How Far Would You Go For Love?

It's the question on everyone's mind.  It's the question we think when it comes to our spouse, children, or best friend.  How far would you go for someone you really loved?  What would you do?  How long would you wait?

Yesterday was Valentine's Day.   That day when you wait to see what your significant other will get you.  Will is be a funny card?  Will it profess great love?  Will I get candy and flowers?  Dinner? 

I saw a movie yesterday with my husband; a chic flick you might call it.  "The Vow."  A movie based on true events of a husband and wife involved in a car accident in which the wife loses the past five years of her life. She wakes us not knowing her husband.  She remembers quite vividly everything from her life before they met.  He is crushed.  He has tried everything he can, but she will not cut him any slack.  He finally gives up, and gives her up; hoping deep down in his heart she will remember. She goes back to her "old" life and as time passes over the next six or so months things come back to her.  Not about her life just prior to the accident, but the reasons why she broke off her engagement, why she left home, why she left college.  She finally meets back up with her husband/ex-husband.  She never gains back her memory of those five years she lost, but she falls in love again with him, they get remarried, and have two children.  A happy ending.

I asked my husband what he would do if the same thing happened to us; we've been married for 20 years now.  He told me everything and anything to gain me back.  I would do the same.  I cannot imagine my life without my husband or children.  It definately would not be as full. 

God feels the same way about us.  He truly does.  He says it all over scripture.  He has gone to the extreme to get us back, to provide a way back to him.  "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son.  That whoever believes in Him might not perish but have everlasting life."  John 3:16.  We all know that verse.  We see it everywhere, especially at sporting events when someone holds up the sign.  Tebow even puts it on his face before a game.  But do we really appreciate what it says?  I don't think we do.  If you really think about it, you will probably agree.

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10  God loved us first.  If He didn't, He would never have created us and the world we live in. "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." John 15: 13-15.  Jesus tells us that we are His friends.  So giving up His life completely, being obedient to His Father's will (even after he experienced us in the flesh), He did so we would have a way to salvation.  God created a way when it seemed that mankind was doomed.  He was merciful to us.  He showed us grace. 

So what does real, true love look like for the believer?  Paul said it so well in 1 Cor 13: 4-8.  "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
⁸ Love never fails."  Love is putting the well-being of another person ahead of your own agenda.  It is not what can you give me, but how can I honor you.

So, we have year to think about this before the next Valentine's Day comes around.  However, if we truly love someone we will strive to make everyday Valentine's Day.  We will search out scripture about love and apply it to our lives. 

Don't wait another day to show someone you love them.  Our life here on earth is far too short.  Don't wait another day to tell someone you love them.  Don't assume they know. 

And above all, look to the most perfect lover of all time:  God!

Where does your strength come from?

I am not talking about physical strength or how much time you spend at the gym.

When the going gets rough, times are hard, you are down, depressed, or can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, then, where do you draw your strength from?

Scripture is just full of verses telling us to lean on God.  Here are a few of the popular ones:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. ~ Proverbs 3:5

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. ~ Philippians 4:13

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ~ Matthew 11:28

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. ~ 1 Chronicles 16:11

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense ; he has become my salvation.” ~ Isaiah 12:2

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. ~ 2 Thess 3:3

The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. ~ Habakkuk 3:19.

These are just a sampling of the many you will find.  But by looking at these it is clear that God wants us to lean on Him for our strength.  Let's face it, when we try to do it ourselves we will fumble.  We are not equipt with what it takes in and of ourselves. 

Those of us who have made the choice to accept Jesus into our hearts can rest in the fact that He will never leave or forsake us.  The Gospel, the Good News, is a place where we can find the unconditional love of God just waiting to be poured out over us, to fill us to overflowing.  The love you have been searching for everywhere is like a waterfall just waiting to cascade over you, to cover you completely.  But you must have hope, and you must have faith.  Hebrews 11:1 tells us:  Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.   See faith and hope go hand in hand.  You can't have one without the other. 

There have been many points in my own life where I have had to rely on God's strength over my own.  There have also been many times I have tried to go it alone.  Guess what?  In those instances I have suffered from severe depression and anxiety.  I have thrown my hands up in the air and said "What's the use?"  But then a still, small voice will speak to my heart, or on my daily scripture I find in my inbox, God whispers to me.  A friend will call and remind me of God's promises found within scripture.  See, He continues to seek out you and me, even when we forget to take our problems to him. 

Think about and reflect on the scriptures I have listed. Go to biblegateway.com and put in keywords such as hope, love, strength and trust.  Make note of them so the next time you need strength, maybe, just maybe, you will run to God.

Are you a fan or a follower?

I know, it's a weird question and you are probably wondering where it is coming from. 

I just finished this great book titled "Not a Fan." by Kyle Idleman.  Becoming a completely committed follower of Jesus.

Now you may be saying to yourself:  I'm a follower.  I accepted Jesus into my heart as my Savior on this date_____.  I remember where I was and what I was doing.  But have you ever wondered  what the difference between being a Fan of Jesus is as compared to being a Follower of Jesus. 

As I read this book I felt myself start to become humbled and little embarrassed.  There are many times in my life where I would have been considered more of Fan than a Follower.  There are even days when this holds true.  So, what you may ask is the distinction?

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word Fan as "an enthusiastic admirer."  So what is wrong with that?  Well, there may be several people you admire:  parents, a teacher, a Pastor, sports figures, musical recording artists, movie stars...... and the list goes on and on.  You may have read books about them, know their birthdays, favorite colors, and for a time you may even pattern your life after them.  But it is a fad that comes and goes, or you can go long periods of time without talking to them or knowing how they are.  The same can go for Jesus.

You may have a "fish" symbol on your car, wear a cross, go to church, pass all the tests in school.  You may even be able to quote scripture.  Here is where the defining line comes:  does your commitment to Jesus shape the person you are, the people you spend the most time with, how you conduct yourself at work.  Is Jesus intertwined in every part of your life?  Or, is He only there when times are good, or when you need something, or the answer to the question on a questionnaire.  When He doesn't answer your prayer the way you wanted or expected, or that loved one left you, or even worse died?  Or when everything is going well so you forget about Him?  Or maybe you pick and choose the parts of the Bible you like and use the other as slight guidelines for your life?

To be a committed follower you need to be "IN" relationship with Jesus everyday.  You need to spend real time with Him.  You have to trust that "He's got your back" and knows what is best for you.  Proverbs 3:5 says: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will lead you in right paths."  That means trust Him with your family, your prodigal child, your marriage, your finances, your job, your friendships, with EVERYTHING!  We have to remember He has a plan that was set forth before we were created.  He says that in Jeremiah 29:11.  In Isaiah He states that he knit us in our mother's womb.  He holds us in the palm of His hand.  All throughout scripture we are told that He Loves Us.  He loves us more than our parents, our friends, our children, our spouse.  In Romans 8:28 we are told: "That everything works out for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose." 

God never promised us our lives would be easy, but He did promise to always be with us.  He tells us again and again in statements like: "I am sending you out as lambs among wolves" or "if people hate you, persecute you, scoff at you, remember they hated me first."  It's a war zone out there for the true follower.  You can loose family and friends for it.  In some countries they still persecute and execute true followers. 

If you are not already a follower you may wonder "why, give me a good reason?"  Here is one reason:   Because our time here in this world is finite, measured in days, weeks, months, years.  Our eternity is infinite, as quoted by Buzz Lightyear in "Toy Story":  To infinity and beyond.  If Heaven is eternity in the presence of God, then Hell is eternity in the absence of God.  Eternal darkness, pain, suffering, hunger, and unquenchable thirst.  To me, that is not a pretty picture.  Here is another reason; and this one is personal.  I know what God has done for me, how he filled the God-shaped hole in my heart, how He changed my perception of circumstances that occur. 

After I accepted God nothing magical happened in my life to make it perfect.  If you have read my other blogs you will see the hard times I have had.  I have had close friends die when I was in high school, I have seen friends who have lost infant and young children.  Both of my parents are in Heaven now with my Savior.  I have suffered victimization.  I have emotional scars that have run deep.  I suffer from depression.  Here is the thing though.  Having a relationship with God through my faith in Jesus Christ has made all those things more bearable.  He has been the my light in the darkness, my comfort during pain.  He has made me new and given me a hope.

Am I always a good follower?  Absolutely not.  I am a disobedient child who wants what they want, when they want it.  I can be egocentric, hurtful, and selfish.  But my God knows that and loves me inspite of my black heart.  Nothing can separate me from God's love. 

I leave with you this question:  Are you a fan or a follower?  If not, what are you gonna do to make the change?

On the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

As I sit here at my kitchen table I am pondering a link I read.  It was an article found today about the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade.  The opening paragraph talks about how President Obama and Company were celebrating today.  I was appalled.

What is there really to celebrate?  Are they celebrating the deaths of millions of unborn children?  Are they celebrating the women who have died from the procedure.  Are they celebrating the millions of women who are left with emotional and mental scars from the guilt they feel they must carry because of a decision they made.

Some say they are celebrating a "Woman's Right to Choose." 

I get that not every woman who becomes pregnant chose that option.  Some were raped by a date, a relative, or a stranger.  For some, it is because to not end the pregnancy would mean the woman would die.  But come on.....let's be brutally honest.  A great majority of the women walking into abortion clinics in the U.S. are ending an unwanted or inconvenient pregnancy.  They made a choice to have intimate relations with someone, and whoops.......now they are pregnant.  Some even end up using this as a form of birth control. 

Then the "pro-choice" advocates say that only old men and women who have had their abortions already are the bulk of what make up "pro-lifers".  I cannot speak to the first group, but I am part of the second.

It all happened when I was 18 years old.  I was raped.  It was an acquaintance.  I was a naive 18 year old.  Maybe I should have seen it coming.  I have been told time and again that it was not my fault.  It took me many years to believe it, and many past that to forgive myself for the decision I made.

I lived with the emotional and mental scars that women can carry away from that experience.  I thought myself no better than a vicious murderer.  Did I choose to become pregnant?  No, in fact it was my first introduction to sex.  I felt dirty, slimy, unworthy, and like an outcast.  I was embarrassed and ashamed.  I told no one about the incident.  I became withdrawn and began having nightmares.  Guess what?  Six weeks later I find myself pregnant.  In my mind I went against everything I was raised to believe:  no relations out of wedlock, no children out of wedlock.

I called a friend.  She drove me to the nearest Planned Parenthood.  I filled out all the necessary forms, answered all the necessary questions correctly, and terminated my pregnancy.  I slept at my friends house all day, and went home after dinner, acting as if nothing happened.  But I hated myself.

Even though I was a believer, I had forgotten about God's free gift of grace.  I had forgotten that he could lift this burden.  I had forgotten to ask for forgiveness.  At the time I did not believe I should be forgiven.  That enlightenmint would come 10 years later.

On a couples marriage weekend in July of 1997 it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I was listening to a testimony from a couple about Communication.  This of course was aimed towards marriage, but it also relates directly to our Communication with God.   You know:  Prayer!

It was then I decided to ask God for forgiveness.  Guess what?  A huge weight was lifted from my shoulders;  just like that.  That is the velocity of God's love and grace.  0 to 60 in under a microsecond.  Better than Ferrari, Lambourghini, and Maserati offer.  Then I asked forgiveness from my unborn baby. 

All throughout scripture God tells us of his unconditional love and forgiveness.  Matthew 11: 28 says:  "Come to me all you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest."  Jesus did not just say that for effect.  He meant it.  On the cross Jesus says:  "Forgive them Father, they know not what they are doing", Luke 23:34.  Nothing can separate the believer from God's love.  Romans 8: 38-39 says:  "No power on earth or heaven can separate us from God's love. Not our sin, not any authority, not any spiritual force. God's love is unshakable and can always be relied upon."   Did you read that last sentence?  This amazes me:  unshakable and can always be relied upon.  ALWAYS!  Not sometimes, not usually, not in certain instances or circumstances, but ALWAYS! 

I made a mistake.  One that was life-changing.  One that I regret to this day.  I wish my friend would have stopped me.  I wish that an organization called Pregnancy Solutions and Services, a ministry my church partners with, would have been there to minister to me. 

So on this Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I ask again:  What are they celebrating?