubt, and rejection. But what Jeremiah 31:3 shows us is what I want to remind you of today: No matter what you have or haven’t said No matter what you have or haven’t thought No matter what you have or haven’t done No matter what you have or haven’t accomplished No matter what you have or haven’t planned No matter what ... God has and will always love you!   Taken from a post on First Things First by Christine Caine, February 17, 2022.  I remember when I first understood "Love Always" - I realized that every time The Bear left me a card as he went off to work at the nursery, it was signed "Love Always." That was a pretty special reminder of the love that we shared. Today's post from Christine brought back memories of those days. Today however my 'Love Always' comes from the One who promised that His love would be everlasting. Knowing that my Bear knows that love too makes it all the more perfect. Always...everlasting...forever...into eternity. Love Always.

 Have you ever marveled at the Lord’s presence? Has He ever shown Himself in such a way that you were so smitten with awe that you found yourself overcome with joy? Sometimes the noise of silence confounds my mind's ability to hear Him speak. This morning in the silence instead of hearing Him I saw His hand at work.

When I go to Him in prayer I remove my glasses. If I leave them on I am often distracted and then I lose my focus. This morning though despite laying my glasses aside I was constantly aware of a star in the sky. Putting my glasses on I realized that it was undoubtedly a planet – much brighter than anything else and actually the only star that I could see.

As I continued to lift up my words to the Lord more and more stars appeared. Giving thanks for His presence and acknowledging His promises I ended my time of prayer and looking up I saw an explosion of stars, big and small, bright, twinkling, filling the sky.

Psalm 147:4-5

He counts the number of the stars;

He gives names to all of them.

Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;

His understanding is infinite.

 Have you ever touched your feet to the floor in the morning and been completely overwhelmed with thoughts of your responsibilities of the day? That was me this morning. I have been dragging my feet and thinking ‘woe is me’ thoughts. Seemed as though everywhere I looked in the house, I saw something that I wanted to do but knew that I couldn’t because of the week’s responsibilities. “It’s not fair. I have too much to do” and “maybe it’s time to change, to walk away from some things.”

Yesterday, I ordered a new devotional. (I know I have a whole shelf of them but the title kind of spoke to me). A few minutes ago I discovered why. The book is titled Everyday In His Presence and the author is Charles Stanley. Today’s entry is titled “Your Indwelling Resource.” Today’s verse is Romans 15:13 which says ‘may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’ The first line of the devotional says ‘whatever you must decide or achieve today may seem absolutely overwhelming.’

As the truths poured into my heart, I realized that the Lord knew my challenges. He knew my heartaches. He knew my quandaries. He knew me. As I read my spirit began to release and I felt renewed.

Here’s the bottom line: In His presence, you have victory over every challenge. 

 Lately I have been experiencing something that is new to my relationship with the Lord. It’s taken me a while to recognize what was happening but this morning Liz Curtis Higgs in her weekly Facebook Live (each Monday at 8am) named it. She called it your ‘never gotten it moments.’

For years I have had what I called light bulb moments. I would be reading or studying in the Word and I would recognize a truth. You know, a fact, something that maybe explains a question you’ve been pondering.

But lately, it’s been different. It’s as though the words that I am reading have a life of their own. You know the commercial that says to food ‘get in me?’ That’s what keeps happening. And when it ‘gets in me’ it’s like old Faithful! An explosion of insight, understanding, connection. And the best part? Within a short period of time, I need that very insight to navigate life. I am constantly struck by how quickly I use the nugget.

God’s Word feeds me. It prepares me for the day’s moments. What a blessing this has been over the past year and a half. Color my world with “I’ve never gotten it before!’ moments, Lord. 

 The 2020 of Hindsight or Looking Back

It is a real temptation to think less than good thoughts about the year that has just passed. We remember all the challenges, the changes, the loneliness, and the experiences we missed. It was just about a year ago that life shut the door on our 'normal' lives. 

In the beginning, we assumed that the 'quick fix' was just around the corner. In a few weeks, maybe a month, we'd be back to all the regular activities that we enjoyed. As time dragged on and everything remained changed or closed-we continued working from home; we watched church services from home; we ordered in our groceries not just our pizza; we watched the news hoping that tomorrow we'd be released from the stay-at-home orders. 

But it's March again, and although things aren't as restricting as they were, we're still limited in our activity. Someone's face will flash through your memory and you realize that you haven't seen or talked with that person in over a year. How is that possible? You wonder how they're doing. You might even wonder if they're still in town. 

There are bitterness and annoyance of the restrictions. We complain to anyone who will listen and usually they agree. When will it ever end? 

But here's how I see 2020. 

In the year 2020, I experienced loneliness like never before. For four months I never left my home. At some point, I started counting the days, and for a while, I was actually proud of the fact that I hadn't been anywhere for so long. For many years I had relished the few days when I could actually stay home from the nursery and just be alone. Now that quiet was deafening. 

In the year 2020, I grieved. My mind kept going and I was filled with thoughts of things gone by. I saw what had been happening in my life for the past seven years and I recognized that some of the habits  I had fallen into that weren't healthy. I allowed myself to reminisce and discovered that I hadn't let any tears fall or memories invade my thinking. When I did, a whole new world of joys, as well as sorrows, appeared.

In the year 2020, I focused on myself. I let my thoughts wander. I completed numerous Bible studies that added to my understanding of the emotions I was experiencing. I sat in the presence of my King and listened. He brought to mind sadness and joys, fun and pain, love and hate, good and bad, family and friends. What was, in the beginning, a painful, limiting experience became a true blessing. I am not the same person I was, nor do I want to be. God's plan for my life was and is good. 

Tim Keller in his wonderful devotional The Songs of Jesus finishes March 7 with this prayer, 

"Lord, it is not exactly right to thank you for my sorrow, for you did not create a world filled with evil, and my grief causes you grief. And yet I do thank you for the many riches I have found in these dark mines: patience, courage, and self-understanding, and most of all your love and presence."

Lord, I am so alone

 Is it me, or has this past year with its many challenges, made me more aware of how alone I am? In the beginning when the world around me shut down and I experienced nearly four months of 'house arrest,' I was content. There were new challenges - how to grocery shop, how to connect with friends, how to purchases supplies for projects, tasks, maintenance. I love a challenge...I like to solve problems. But then as the silence screamed at me, I was overwhelmed by the restrictions.

As I connected with more friends I realized that I wasn't alone in the void. A previously full life of sharing hope and love with others had been taken away. I could find encouragement for myself in my routine of Bible study and prayer but conversations with friends told me that others hadn't. There are times when being alone is valuable. I can remember wanting to stay home from work just to have a time of quiet, a time of doing what I wanted to do. But after many months I didn't want it anymore. 

As the months dragged on, I came to an understanding that there would be a 'new normal' but when that might happen was totally unknown. I began to look for the positive around me. Often a conversation with a friend would lead to offering her encouragement. I looked for directions that I could use and I found that what worked for me often would encourage others. 

Interestingly, as I read Living Unbroken by Tracie Miles, I discovered that I was walking through a formula that worked well for me. Tracie encourages you, when you are alone, to recognize that it's a normal thing. Life is just different now. The more that I fought it, the unhappier I became. 

As a MacIver, I am always looking for solutions, especially for others. Is something troubling you? Let's talk. Maybe by looking for the positive, we can walk away from the weight of aloneness. I found that making sure that I filled my time with things that I enjoy whether crafts or cleaning, the silence that was overwhelming me was filled with new sounds. I turned off the TV and turned on the radio. I played encouraging, worshipful music as I cleaned as well as when I was creating. I worked through numerous Bible studies. I have learned so much this past year. Who knew the blessings of being alone? Who knew how this 'new normal' would turn out to be a huge blessing? 

There is victory hidden in every challenge we face. God still loves us dearly despite the problems we face. He still wants the very best for His children. My hope is that the lessons that I have learned will color my path. That the emotions that I have felt will heal and that as I walk forward my hope will shine from my being. May I be a blessing to others as I continue on this path. 

ANSWERS

Sometimes it takes me a while to realize that what I really want is for someone to just tell me what to do. I am challenged to work through an issue that popped up unexpectedly and for a time I feel that I've lost control of my life. My first reaction is fear. Did you ever read an email or a letter that comes and on first reading you think - I don't know how to handle that! But then sometime later you read it again and realize that your first impression (understanding) was wrong. Now you've wasted time fretting that you don't know how to correct the situation only to discover that you were not even focused on the real problem? I am so guilty of this.

I am a big proponent of peace. Peaceful thoughts, peaceful emotions, peaceful conversations, even peaceful TV shows. I have been known to turn the channel when I suspect that a big confrontation is imminent. Too often my peace is shattered by situations that I can't control. Sometimes it can be days before I stumble on a solution to the confusion I feel.

Sadly, I know where my solution lies. But too many times I don't go there right away. I am a MacGyver at heart. I know too much about too many things. My first thoughts are often "I've got this. I know how to manage this." But too many times, I'm wrong...really wrong. My fear manifests itself in so many ways...lack of sleep, stomach upset, short temper, confusion, a sense of being overwhelmed. Days can go by before I listen to the Lord and choose His solution.

Before you turn me off thinking to yourself, 'there she goes again - quiet time, prayer, read the Word' stick with me for another minute or two. You are made in God's image. He's perfect. He loves. He cares. He calls. He's always my solution. But He can't solve anything unless I surrender to His care. And that's just it...He cares. He wants only the best for me and you. But He can't make you surrender. That's your choice...He made us that way. Think of fear this way...

    (My) Friend

    Eagerly

    Answers

    Requests

So don't be like me...turn to Him right away. His answers to my requests are always the best solution. Ask. Wait patiently. And listen. His Spirit is answering your request.