Taste and See (Nothing’s Tastier that the Goodness of God)

Along the way I’ve made the beautiful discovery that God is eager to show His love to every single person, but He will not force His love on us; He will not force Himself into my life, but, if I sincerely invite Him in, He will reveal His unbounded love, and that love is transformative.

 

In fact, God is so certain of Himself that the Bible throws out this amazing challenge: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him” Psalm 34:8 (NIV).

 

This is an invitation for us to discover God’s goodness for ourselves. Here’s the key: If I really want to take on this challenge I can’t go into it half-heartedly, I must throw myself into this pursuit completely—heart and soul. The beautiful truth in this verse is this: God doesn’t expect us to believe blindly; instead, He challenges us to taste and see that He is good—to experience Him for ourselves.

 

For many years I walked away from God, but, thankfully, God pursued me and drew me back into His presence. During that time, I cherished a false understanding of God and His love. Foolishly, I attempted to transfer my parent’s religion (and their relationship with God) into my life, but it was doomed to fail because God is not a cookie-cutter God; He forms a unique, individual relationship with each of us.

 

It wasn’t until I personally took the challenge to experienced God for myself that I finally found Him and discovered that He is indeed good. And the reward is so sweet. In my walk I’ve found God to be faithful, just as He promised, and in the darkest moments of my life, He always walks by my side.

 

So join me as I continue to seek Him and claim His promises, allowing Him to continually transform my view of Him.

 

Final Thought: If we allow God to become an intimate part of our lives, He will always prove Himself faithful.

 

Focusing on Jesus (Turning the Spotlight Away from Me)

Along the way I’ve discovered that this simple message has far reaching implications: God gave His all.

In this world, the message: “Me, me, me!” is proclaimed from every billboard, shouted from every television commercial, and even preached from many pulpits; but this message flies in the face of everything the Bible says is important.

The world says: “It’s all about me,” “I can do it on my own,” and “It’s not my fault,” along with many other lies. It does its best to get me to forget that this is a battle, a spiritual battle, one in which my advisory is very cleaver, and he knows exactly how to lead me down the wrong path—the selfish, self-centered path of destruction.

However, if I am going to use Jesus as my perfect example, I am forced to recognize that He lived a life centered on others; in fact, He came down from heaven to give His all. Then He asked me to do the same.

The message Jesus lived and shared while He walked this earth is this: “Love each other as I have loved you.” The me-focused attitude marketed by this world is the very attitude that breaks relationships, causing untold pain and suffering.I’ve found in my life that I know I’m going down the wrong path when I find myself asking, “What’s in it for me,” instead of, “What can I do for you?”

“But,” I hear you asking, “Doesn’t this attitude give people permission to take advantage of me?” Well, let me ask you this: Did people take advantage of Jesus, or did He give to them before they asked?

When he was here on earth, Christ drew His strength, not from Himself, but from His solid, unchanging relationship with His Father. So, this tells me that the only way I can succeed in this difficult mission of loving everybody is to rely fully on God, my never-ending source of love.

So join me as I stop focusing on the constant shouts from the world to rely on me, me, me; and, instead, put my trust in and rely fully on the One Who will never fail me. Join me as I put it all into God’s capable hands.

Final Thought: God’s command to love seems so simple, but in a world filled to overflowing with thoughts of me, me , me, it’s difficult to squeeze in time for anything else—especially God.

Slow Moving is Still Moving (God’s Time is Not My Time)

Along the way I’ve discovered that slow moving is still moving.

Sometimes, surrounded by a world continually promising instant gratification, I forget the simple fact that slow moving is still moving. In this instantaneous world I overlook the fact that even though things are creeping along they are still moving.

Often, the things that take the longest times to learn or to come to completion are the very things that bring the most satisfaction and completely transform my thoughts and ideas. Like a long-term love affair, these truths become a part of who I am.

But, all too often, I shrug off the slow moving progress, deeming it useless and ineffective, forgetting that God works in the long-term—the eternal. Instead of seeing the world (and myself) as a moment-by-moment project to be discarded if it takes too long, God sees me as a project worthy of eternity.

The beautiful truth is this: God is willing to take as much time as necessary to fulfill His purpose. The challenge for me is to recognize that every single minute of every single day God is working on my behalf and on the behalf of our fallen world.

Too often, all I can see (because it’s what I focus on) is the interminable wait when I should instead be viewing the world (and my own daily life) in an eternal, God-view way. This shift in focus has the power to transform my thinking and my life.

So join me as I stop fretting over the waiting and begin trusting God Who continually proves Himself faithful in my life in big and small ways.

Final Thought: It is often the small, everyday acts that transform the world.

A Lazar-Focused Love (Loving One Person at a Time)

Along the way I’ve discovered that sometimes God needs to speak truth to me a multitude of times before I understand and fully live it. Thankfully, God is unendingly patient. He recently reminded me of a truth that continues to resurface in my life, a little different each time, and yet always the same, gently drawing me back to the secret of living a rich, abundant life. The truth: Love—one person at a time.

I often look at my world with a “big picture” view; and that’s okay, but this view leaves out the details of the moment, the little things that hold such significance; and, in the process, I often leave individual people out of the equation, effectively defeating the entire purpose of life—connecting with and loving people.

Studying the life of Christ and using Him as my perfect example is the best way to live. And Christ lived one person at a time. He focused on individuals moment by moment. This allowed Him to love them fully, completely, and individually. They were, in that moment, the lazar-focus of God’s unbridled love. What an amazing moment that must have been. No wonder people were either irresistibly drawn to Jesus or instantly repelled by Him. For each person, meeting Jesus was a defining, decision-making moment: They could choose to follow Him or fall away from Him.

It’s the same today. When we truly experience Jesus for the first time, it’s a defining, life-changing moment.

Now, the hard part: I am called to love like Jesus. And His perfect example shows me exactly what that looks like—one person at a time.

So join me as I take the command of Jesus seriously. Join me as I allow Him to transform me, giving me a heart that loves like He loves— lazar-focused, one person at a time.

Final Thought: All I am required to do is love one person at a time—loving them fully and completely, uncompromisingly engaged in the moment.

My Mission to Love (It’s Not All About Me)

Along the way I’ve discovered that I’m in constant need of this simple reminder: It’s not all about me.

If I want to follow Christ’s commandment to love (both God and others), I must stop focusing on myself and my multitude of problems; I must stop categorizing and classifying others; I must set aside my selfish desire to be better than others, my selfish desire to fit into a specific group, my selfish desire to be accepted by the world. I must set aside self, take up my cross, and follow Christ (see Matthew 16:24).

My selfish need to classify others by what they wear, the way they speak, the things they do, or the sins they’ve committed is directly tied to my deep desire to be loved and accepted. But, if I want to follow Jesus’ commission to love, I must set aside these categorizations and instead view everyone as a child of God.

This may seem like an impossible commission, but here’s the good news: When I turn my life fully over to Jesus, I become a new creation, and I no longer fall into the world’s meaningless categories; instead, I become a part of God’s family. I am no longer defined by my status in this world; instead, I’m defined by my status as a child of God. I am no longer a struggling citizen of earth; instead, I’m an eternal citizen of heaven. I am transformed into a reflection of Christ.

So join me as I keep this simple truth front and center: It isn’t all about me; it’s all about God. Join me as I daily devote myself to Christ, allowing His unconditional love to transform my view of myself and those around me.

Final Thought: I can only succeed in my mission to love when I allow God to mold me into His image.

An Ever-Patient Teacher (Lessons in Humility)

Along the way I’ve learned that God is a patient teacher. He will, if necessary, repeat lessons in my life again, and again, and again, and again, until I finally learn, until, with His help I completely turn my back on that particular temptation. Sadly, sometimes the process of uprooting a specific sin is the pursuit of a lifetime; but, faithful to His ever-patient nature, God never stops working in me—He never gives up on me.

Recently, humility has been a repeating lesson in my life, repeating to the point that it has become abundantly clear that I still have a lot to learn on this subject.

Looking back at my life, I find it strange that this is a lesson I need to learn. The truth is that God has led me far from the frightened, angry, little girl I once was—a girl who was completely convinced of her unworthiness. But, walking closely with Him has taught me to be a confident woman, sure of my place in the family of God.

However, I must confess that often I find myself feeling just a bit superior to those who haven’t yet come as far as I have. And this has led me to the discovery that if I focus on myself and my accomplishments instead of God, overcoming self-doubt can quickly be followed by the need for a series of lessons in humility.

Thankfully, God is a patient teacher—One Who, if I allow Him, will uproot every single sin in my life, even those secretly cherished sins. And, while the process can be painful and sometimes difficult, the results are always worth it—always!

So join me as I ask God to continue to teach me to walk in His ways (even if I have to repeat a grade or two along the way).

Final Thought: When I focus solely on my own talents and skills, looking for ways to exalt myself instead of using my God-given talents to build others up and to point them to Him, I find myself in need of a series of lessons in humility; I find myself in need of a reminder that it’s not all about me, but Him.

Laying Down My Restless Spirit (Realizing That God is Enough)

Along the way I’ve spent enormous chunks of time wandering, uselessly seeking and desperately searching for the next big thing—the next big job, the next big trip, the next big adventure… I admit it; I have a restless spirit, a spirit that cries out for excitement and adventure, for connection and community, for acceptance and unconditional love.

Recently, I’ve discovered the endless source of joy that can satisfy every desire of my heart, my heart’s deepest—God. The beautiful truth is this: God is enough to satisfy all my needs. God is enough.

This statement is so simple, but living in this truth is the challenge of a lifetime. I’ve often found it very difficult to quietly live out the truth that God is enough. But, if I allow Him, God will capture my restless spirit and give me peace and serenity, bringing me home from my endless wanderings.

The good news for me is that a life lived in Christ is never boring, sedentary, or lackluster. When I fully accept God and follow to His leading in my life, He calls me to difficult, challenging, thrilling, life-changing things. Sometimes He asks me to do the impossible, and then He gives me the power to succeed—accomplishing things I could never do on my own. And the closer I get to God the more He asks me to do; and I can be successful in these tasks only when I step out in faith, holding tight to the all-powerful hand of God.

So join me as I stop seeking the endless thrills offered by this world and instead truly embrace the idea that God is enough, allowing Him to lead me on the ultimate adventure—an everlasting relationship with Him.

Final Thought: The most difficult challenge in my life thus far is simply waiting on God.