You Are Loved!

My husband sings these great songs to our 2 year old daughter at night during her bedtime routine. Not just cutsie kid songs like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" or "Rock-a-Bye Baby," but these beautiful worship songs like "The Color Green" or "Hold Me Jesus" by Rich Mullins. Our daughter actually requests these songs and even knows the words! It's awesome to hear her sing things like,

"Be praised for all Your tenderness
by these works of Your hands,
suns that rise and rains that fall to
bless and bring to life Your land.
Look down upon this winter wheat
and be glad that You have made,
blue for the sky and the color green
that fills these fields with praise." -Rich Mullins, The Color Green

Anyway, listening to them both sing those songs led me on a little journey last week that began with my husband and I spending an hour or so just looking up videos of Rich Mullins on YouTube. My huband has always been a fan of Rich Mullins, a Christian music artist who died in 1997. Anyone who's been to church most likely knows of his famous "Step by Step" and "Awesome God" songs. As we sat and watched music videos and old interviews from the early 90's, I was so uplifted and encouraged, and I felt that the Lord was speaking to me through this man who has been gone for over 10 years! God was reminding me of His unconditional, unchanging love for me. At one point the interviewer asked Rich, "So have you found a peace in knowing that God loves you just as you are?" Rich responded, "One of the things I struggle the hardest with is believing that God really loves me. It's too good to believe, but it's true...." He goes on to say that the essence of the whole Bible when you break it all down is just that: that God loves you very much, and in fact, He's crazy about you! We may not understand it but it's true. And as the interviewer responded, if you can believe that, it changes everything!

Isn't it true that we doubt God's love for us, or that we don't really believe it at all? And if we do believe it, don't we sometimes live as if we are trying to win His approval when we already have it? That's where I struggle a bit, almost unconsiously sometimes. I think there's a misconception (or rather a damaging lie) among people that you have to have your act together, and fix all your issues, before you can come to God. Or, with Christians who are already walking in a relationship with the Lord, we sometimes think we have to keep earning God's love and favor, as if the more we "do," or the more noble our work and service is to others earns us brownie points with God. When we mess up or feel like a failure, we feel we are disappointing God. But it's not about us. God doesn't love us because of us, because of how worthy we are (we can never be worthy enough). He loves us because of Him.

The fact is, we can't do anything to earn God's love and favor, He just loves us. He wants us to come to Him now, as we are and not as we should be. We are God's creation, His children, and what good parent doesn't love their child with an unexplainable love? Our children don't need to earn our love, we just love them, and we want to give them good things! Same with God, except our imperfect love as human parents can never ever compare in the least to the perfect love of our Father God! The Bible says He IS Love. So, in light of that, and in light of Easter just passing (when we celebrate the proof of His love in Jesus Christ) you need to know today that you are loved with an everlasting, eternal love. And whether you can explain it or not, it's true. Some things just call for acceptance. Instead of doubting it, let's embrace it and let the incredible reality of it change our lives!

When I read the words of Rich Mullins' song once again, I am reminded that God's love is displayed all around us all the time, in the "suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land," and in all the works of His hands. And when I hold my baby girl and she sings those songs back to me, I know I can't ever doubt God's love as I am surrounded by it in that moment! God loves you!  So, do you believe it? As Rich Mullins put it, "To the degree that you believe it, it changes everything!"

(For more of that Rich Mullins interview go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIAN29H4T-o)

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. -1 John 4:9-10

It's Raining, It's Pouring

Here is something I wrote quite a few years back. At the time I was working full-time in a drama ministry company, and I had just gone through a long season of personal struggles. The details of that aren't important, but what is important is the fact that struggle and heartbreak and heartache are something WE ALL can relate to. They come and go in life. It seems in life you are either in the midst of a struggle, just coming out of a struggle, or getting ready to enter into a one! The good news is we have a God who doesn't want us to go through them alone! The Lord taught me a lot about storms that year. Just in case anyone is going through that right now, here is something I hope will encourage you.

From August 2005: There was a lot going on with me this past summer, but the Lord just carried me through constantly and taught me so much that I don’t think I’ve even processed it all yet. Recently I read Isaiah 49:10-11, which says, “….He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water. I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.” Life will always have mountains in them, mountains that are obstacles in our life or hardship or personal struggle. God doesn’t want us to run from them or face them on our own. Instead we have to face them in Christ. They are God’s mountains and they are there for a reason, making us who He wants us to be. He will lead and guide us to where we need to be through our circumstances. As that verse promises, He will eventually turn those mountains into roads—a very clear pathway of the Lord’s purpose in our lives. He will lead us to springs of water—refreshing, renewal, rest!! (Lot’s of good R-words).  So I guess I feel like I’ve been lost in the middle of a ton of mountains, and maybe I’m starting to see a road up ahead, or a refreshing spring of water.

You can probably relate, but most every season in my life and ministry is characterized by something new the Lord has taught me or brought me through. They all have their own times of struggle, renewal, passion, maybe stagnation…seasons are about change and growth. When I first got home from our last day of working at camp, I sat on my couch for two days (not two whole days straight, mind you, but for long time periods each day) while a storm came through. I love storms, and this one was so beautiful. It was loud and powerful, the rainfall was massive and the thunder was deafening. The sun went away and it was dark and gray. I guess I loved it because for me it symbolized, perhaps, coming to the end of all my storms for this season, and waiting to see what will come after. Storms, no matter how dark and dreary they are at the time, just make everything new. They rain down and renew everything. They make everything more beautiful after they are over. The air smells fresher, the sun and sky seem more clear and blue, the grass and trees turn green, and our cars get cleaner.J So remember the next time you are in the midst of a storm, call on the Lord! Seek Him through it. Ask Him what He wants to teach you during it. Thank Him for it, and for His love and care that never leave. And remember that the dry, crisp brown grass in your life from the winter can't turn into a lush green without those spring storms!

What Would You Do?

There are times when I feel like my life is somewhat like a sitcom. Here is an example of one of those times.


Not too long ago I was at Panera with my little girl. We had just gotten out of Storytime at the children's library and decided to stop by Panera and grab a bagel for snack. We stood right in front of the bakery case, behind a women who was paying for her order at the cash register. As I looked over the assortment of bagels and goodies, I noticed a plate sitting on the top of the bakery case with a pastry cut up in sample pieces! YUM, samples! I thought, I love it when they have samples, although they ususally have some sort of bread or bagel. So naturally, as I suspect you would do also, I grabbed a sample piece from the plate and shared it with my little girl. It was pretty tasty, and I even considered grabbing another piece but decided not to be greedy since there weren't too many more pieces on the plate.


Anyway, not 30 seconds later the women in front of us finished paying for her order, and then as if in slow motion the rest of the action ensued: the women reached over the bakery case and grabbed the plate that was sitting there, the same plate that I had assumed was a free sample! It was her order! I think I tensed up, feeling very foolish but also wondering why she was still taking it. Oh wait, she obviously hadn't seen me.... either had the girl who was ringing her up. I glanced behind me. Had anyone else seen me? Nope, no one standing in line behind us. Phew! That would have been embarassing. But wait! My next thought was that I should say something, apologize for mistaking it for a sample plate and offer to buy her a new one. I was just about set on doing that, but alas, it was too late. My feelings of embarassment and my running thoughts took up the small chance I had to say something. Before I knew it the women was gone, totally oblivious to the missing piece on her small(er) pastry. Okay, honestly, who cuts up their pastry in sample pieces?!


After she had walked away, I quickly ordered our bagel to go and then left, feeling like I might get discovered on some hidden camera or something. I felt like I was on one of those "What would you do?" shows. If the camera zoomed in on me they would have seen me trying to keep my cool, but my eyes slightly widened with concern of being found out! HA! And it was only a pastry! I am laughing as I am remembering, and that's what I did the whole rest of that day. It has become a good story to tell, although I have to admit that deep down I was a little disappointed in myself for not speaking up. I always plan to do the right thing when faced with a situation, and luckily this wasn't too serious of a situation. I mean, if we should do to others what we want them to do to us, I would have definitely wanted someone to speak up and offer to buy me another bagel if they ate part of mine! So I hope that next time, especially if it is something more serious, I will be able to turn off my debating thoughts and just do what is right. And like the message in my last post, I can't ever judge another person for what they do or don't do. It's so easy to say, "I would have done that different!" But you truly don't know until you are in a situation.

Moments come to us all the time; opportunities to bless and encourage, or lend a helping hand; or chances to apologize and make things right. Mine is a bit of a silly example, but the truth is, unless we go out each day with open eyes and hearts, prayed up to recognize opportunities to do the right thing, we will miss them. I don't know what it would have meant if I had spoken up and bought that lady another pastry. It could have made her day! It could have caused her to want to do the same for someone else! What else have I been missing? Have I been looking people in the eyes when I talk to them to show them that I'm really listening? Have I recognized a need that I know I could fill? Have I used kind words and a tone of voice with others when I'm a little frustrated?

The bible tells us, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people. . . ." (Galatians 6:10) and "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is" (Ephesians 5:15-17). Even a small act of kindness can make a huge difference! I hope you are encouraged today to go out and make the most of every opportunity in your daily lives. And I hope my little sitcom brought a laugh to you as well. :-)