Love Challenged
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 Posted by Sara
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Someday, I’m quite sure, Jesus and I are going to have a nice long chat about love, over a hot mug of vanilla chai. I’m sure we’ll spend time talking about my plethora of years as a single – and hopefully that digression will be fraught with laughter and comments that begin, “If I only knew then what I know now…” But at some point in the conversation, perhaps when my top lip is all frothy He will lean forward and ask, “So, how did it go – that thing I asked you to do?”“That challenge?” I will clarify.
He’ll nod as he takes another swig of chai.
“It was the hardest thing I ever had to do.” I’ll say.
A few years ago, God spoke a simple phrase to me, “receive, lest you be wanting in that day.” I still don’t understand all of what He was telling me with that phrase, but I know this much – he was referring to His love. I needed to learn how to receive His love - and how to give it. Though, it’s hard to do the second without the first, I’ve found.
Every day I am faced with the challenge of letting God love on me in big and small ways. It’s not hard to let Him love on me through my wonderful class of third graders, who honestly are like a mack truck of love in my life – always offering hugs and pictures and affirmation that I am loved. But some days it’s hard. Days when I don’t feel like anything is going right. Days when I beat myself up about something I said or did. Days when I don’t really want to look in the mirror. We’ve all been there, right? It’s those moments receiving God’s love is a challenge. In those moments I have to set my mind on His promises and truth and remind myself – His love for me is here, right now, ready to drive out every fear and lie. I am not defeated. I am more than a conqueror, and I am completely and perfectly loved right now, just as I am.
“No power in the sky above or in the earth below--indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:39
Father, open our eyes today to the ways you want to love on us, may we rise to the challenge of receiving your love and may our hearts and lives respond in worship as we understand more the great love you have for us!
