An Experience Worth Having-Guest Post

Today, my lovely friend Kristin from Purposeful Homemaker has written a beautiful, beautiful post for you today. When she contacted me about submitting a guest post, she sent three links to her favorite writings. I’ll admit, choosing which one I liked the best was nearly impossible. I strongly encourage you to head over to her blog and browse. She  has a heart for Christ like I have never seen before and her writing speaks volumes.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

I used to think that my devotion to my Heavenly Father came out of doing all of the right things like reading the Bible, and serving others, and being an example of His love.  The problem was that there were just too many times when reading my Bible seemed more like a difficult chore than pleasure and doing all the right things was overwhelming.  I could write for you a long list all of the things that I wasn’t doing right, and wanted to change. Yet, no matter how hard I tried I could not make myself change.  I spent years where my emotions were controlled by how my children were behaving, how much money we had in the bank and if I felt like I was doing the "right things."  That usually meant that I was irritable, easily frustrated and had very little patience.  Everything else was controlling me. I felt like I had no control, even when I was trying to control everything.  I had no idea how to stop this cycle or change anything. 

Let me tell you a little bit about what has happened for me and then I’ll tell you how I got here.  I have been amazed at the amount of patience I have had with my children lately.  It is like it flows out of me without even having to try.  I feel it in my insides; like a presence that oozes out of every pore.  Peace walks with me.  I have  moments where joy overwhelms me and I feel like a little girl who wants to spin and twirl with glee. Wisdom has become my friend. Sometimes, when I open my mouth to speak, I cannot close it because I am shocked at the wise words that have just come out of it. Frustrations with my children (that once seemed like mountains) are disappearing because of the wisdom and insight that shines truth on that area.  My heart, that always wanted to be right and never make a mistake, is melting and allowing the freedom to just be me-imperfections and all.

I know it all sounds like a dream, and in some ways I feel like it is a strange high that I will eventually come down from. But I know that this is how we are meant to live.  When Jesus told us that He wants us to give us abundant life (John 10:10) I believe that this is what He was talking about.  It is walking in His freedom with His Spirit and His truth that allows us to live a life that overcomes in every area.  It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are.  Circumstances are subject to Christ and not He to them.  It does not mean that difficulties don’t come your way, but the way you walk through them changes.

So what does it take? 

The good news is that even before we get anything right, God pursues us.  He pursues us with His love.  He doesn’t pursue us with demands to change, but rather with love that changes us.  You cannot help but be changed when you experience His love.  God speaks to us all of the time and everything He tells us is filtered through love.  He is Love.  I didn’t fall in love with Him because I read the Bible one day.  I fell in love with Him because I got a glimpse of His love for me.  His love overcomes everything that overwhelms me and becomes what overwhelms me.  Out of His love flows life and change and all that I am and am meant to be. It is out of the knowledge of His love that my heart longs for His Word and devours it as if it were the very thing that keeps me alive.

Ephesians 3:18-19 says, “

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

You must experience it, then you will be filled with the "fullness of life and power that comes from God." 

I believe that is what has been happening in me lately.  I am spending time with God and seeking to understand His love for me.  Experiencing it doesn’t just mean thinking about it and wondering about it, but rather asking Him to show me what He thinks of me and how He loves me. He meets with me and speaks His love to my heart.  He is opening the eyes of my heart to see how wide, long, high and deep His love is for me and it is changing me in ways I never dreamed of.  I think the thing that amazes me the most is that I am not struggling to do it or to become anything.  It is just happening. 

Knowing God’s love for me helps me to love you more too.  I pray that God will show you how dear you are to His heart.  Why don’t you ask Him to show you how much He loves you? Experience it!