I’m really tired. It’s 3:33 in the morning and I haven’t gone to bed yet. So what does this ezer have to rejoice about? During the holidays some of us reflect upon what we have to be grateful for. Some are too busy to think. Some don’t even see their blessings – blind to what God has done for them. Some are oblivious to the love God lavishes on us, resisting Him at every turn. Whether it’s lies we’ve believed or simply the recognition of our unworthiness, we’re trying to hide from God –and from ourselves.
The revelations of God’s involvement in my little world were life changing. He pierced my heart with the knowledge that He loves me. He knew me, He knew everything I’d done, everything that had been done to me, and still He loves me. God loves ME! I cried and I wanted to shout it from the rooftops. God loves ME! I wasn’t abandoned trash, abused beyond usefulness. He spoke to my heart and showed me the power of the blood that flowed freely from His veins that incredible day on Calvary. It truly was enough to wash me clean and make me new again.
1 John 5:13 (KJV) These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
This verse gave me permission to believe Him. Different scriptures speak to each of our hearts with God’s own voice and give us the reassurance and confidence we need to believe He can overcome the wickedness of our hearts. Faith. He gives it to all of us. Mine came unannounced with three short, powerful words. God loves me. God love ME!
Love that picture!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing that God really knows us and loves us in spite of ourselves.
Susan
What kind of a story are you looking for?
ReplyDeleteHow about this one..
Picture a young girl, fourteen years of age, who has just been grounded for six months because she was caught in the back seat of a car with her boyfriend, in the church parking lot! Leading up to this this young girl had been flirting with rebellion by playing hooky from school and church, dabbling with drugs and showing little respect to authority. Before all this happened she often felt alone and depressed and had thoughts of running away from home since maybe that would make everything better. Not that home life was a bad situation - it's just that often this young girl, being a middle child, felt overlooked. How could anyone love her, skinny, ugly...dirty? Most people, when seeing the young girl, would often comment on how sweet and quiet she was but inside she was in raging, hormonal turmoil. She hated not just life but herself.
Six months of being grounded? How would she ever make it through? One time, while her parents and siblings were all away from home she gathered together the little bit of money she had. Her friend and "neice" - her brother's girlfriend's daughter, had given her a plastic bag with change in it equalling about $5. She smiled fondly at the thought that her friend would sacrifice her hard earned allowance to help her run away. Her friend was the only one who knew about her plan.
Putting the money in her purse, slipping her arm through the straps, she walked outside the house and rode away on her bicycle. After driving for a few blocks she looked back and noticed that her brothers two german shepherd dogs were following closely behind her. Not matter how fast she rode they would not leave her side. She ran into a group of her friends from highschool and begged and pleaded with them to please take the dogs back to her house but none of them would.
How could she get all the way across the city to her boyfriends if the dogs kept following. She tried to shoo them away, she yelled at them to leave her alone but they were sticking to her like super glue on cardboard. After riding around for about two hours, she realized she could not jepoardize the dogs safety and rode back home.
What a releif it was her mom when she walked in the door. She didn't tell them she had tried to run away. She just told them she went bike riding because she had to think. Where is everybody she asked her mom.
Her mom replied that her her dad and brother were out looking for her. Then standing up, she hugged her daughter and they both wept.
Not too long afterwards, the mom allowed the daughter to go on a Missionettes retreat - even though there was still about 2 more months left for her to be grounded. The theme of the retreat was You Are Special. During the entire retreat the young girl kept hearing how special she was to God and how much God loves her.
One night the speaker spoke about Psalm 51:10 - Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me. The young girl realized, if God thought she was special and died on the cross to save her because he loved her, then he could give her a clean heart and help her to love herself. At the altar call the young girl poured out her heart to God and prayed this verse and God healed her that night.
The young girl, now grown, is very grateful for that life-changing night when she recommitted her life to God and God changed the way she thought about herself. It doesn't matter what other people think about me. It doesn't matter that I don't like my hair, my height, my looks. This is how God made me and He doesn't make junk. I am a child of God. A princess!
Knowing that God loves me as He made me, fat cells and all, I can face whatever life may throw at me. because I know He cares, He loves me and He will never leave me alone. He gives me strength and confidence to face life's obstacles. He gives me courage to drive over the speed bumps of life.
And she has always wondered if maybe those two dogs were angels or following angels sent by God to protect her from doing something that would ruin her life?
ReplyDeleteThank you Susan.
ReplyDeleteAnd BRAVO Deb! What a fantastic story! Thank you for sharing it with us. Yes, I think those dogs just might have been angels - God used a donkey to talk, He can surely use dogs to protect. I love it!
What you learned is taught to us often in churches and womens meetings, but I think God has to quicken it to our hearts for us to 'get it'. As much as our ears hear this message and don't allow it in - we need to share it all the more!