Known, Accepted & Loved

Every day we live with a great irony: we have an unending desire to be accepted, yet, on the other hand, we're afraid to be completely & intimately known.

If you've seen The Mask, you will know that Jim Carrey's character hides behind a literal mask that accentuates certain character traits that seem to make him more appealing to the girl of his dreams. At one point in the movie he struggles with whether he should meet her as himself or the mask. His dilemma is that he is not confident his dream girl will like him if she really knew him.

Aren't we like that?

Many of us carry feelings of inadequacy and shame & have convinced ourselves of the need to hide; to project certain images of ourselves that we falsely believe are more acceptable.

When we hide behind a mask, the relationships we share are less real - we are robbed of knowing we are not alone; there are others like us.

As a result, many of us carry around the lie that we're worse than the next person (don't hear what I'm not saying - we're not better than the next person either - just much more alike than we think).

To some degree, if we feel others would reject our "true" selves, then we'll carry doubts about God's acceptance of us as well & this can be devastating.

The truth is we are fully known & accepted by God. Don't miss either of these.

If we were only known by God (as faithless, self absorbed, unloving & sinful people) that would be devastating. However, God knows us (knows all about us) & still He accepts us just as we are, for who we are!

Does it get any better than this!?!

Psalm 139:1
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.

**Further working out of these thoughts in Furious Pursuit

Oh my my Oh Hell yes Honey put on that party dress

I'm preparing this afternoon to share with the residents where I work.

As I'm preparing I'm focusing on my main point being God is in pursuit of you!

I don't know what they've been up to today but God has been pursuing them all day!

Out of nowhere I'm broadsided by the truth - God has been pursuing me all day today too!

Boom! - A great sense of His presence comes into being!

We all go through seasons in life. Sometimes they each come upon us very quickly. Other times we can be in a season for an extended period.

Spring - everything is exciting, new, growing & fresh.
Summer - life is fun, refreshing, sunlit & soothing.
Fall - challenges present themselves in the form of age, sickness, kids getting older & leaving home or not leaving home.
Winter - we feel shut in and alone trying to keep some warmth in our relationship with God - we struggle & ask questions like "God, where are you - don't you care?"

Bottom line: God pursues us in every season of life!

God created the seasons & He's present in every one of them!

Stop Doubting and Believe

I just got off the phone with someone I was anxiously awaiting to hear from all week.

Good news!

As I sat at my desk having hung up the phone from sharing my previous call with Leslie I remembered...

This morning I saw the kids off on the school bus. As the bus pulled away and I walked back to the house to get in the car & head to work, I was talking to God. As we walked and talked, I told God I'd really like to hear from someone today. I asked that it be possible.

..As I sit at my desk smiling God warms my heart. I'm drawing closer to the God that has always been here - not so much because of the phone call that He made happen but because of what that represents... ..God is in control & He's close - He cares about me!

God on the Radio

God is in control...

On the night before his execution, Peter slept like a baby. Here he was, chained in a room full of soldiers, James's blood still moist on the ground, and though he could only assume this was his one last night before his own torturous death, he was not afraid. So peacefully did he rest, in fact, that the angel had to prod him to wake up, and even while he was walking, he questioned if he was dreaming. Meanwhile, the believers had dropped everything and gathered together to pray. Was this the thought that kept Peter at peace? That his friends and family were on their knees all day appealing to God for him? Maybe. But certainly Peter trusted that God was in control. A church that started with 12 people was now over 8,000, and God was blessing the world through these people.

Taken from The Dust off Their Feet (Chapter 12

God is in control.

It's both a sobering and intensely comforting truth.

Perception really is not reality. That's bullshit. Perception is not based in truth. It's largely based in false assumption which in turn creates a false reality.

I can lean towards impatience. I've also been known to question the truth of God's presence & control based on the false reality I've created when I assume God isn't around and is unconcerned with my life. That couldn't be further from the truth.

Monday I was on my way to work, weaving through rush hour traffic, when I heard some news on the radio that came as God speaking into my life.

This morning I read the above from Acts 12 regarding Peter's escape from prison.

I have just come back to work after a midday appointment at the doctor's office. I was to book a follow up that I need within the next week (I was actually hoping to have everything taken care of today but it didn't happen, however, I'm not concerned because I have a little time). The Dr. said, "I'll try to get you in ASAP if I'm not booking too far in advance." However, I heard her talking to the receptionist and it didn't sound promising. I heard something about not before 1 month away. But when the receptionist looked for an appointment on her computer she turned to me and said, "You're lucky - she has had a cancellation next week." I'm in!

Luck had nothing to do with the radio announcement, my reading this morning or the appointment due to cancellation next week... ..God is in control.

God, forgive my lack of faith at times. You know it will happen again. I invite your reminders.

From a Distance

Life is full but God seems far. He says He's not but I'm not feelin' Him.

I tried to have a conversation with Him about it this morning but, as so often, He didn't say anything.

I spoke at a friend's church in Cochrane this morning so I had 45 minutes each way to hear from "Abba". Nothin'.

How much time does He need!?!

Like the mind of one who's grown up in the church, my mind told me that I need to read my Bible to hear...right.

Shouldn't the God who creatively spoke the galaxy & the mosquito into existence be creative enough to speak to me without me doing the work of looking into a book that sometimes comes across as repetitive, stale and uncomprehendable!?!

I'm at a loss for words - I wish He had some.

Ghaflah

I'm told that the greatest sin in the Muslim faith is:

Ghaflah (غفلة)
heedlessness, forgetfulness of God, indifference

That is quite honorable for them; shameful for me.

How often do I forget God?

How often do I not pay Him heed?

How often do I appear to live indifferently to the presence of God?

This may not be something that the onlooker may notice but God & I do. Today, this one hit me between the eyes.

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

(Romans 12:1-2 The Message)

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