Oh, the beauty of young love. The type of pure love, newly discovered and gently starting to bloom. It is that moment in time every girl dreams of. Words spoken over her that flow like the finest silk. Words telling her how much she is loved and cherished. Treasured. Words spoken from deep inside that one certain man's heart. "Will you marry me?" Doesn't the excitement of it just give you chills? I know some of you reading are sitting there with a dreamy look in your eye caught up in the moment.
This past week we celebrated the proposal and engagement of a special young couple. My daughter and her boyfriend managed to make the trip to the special location and remain undiscovered as they snapped pictures and recorded the entire event. At the end Daniel scooped Sara up in one arm, the other arm raised in what looked strangely like a Travolta Staying Alive pose, and yelled, "She said yes!"
Caitlin put the pictures and videos together in a beautiful film so that Sara and Daniel can now relive this precious moment in their life time and time again. We have watched it over and over and cried and cried. As I watched, though, I couldn't help but think about Jesus.
In Malachi 1 we read the story about God telling his chosen people that he loved them. A simple statement. "I have loved you." But those Israelites were stubborn. They wanted proof. They dared to ask the question we secretly wish we had the nerve to ask, "How have you loved us?"
Have you ever dared to ask God how he has loved you? Have you ever doubted that he really does love you? Have you ever thought surely all this Bible stuff is good enough for others, but couldn't possibly apply to your own life? It's ok. Go ahead. Ask Him. Then, listen carefully to hear what He tells you in reply. I would like to challenge you to keep a pencil and paper handy to make notes of the things He will reveal to you.
That first chapter of Malachi goes on in the first few verses with God reminding the Israelites that He chose them. Looking down the grand time-line of the universe, He knew the choices Esau would make. He knew Jacob would be the one who loved God's ways. Esau and his decendents would be the one to fulfill the desires of his flesh. So, God intervened and the birthright went to Jacob. Jacob, who later was renamed Israel, would continue the lineage of God's chosen people. However, even the Israelite nation had begun to stray from God's law. They were satisfied giving God second best. Their heart was not pure nor was it focused on their first love. He needed them to realize that and return to him.
It may seem like a stretch, but try to go there with me. Do you remember when you were a little girl and couldn't wait to see the cutest boy in class? Do you remember how your heart would beat a little too fast? Maybe you couldn't help but blush when he was around. Did you long for him to take your hand and then hope he wouldn't because they were sweating so much?
Then you went to middle school and were SO much more mature. That cute boy from fourth grade wasn't cool anymore. Now you dreamed of the moment in time when that really super cool, super cute guy would look straight into your eyes and smiles his crooked smile. Just thinking of it now makes you sigh deeply, doesn't it?
Oh, but he certainly wouldn't be your life mate. For me it took years before God united my heart with THE ONE. Mr. Right. The man who asked me that question on that one special night....will you marry me?
Think about your relationship with Jesus. If you're like me, you tried lots of other gods and idols and things and ideas before your heart was won by the One who created you. It may have taken years and years before you recognized the purity and stability of His perfect love. He may have had to woo you after you rejected Him time and again. Then, finally, you realized you are nothing without Him. Your purpose on earth is worthless without His divine direction. You can't find anything or anyone else that gives you completeness the way He does. Until you yield your prideful heart, surrender your selfish ambition, and accept the love that has been poured out on you from the begininging of time you will never completely understand the precious love that is being offered to you.
I believe that at the moment when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior He scoops us up in one arm and shouts for the heavens to hear...."She said YES!!" Can't you hear His voice now? Rejoice, my friend. You are loved by The King of the universe. There is no other love like this....He is waiting for you to say that precious word...yes.
For several weeks I have been aware of the degrees of light around me. Maybe it's because I am getting older and need more light to see. I really hope it's because God is teaching me something, though. As you read, I hope what I am learning will encourage and help you.
It all started early one morning when I headed to McDonald's to get coffee before work. I hadn't prepared the coffee maker the night before, and it was a cold morning which cried out for hot coffee. So, instead of turning left from my driveway, I turned right. About a mile down the road is a shopping area with a grocery store, 24-hour gym, dry cleaners, pizza place, doctor's office, convenience store/gas station, and said McDonald's. It was a hazy morning, but the light cast a beautiful white glow above the darkness. That light held a promise that something was there, something worth driving for.
As I turned back toward the south, coffee in hand, the way became dark again. Driving that two miles until my next turn, my way was dark except for the lights at the entrance to a neighborhood, a church sign, and an occassional street light. In the distance I could see the orange glow of the city of Ringgold. Without the headlights on my car, I would not have been able to see to drive.
That's when I began to wonder about the degrees of light. Soft light, bright light, white or orange light. Does the light of my life burn brightly like a city in the distance beckoning you to come or cast a dim glow like a campfire which you cannot wander far away from without stumbling? If I am supposed to live like a light set upon a hill, reflecting the love of Jesus Christ to the world around me, what kind of light do they see?
Today I did a dumb thing. I looked into the business end of a bright blue light beam. It hurt! I worried that I had blinded myself until I realized I could still see. And that is when the thought of degrees of light came back to my mind. I wonder, do I reflect Jesus in such a way that it is blinding, in such a way that Jesus is all people see when they look at me and the way I live? Sadly, I will answer that No.
I am passionate to change that. I want to serve my savior in all that I do and say. I want my attitude to be positive and encouraging. I want to love people - REALLY love people. I want to be consistent at home and at work in the way I speak and respond to people. I want to be an ambassador for my Lord, representing him in such a way that one day I will hear the words, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."
Back in the mid 1980s, Patti LaBelle had a wonderful song by that name. Well, I Googled the lyrics and love one particular part of that song. It goes like this: I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoes, Know where I'm goin' and I know what to do, I tidied up my point of view, I got a new attitude! That's where I find myself this afternoon...the owner of a new attitude.
There has been a particular person and situation in my life who has caused me stress and grief for the last little while. I was focused on little things in this person's life and manner which caused me to be one frustrated lady. I wanted to change this person. I wanted this person to be thinking like me, processing things like me, organized like me, reacting like me......I guess I wanted a clone of me!
Last Sunday night I couldn't even sleep for thinking this way. I lay awake trying to come up with ways to change this person. You know, the mid-night "If Only Club." Realizing I needed to sleep so I could work on Monday, I simply said, "Lord, help me. Help me to be more compassionate to this person." Frankly, I went on to sleep and forgot my simple prayer. I forgot it completely until I was driving alone this afternoon in the quietness of my car. I suddenly realized I was thinking of this person with a gentleness that had not been in my heart before.
All day today I have been humming the tune of Ten Thousand Reasons. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul. Worship His holy name....." This evening I am the one who has been blessed! What a miracle to see God working in my life! It's a sweet experience to know that He has His hand on my life this way!
How about you, my friend? Have you been carrying things around in your Burden Basket which you really should relinquish to the Lord? Another line in that Patti LaBelle song says, "I'm in control and my worries are few..." Are you trying to control your life and the lives of people around you? I have learned over the years, and especially today, that when I am trying to be in control, my worries are greater. Giving control over to my Creator is the best way to live.
May I encourage you today to release the clinch of your fist around the idea of control? Right now, physically, actually make a fist and release it. Why do we work so hard to hold on to things that we have no business holding onto? There was another song by Twila Paris that applies beautifully here. God Is In Control. This song goes like this: "God is in control. We believe that His children will not be forsaken. God is in contol. We will choose to remember and never be shaken. There is no power above or beside him. God is in control. God is in control."
Isn't that a better song!? Believing the God is in control is a freeing experience. Choose today to remember the promise of His word. First Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all our care on him....because he cares for us. Dear friend, I hope you will believe that God cares for you. I hope you will cast your care on him. I hope that you will find yourself with a surprisingly refreshing new attitude!
