“Think positive!” “I am strong!” “Believe in yourself!” Ever heard these? I’ve been reflecting on the idea of positive thinking and self-affirmation. While there is some real value in having a positive mindset, many of the quotes and statements that I come across just don’t sit well with me. The Bible gives us clear guidelines on how we should think: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8) Sometimes statements of “positive thinking," particularly statements of self-affirmation, just flat out aren’t true. Why should I fill my mind with lies, even if they’re positive? To counter this, I set out on a quest to find some statements of truth based upon Scripture on which to reflect and mediate. As I poured over Scripture passages looking for true statements that proclaim our worth, importance, purpose, and anything else we might want to tell ourselves to increase our confidence and self-esteem, something quickly became very clear to me: According to God, it’s not about me. It’s all about Him. Let me explain. The Bible certainly teaches that we are valued and have worth in the eyes of God, but our worth, beauty, and importance are not the focus of Scripture; if we try and make it all about us, we will quickly become powerless in that line of thinking. The reason we have our worth, beauty, and importance is completely based on Christ and what He has done for us. The focus of Scripture is on Jesus, His beauty, His power, His widsom, His love, etc. The Bible strongly discourages us from propping ourselves up in our own mind. Biblical thinking is actually quite counter-intuitive and often goes against what society tells us to think and believe. The world tells us to believe in ourselves, be strong, take pride in ourselves, etc. But consider the following:
With statements like these, the Bible teaches that God doesn't ignore those who are weak and humble. In fact, He often favors those qualities, and He uses those people for His own purpose and glory. Worldly Positive Thinking in Light of ScriptureThe worldly idea of positive thinking generally focuses on self and is very egocentric. This flies in the face of what the Bible teaches. The Bible instructs us to think less of ourselves and more of others. We are to have a humble mindset. We are to die to self. We must become less and God must become greater in our lives. Paul writes in Romans 12:3, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” Be in the practice of testing everything against Scripture, and "taking every thought captive," (2 Corinthians 10:5). This way, if you're thinking positive thoughts, you can be confident that you're thinking positive thoughts of truth. The same applies to negative thoughts: if you are plagued with negative thoughts, test those against Scripture, because often times those thoughts are also lies. There is freedom in knowing the truth. (see John 8:32). Let’s put that into practice and examine a few statements found on positive thinking website: Worldly Statement: I make the right choices every time. In Light of Scripture: You know darn well you don’t always make the right choices. The Bible calls many of our bad choices sin, and the the only remedy for sin is to be honest about it with God and ask for His forgiveness. If our bad choices are not blatant sin, then they probably fall into the category of foolishness. Through the filling of God’s Holy Spirit, He will give us the strength, power, and wisdom to make the right choices every time. (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:9, Galatians 5:16-25) Worldly Statement: I trust myself. I trust my inner wisdom and intuition. In Light of Scripture: According to the Bible, trusting in yourself can be a dangerous thing. Jeremiah 17:9 says the heart is deceitful. Proverbs 3:5 says to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” We are to trust in God alone and seek Him for our guidance. Trusting in yourself instead of in the God who made you, is like making an idol out of yourself, and is not much different than trusting in a golden figure formed by the hands of man. Anything good about us comes from God: He made us, He saved us, He gifted us, He leads us, He empowers us. Our trust should be in Him, not in ourselves. (Also see Proverbs 28:26) Worldly Statement: I draw from my inner strength and light. In Light of Scripture: This is very similar to the above statement. Apart from Christ, we have no inner strength and light. Ephesians 3:14-21 talks about God’s Spirit strengthening us in our “inner man” and giving us the power and understanding that we need. Without Him, our flesh is weak. It's when we acknowledge that weakness and turn to Jesus that we find true strength and light. (Romans 8:26, 2 Corinthians 12:9, John 8:12) Worldly Statement: Money comes to me easily and effortlessly. In Light of Scripture: If only it were as easy as speaking those words! God never promises us material riches, but He does promise to supply all our needs. The Bible tells us that hard work leads to increased wealth, and it also says that when we give a portion of what we have back to God, we will receive blessing in return (not necessarily material, but it could be). Some are blessed with great wealth for God’s glory, and others are blessed with simple means, also for God’s glory. We are to be content with what God has supplied. (Proverbs 3:9-10, Proverbs 10:4, Proverbs 30:7-9, Proverbs 24:30-34, Malachi 3:10, 2 Corinthians 9:6, Hebrews 13:5) Worldly Statement: I am smart. In Light of Scripture: For some this may be true, but for others, saying the words just doesn’t make it so. (Sorry if I burst anyone's bubble there!) We all have unique strengths and abilities, but for some, being smart just isn’t one of them. If you’re one of those people who are lacking in the area of intellect, and you lie to yourself about it, you’re only shorting yourself the opportunity to grow and seek out others in your life who are smart to help you with your shortcomings. While we’re not all blessed with great intellect, (and even if we are), the Bible tells us that any of us can (and should) seek out God’s wisdom. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” James 1:5 says, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” Positive Thinking From the Bible Now that we’ve looked at some worldly statements, let’s look at some trustworthy statements from God’s Word that speak to our worth and value. These statements are focused on Christ and what He has done, not on ourselves, and they are words of truth, rather than lies. These are not words to psyche ourselves into being better, but are words that are already true, that focus our attention on the One from who we can draw our strength and wisdom. We can cling to these words without hesitation. Look up these scriptures and meditate on those if you need to fill your mind with positive thoughts! (The statements with the “*” asterisks apply specifically to Christians, who have trusted Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.) The "Scripture Support" references open up a link to the full Bible verse in a new window. Biblical Statement: I am wonderfully made. Scripture Support: Psalm 139:13-14 We were no accident. God made us with His own hands. Biblical Statement: I am loved. Scripture Support: John 3:16, Romans 8:38-39 God said He loved us, and proved it by sending Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins. Biblical Statement: I am valuable. Scripture Support: Matthew 6:25-27 God cares about us more than anything else in His creation. Biblical Statement: I am forgiven.* Scripture Support: Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:9 While it is true that we are all sinners, God promises to forgive us when we ask Him. Biblical Statement: I am complete.* Scripture Support: Colossians 2:10 Jesus makes us whole. Biblical Statement: I am alive.* Scripture Support: Ephesians 2:4-6 We were once dead in our sins, but Jesus makes us alive with Him through His death and resurrection. Biblical Statement: I am a new creation.* Scripture Support: 2 Corinthians 5:17 When we give our lives to Jesus, our old self passes away, and He makes us new. Biblical Statement: I can do all things (through Christ).* Scripture Support: Philippians 4:13 Jesus gives us the strength we need to do life. Biblical Statement: I am a child of God.* Scripture Support: John 1:12 God gave this right to those who believe in Jesus. A Better WayWorldly thinking is self-centered and prone to lies. Biblical thinking is Christ-centered (or others-centered) and rich in truth. When you remove the focus from yourself and start focusing on who God is and what He’s done, and when you start focusing on how you can bless others, you will naturally become a better person because of what He does in your life. Consider the attitude of Jesus, written about in Philippians 2:3-11: Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Instead of telling yourself how great you are and how much you can do, focus your thoughts on Jesus and how great He is and what He's done. Strive to be like Him. Embrace what He has already given you and walk according to His Spirit.
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I’ve been attempting to write something about the 2016 Presidential Election for a while now, because Jesus is most certainly relevant to what is going on in our country, but the words aren’t coming easily. So much has been said already, from pretty much every angle, so what more is there to add? As I think and pray through what I want to say, one passage of Scripture that keeps coming back to my mind is 1 Samuel chapter 8. It feels so reminiscent of what is happening in America right now, and the Old Testament has never felt more applicable to me than it does this year. I can only steer people in one direction, and that's towards Jesus, but as far as this election goes, here are my thoughts on how America got itself into this place where we have to chose between a rock and a hard place. Israel and a KingIn the days of Samuel, Israel had judges, rather than kings or presidents, like we have today. Samuel was one of the judges whom God had appointed to rule Israel, and it was a season of Israel’s disobedience to God. Samuel was a godly man, but towards the end of Samuel’s life, he appointed his sons as judges of Israel, and they “turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice.” (1 Sam 8:3). Sound familiar? It does to me. It sounds a whole lot like many of the people we currently have in office, and those who are now aspiring to rule the United States of America. Corruption in government is nothing new. The people of Israel approached Samuel and asked that a king be appointed over them like all the other surrounding nations. This didn’t sit well with Samuel, but he took it to God. Here was God’s reply: “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day – in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods – so they are doing to you also. Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them.” (1 Sam 8:7-9) Samuel continued to listen as God warned of the king who would reign over Israel, if that’s what they chose. God warned that the king would take the possessions of the people for his own, and that the people would become his servants. The people would cry out, but God wouldn’t answer them in that day. Basically God said, “I’m your King. If you want an earthly king, you can have one, but you’re not going to like it.” America and a King America, we as a nation have rejected God from being our King. Instead of individually and corporately turning to Him for guidance and leadership and lordship, we have sought earthly leaders and legislation to solve all our problems. We have tried to legislate morality and generosity rather than each submitting our hearts to God’s leadership in those areas. Our hearts have turned from God, as we kick Him out of schools, government, and our daily lives. We no longer call sin “sin,” and we tolerate the things that God finds despicable. Samuel brought the word of God back to the people, warning them of what a king would bring, but they insisted on having their own way. “No, but there shall be a king over us,” was their reply. (1 Sam 8:19) So Samuel under God’s leadership appointed a king over them, and he ended up being a miserable king, just as God had warned. I wonder if our present situation in America is a result of us neglecting to heed God’s warnings over the years. Have we been insistent on having our own way, despite what God has said? We continue to stray farther and farther from God's ways, and we have ended up with two presidential candidates who are both either corrupt and/or immoral. How did that happen? When people reject God enough times, He’ll pull back, let them have their way, and leave them to their own devices. There are a number of times throughout Scripture where He “gave them over in the lusts of their heart to impurity” or “gave them over to a depraved mind” or hardened the hearts of those who didn’t want to follow Him. God doesn’t force Himself on us, but sometimes if someone rejects His instruction enough times, they lose their chance. Perhaps that’s what’s happened in America. It’s just a thought, but maybe God is leaving us to our own devices. That's what we wanted, right? Romans 1:28-32 says, “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” Ouch. I don’t know a single person on earth who hasn’t upset God in at least one of the above ways. Election time in this country brings out these sins in abundance in people! Just watch the news or check your Facebook feed. Two Bad ChoicesThe people of Israel had two bad choices for their leader:
America also has two bad choices for our president this year. Enough has been said about the despicable details of the character of our top two presidential candidates, so I will say no more about that. But like the people of Israel, America is neglecting its third option: to turn our hearts wholly to God. While we are busy arguing with each other over whose sin is greater between Trump and Clinton, are we submitting our own hearts to King Jesus? Christians: we have declared that Jesus is the Lord of our lives. But do we act like that each day, or do we also get caught up in foolish controversies, slander, pride, and the like? Are we putting our trust and hope in the wrong places? Are we trusting Trump or Hillary to change America, to end poverty, to end corruption, to end greed, to bring unity? Or are we on our knees humbling our own hearts in each of those matters before the One who can truly bring peace to a nation? Are we praying diligently for the hearts of our leaders and other civilians alike, that they would also turn to God as their King? Imagine what our country would look like if each person was fully submitted to Jesus as their King:
Until Jesus returns one day (and He will), we’re stuck in an imperfect world with sinful people running the show. I realize that we can’t actually vote for “Jesus” on our ballots this year and have it be worth a darn in this election. But if our nation doesn’t turn its heart back to God who has blessed us so richly in this country, I fear He will remove His blessing from us, so that we will cry out to Him, as happened with the people of Israel time and time again throughout history. The following is a promise that God made to Israel, but perhaps He will also show our country the same mercy if we turn back to Him: “and [if] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) “We Shall Over Comb”This photo is of a bottle of hot sauce I found at our butcher shop over the summer. I found it humorous and bought it as a joke for a family member, but the sad truth is that with either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, the best we can hope for is to “over comb.” When we “over comb,” we’re simply covering up the problem, and not addressing the root issue. Trump and Clinton may have some ideas and suggestions of laws and policies to put in place in attempts to solve our nation’s troubles, but they can never fully fix our nation, because they can never fix people’s hearts. To truly overcome in this country, the root problem of sin needs to be addressed, and only Jesus can do that, starting in the hearts of each individual. When we humble ourselves and confess our sin to Jesus, he forgives us and makes us new. That’s what we need in this country: people with forgiven hearts and fresh starts! Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John later writes, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5) Whom Should I Vote For?I'm not going to tell you whom to vote for. How can I? In this election, seemingly more so than any other, it comes down to a matter of conscience. If voting for Trump violates your conscience, then don’t. If voting for Hillary violates your conscience, then don’t. I’ve heard convincing arguments on all sides of the equation with reasonable political, moral, and spiritual justifications. Some I agree with, some I don’t. Regardless of whom I think is the best candidate and why, if another is going to feel guilty for making the same decision, I would never push them to go against what they feel is right before God.
Seek God above all else, and research all the issues at stake and potential long term outcomes for our country when casting your ballot. And then trust God that His plan and purpose will be fulfilled, regardless of who wins this election. Remember: “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.” (Proverbs 21:1) “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) This is a story of God’s faithfulness and answer to prayer regarding a lifelong friendship of mine. It makes my heart so full of joy every time I think about how God worked throughout our lives and friendship! I share this story, both because it’s encouraging to my soul to remember what God has done in my life, and because I hope that it might encourage someone else to put their hope and trust in God to work in their own difficult situation, whatever it may be. This is also a story of God not giving up on people. Distance, brokenness, failures don’t stop Him from loving you and those you care about, nor from accomplishing His greater purpose in the lives of His children. FriendshipA true friend is such a blessing, and I’ve been blessed to have one of these friends in my life. She’s one of those friends with whom you can pick up right where you left off, even when time and distance and brokenness has gotten in the way. My best friend and I met when we were about nine years old. We lived in the same neighborhood, and every now and then I would see her riding her bike around, and I wanted to meet her. Our brothers were already friends, so it seemed natural that we should be friends too! Despite her being the more outgoing one, every time I would start to approach her to say “hi,” she’d ride her bike back home, or run down the hill back to her house. But I was determined! Once I finally managed to introduce myself, we were inseparable from that point on. During the summers, we would spend several days at a time together. We’d play all day, and then she’d spend the night at my house. The next day, we’d play all day again, and then I’d go spend the night at her house. We never got tired of each other’s company. We spent our days reading teen magazines to learn all the fashion and make-up tips, playing outside building forts, singing all the songs from our favorite movies, having deep talks, and sharing secrets with each other. We even started an odd-job service in our neighborhood together, since we were too young to have jobs, but hungry for cash! Oh, we were such good friends. One of the things we often talked about was God. I grew up in a Christian home, but my friend did not. Sometimes I would talk to her about what Jesus had done on the cross for our sins, and while she was interested in what I had to say, she wasn’t ready to accept Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior. I prayed for her daily, and sometimes she would come to church with our family on Sundays. (Although coming to church with me at that age was definitely just another chance to hang out rather than out of a genuine interest in the sermon!) Nevertheless, she heard about Jesus both from our family and from the pastor. Changing TimesIn junior high, my friend’s parents divorced, and she ended up moving away from our neighborhood with her mom and brothers to an apartment in town. We were sad, but this didn’t immediately impact our friendship. My mom was a stay-at-home mom, and was generally willing to shuttle us back and forth so that we could still see each other. As time went on though, she started making new friends in her apartment complex, and I didn't get to spend as much time with her. Her new friends weren’t the type of people I clicked well with, and I think they were probably into a lot of things they shouldn’t have been. I tried hanging out with her new group of friends a few times, but I just didn’t really fit in. Failures and RegretsMy family eventually moved to a neighboring city, so it became even harder for us to connect. We talked on the phone often, but it was more challenging to hang out in person. One of the biggest regrets of my life happened during one of those phone calls. The topic of God came up again, and I asked my friend if she had accepted Jesus into her heart as her Savior. She replied softly, “No, but I want to.” Silence. I panicked. What do I do now? I should pray with her and help her ask help Jesus into her heart, but I’m too afraid to pray out loud! You see I was terrified and too insecure to pray with people. I had been my whole life. I didn’t know the right words to say, and I was afraid of sounding stupid. I guess that’s what it was. So I let the moment pass. Friendship fail. Now her eternal destiny is all screwed up because of me! It wasn’t really, because none of that depends on me, but that’s certainly how I felt for a long time after. Drifting and DistanceWe grew up in the days before cell phones, so it wasn't easy to get a hold of my friend. She was quite the social butterfly, so she was always out doing things with her new friends, and when I called her house, she wasn’t usually there. We drifted. We drifted, but I never stopped trying. She was my friend and I didn’t want to lose her! I continued to pray for her, despite our drifting apart. Faith and More FailureOne of the last times I saw her was on a Sunday when she came to church with our family, as she still did on occasion. This particular Sunday, the pastor prayed a prayer for those who would like to invite Jesus into their lives. It wasn’t anything unusual for a Sunday morning, but later that afternoon, we were walking up the stairs to my bedroom, and my friend out of the blue told me that she had prayed the prayer with the pastor that morning! I was ecstatic! And once again I didn’t know what to do or say. I should say something to help her know what to do next. I should help her study the Bible. I should teach her how to pray. But I didn’t know how to teach her those things. I didn’t really even know how to study the Bible very well for myself at that point, but I knew it was important. Again, friendship fail. I let the moment pass, like I had on that phone conversation months earlier when she said she wanted to ask Jesus into her life. I kicked myself and wondered for years “what if” I’d done it right? Fortunately for all of us, God doesn’t allow our failures to get in the way of His plan. My own inadequacies didn’t stop God from accomplishing His purpose in her life, but I wouldn’t know this for over a decade. Broken Heart and Unanswered QuestionsI think I only saw my friend a few more times after that day, and then I could no longer get a hold of her. I tried calling her so many times over the next months, maybe even years. But no answer. Even when I left messages, no call back. The last straw was when she actually answered the phone one time. I said “hello,” and I know she knew my voice, but she didn’t say anything. Silence. And then she hung up. Oh, my heart was so broken, and I started sobbing. I had so many questions. Why didn’t she want to talk to me? Was she ok? Did she know it was me when she hung up? Moving OnThe whole thing was starting to feel like a crazy obsession and I just had to let it go. If she didn’t want to be friends, I couldn’t force her. I resolved myself to stop reaching out to her, but I continued to pray and just trust God for His work in her life. I suspected that she was into some things with her new friends that she didn’t want to share with me. Whatever it was, I was heartbroken, and I had to move on with my life. Even though my heart was hurt, I continued to pray for her, and I hoped that one day God would allow us to reconnect. Life went on, and I matured and grew physically, emotionally, and spiritually during that time. I went off to college, traveled, started working, and got married. I thought about my friend often, with so many unanswered questions, and continued to pray for her over the years.
Good Ol' FacebookFifteen something years later, now that we had this handy tool called the Internet, I decided to do some Internet sleuthing (“aka” stalking!). Call me crazy, but I was still a determined to find my friend! It took a long time, because she had intentionally made herself hard to find, but one day by God’s grace found her! I could hardly believe it, and my eyes welled up with happy tears. Although she had used a different name on Facebook, I had managed to put together some shared connections and found her picture! The picture was of her holding her newborn baby in a hospital bed. She was older now, but it was definitely my friend! And she was a mama now! I excitedly poured over the rest of her Facebook page to see what I could learn about who she’d become. I looked over her pictures, including those of her wedding. And what made my heart the happiest was seeing pictures of her with her husband at church activities and going on a mission trip! I rejoiced that she was okay, that she likely knew Jesus, and that God had been faithful in her life when I couldn’t be there for her. He had watched over her and protected her throughout the years, when I was no longer able to be in her life. And if that’s where my search for her ended, I was content just to know that she was alive, happy, and that God was in her life. But of course I wanted to see her! Rejoicing over God’s Faithfulness Now came the scary part – reaching out to her. It had been a very long time, I still had a lot of questions, and I wasn’t sure how my communication would be received. I greatly feared more rejection, but I had to try. She had Facebook messaging blocked on her account, but now that I’d discovered her married name, I was able to track down her mailing address. I sent her a card in the mail with a brief note and my contact information, and put the rest in God’s hands. Now I waited. On June 28, 2012, my long lost friend sent me a message on Facebook! Nervously I opened it, and as I started to read, I could hardly hold back the tears. God is so good. Here is a snippet of what she wrote that totally blessed my socks off: I think about you and your family often. If nothing else, I'd really like you to know you were a pivotal person in my coming to Christ. Your's and your family's kindness and persistence definitely planted seeds that later blossomed. Also, coming from a broken home, I often reflect on your family unit and find myself looking to model that in my own home. What encouragement! Sometimes you just never know how God might be working in someone’s life, even when you can't see it. God had heard my prayers and held my friend tight in His hands, and I was blessed to be able to see the outcome of my endless prayers over the years. ReconnectingWe got together for lunch a week or two later and spent hours and hours catching up, sharing memories from our childhood, looking at pictures, and learning who the adult versions of each other had become. I asked her to share how her faith in Christ had come about. I was curious how much she remembered from our childhood, and what had taken place in her life since we were younger. Much like I suspected, she had become involved with some things that she wasn’t proud of. Her life went off track for a while, and amongst other things, she had started dabbling around with astrology, which opened her up to demonic influence and activity in her life. She told me some crazy stories about how she would wake up in the morning with big claw marks on her legs that weren’t there when she went to bed. There were other things too, but that’s the one I remember most distinctly. Naturally, she was afraid and turned to another Christian friend in her life. (Yay God for giving her another Christian friend!) That friend and her mom helped her turn her life back to Jesus. They prayed with her and told her that she needed to burn her astrology books to break the demonic stronghold that had formed in her life. When she did, the books went up in black smoke. After that, she was committed to Jesus and has been growing with Him since. I asked my friend if she remembered that day she told me she prayed with the pastor at church, but she didn’t. Even though it wasn’t a moment she remembered, God was faithful not to let her go, and I’m so thankful to Him for that. I believe that moment back then was real, but it was just a seed in God’s plan that would later blossom. We barely scratched the surface of all we wanted to talk about in that first reunion, but we continue to have lunch dates at least a couple times a year. We’re older now, and our lives are busier, but we have picked up right where we left off! A Picture of God's Love For UsI'm not so arrogant as to think I'm just like God, but I think this story provides a good picture of how God loves and pursues us. Maybe that's why He allowed things to happen the way they did. Just like I so persistently pursued my friend, even from the very beginning, so God pursues us. He chooses us to be His children and doesn't let us go. I didn't choose my friend because there was anything so perfect about her or anything like that, and I didn't keep pursuing her for so long because she treated me so well. In fact, she really wasn't a very good friend for a stretch of time. It hurt when she parted ways with me, but she was still my friend, and I still loved and cared about her. God chooses and pursues us and even lets us go our own way for awhile, but He never stops loving us. If we're being stubborn, sometimes He gives us over to our own devices so that we can see what life is like without Him, experience the consequences, and run back to His loving arms. God is deeply grieved when we turn away from Him, but He never stops loving us, and He never stops pursuing those who are His children. Lessons to LearnWhile my story is not your story, I want you to come away with a few things:
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AuthorFull time office worker, full time wife, and full time lover of Jesus. I'm kind of a Bible nerd, and I have a passion for finding ways to introduce Jesus in a practical way to everyday people doing everyday things. Archives
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