God's Heart for Relationship

"The vast desire and capacity a woman has for intimate relationships tells us of God’s vast desire and capacity for intimate relationships. In fact, this may be the most important thing we ever learn about God—that he yearns for relationship with us. “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God” (John 17:3). The whole story of the Bible is a love story between God and his people. He yearns for us. He cares. He has a tender heart.

Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! (Isa. 49:14–15)

I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. (Jer. 24:7)

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. (Matt. 23:37)

What a comfort to know that this universe we live in is relational at its core, that our God is a tenderhearted God who yearns for relationship with us. If you have any doubt about that, simply look at the message he sent us in Woman. Amazing. Not only does God long for us, but he longs to be loved by us. Oh, how we’ve missed this. How many of you see God as longing to be loved by you? We see him as strong and powerful, but not as needing us, vulnerable to us, yearning to be desired."

Awkward Love

It was funny that I got this devotional today. The Lord reminded me once again, who He has made me and how He has made me. It's not easy being a woman sometimes; but being Redeemed Eve is where God wants us and needs us to be and to stay....for others and to draw people to Him.

"Honest communication in love is the only way to live and grow in friendships. There are ebbs and flows. There may be real hurt and disappointment. But with the grace of God firmly holding us, it is possible to nurture and sustain deep friendships. We are designed to live in relationship and share in the lives of other women. We need one another. God knows that. We have only to ask and surrender, to wait, to hope, and, in faith, to love. We must also repent.

For a woman to enjoy relationship, she must repent of her need to control and her insistence that people fill her. Fallen Eve demands that people “come through” for her. Redeemed Eve is being met in the depths of her soul by Christ and is free to offer to others, free to desire, and willing to be disappointed. Fallen Eve has been wounded by others and withdraws in order to protect herself from further harm. Redeemed Eve knows that she has something of value to offer; that she is made for relationship. Therefore, being safe and secure in her relationship with her Lord, she can risk being vulnerable with others and offer her true self.

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable . . . The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love.... is Hell." (C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves)
(Captivating , 181–82)

Obedience

Big topic for sure. Sometimes we cause ourselves so much heartache and pain. You know, when God tells you something, and you know it's true. You know you heard His voice, but you keep acting like you didn't and keep putting off what it is He told you. Why do we do it?

I had a recent experience that caught me in just this place, somewhat. The Lord was leading me to do something I had been needing to do, and I kept putting it off and putting it off. The more I put it off, the harder I was making it on myself. He has already told me the end result. He has already told me some very specific things about the situation.........why are we not as quick to move sometimes when we Know that we Know that we know He has our very best interest and plans at Heart. His Heart. Jeremiah 29:11

Lord Jesus, I love you so much, and I ask you to help my unbelief, forgive me for not obeying as quickly as I should, I repent of my moments of distrust.

In Defense of Discontent

I had to post this, it was too profound, and if all of us would admit it, it's where we are.

"By the grace of God, we cannot quite pull it off. In the quiet moments of the day we sense a nagging within, a discontentment, a hunger for something else. But because we have not solved the riddle of our existence, we assume that something is wrong—not with life, but with us. Everyone else seems to be getting on with things. What’s wrong with me? We feel guilty about our chronic disappointment. Why can’t I just learn to be happier in my job, in my marriage, in my church, in my group of friends? You see, even while we are doing other things, “getting on with life,” we still have an eye out for the life we secretly want. When someone seems to have gotten it together, we wonder, How did he do it? Maybe if we read the same book, spent time with him, went to his church, things would come together for us as well. You see, we can never entirely give up our quest. Gerald May reminds us,

When the desire is too much to bear, we often bury it beneath frenzied thoughts and activities or escape it by dulling our immediate consciousness of living. It is possible to run away from the desire for years, even decades, at a time, but we cannot eradicate it entirely. It keeps touching us in little glimpses and hints in our dreams, our hopes, our unguarded moments. (The Awakened Heart)

He says that even though we sleep, our desire does not. “It is who we are.” We are desire. It is the essence of the human soul, the secret of our existence. Absolutely nothing of human greatness is ever accomplished without it. Desire fuels our search for the life we prize. The same old thing is not enough. It never will be."
(The Journey of Desire , 10–11)

Glorious Weekend....

I was in East TN this weekend and it was the most wonderful weather! I was so happy to see the sunshine. My parents and I took a ride in the new car God has blessed me with and I stopped and took some pics along the way. It was so beautiful. God was showing out today, giving us a taste of Spring and Romancing us. It was Glorious! The thought of Spring is exciting itself. I rings of all things new, everything blooming, new life, fresh starts, old things are passed away and all things become new. Love is in the air in the Spring as well. Just watch all of nature.