Relationship With God: 101

There is no doubt or debate that a relationship with God is different than any kind of human relationship we will encounter. Now, obviously the relationship is different because our relationship with God is not one with a physical person; rather it is one with a spiritual being. However, this is only one of the numerous differences that exist between our relationship with our Savior and the companionship that we have with others.

God’s characteristics play a huge part in this. Because God loves us unconditionally, we do not need to earn His love. He will never love us more, just as He will never love us less. This is not always the case with people. God wholeheartedly forgives us of our shortcomings and He does not hold them against us. God will never leave us, nor betray us. Again, this is not necessarily the case with people.

I could go on and on about how the different attributes of God characterizes what our relationship with Him looks like. However, I think that we already know, and mostly understand, these differences. We know about His love, His unending grace, His mercy, His gentleness, His wisdom, etc.

I believe that it is safe to say that most people who truly know God are aware of the reasons why a relationship with Him is unlike any other. Contrastingly, I am not sure that I believe we understand the ways in which such a partnership is similar to any other. Maybe we do know these “relationship basics,” but I’m not sure that we always adhere to them. I think that we oftentimes lose sight of the essential, yet simple things that build and sustain a relationship.

Just like any relationship, whether it may be friendship, familial, or spousal, there are certain occurrences that should take place on a regular basis. Such protocol keeps relationships strong, close-knit, and healthy.

You should regularly spend quality time together.

I don’t think that we place quite enough importance on spending time with our God.  Just like in any other relationship, God wants us to set aside time wherein we can relax and enjoy His company. Having a coffee or a date with Him may not even cross our minds, but God wants your time just like anyone else. It has been said that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but the last thing we need is to be distant from God! God wants nothing more than to be close to you.

Obviously the ways in which we spend quality time with our Father are different than how we spend it with others, but the importance of spending that time is the same. If you don't think so, try increasing, or at the very least, maintaining, the caliber of a relationship while spending hardly any time together. It doesn’t work. That time together is so necessary. Find an activity that enables you to spend time with your God, and spend it.

You need to communicate on a regular basis.

Communication is so vital on every level in every relatinship. It wasn't long ago that I discovered the immense effects that constantly communicating with God could have on my relationship with Him and on my life. “God is omniscient,” I would think. “He already knows what I’m thinking, what I’m angry about, why I’m upset, the reasons for my happiness … there’s no need to constantly tell Him about it again over and over.” I don’t know, I thought He might get annoyed by the repetition or something. I didn’t realize that I was missing a few key points.

One was this: communication with God is just as much about listening as it is about talking. I wasn’t giving God the opportunity to talk back. How could I let Him guide me, comfort me, or rejoice with me without opening the door for communication? I couldn’t.

The second point I was missing was that, although He may already know my heart, our relationship can't grow if I don’t share my heart with Him. To really understand this point, I relate this idea to one of my best friendships. My best friend Jake and I are unable to see each other often because of the distance between each of our colleges. We hardly see one another and we communicate in order to keep in touch. Now, if Jake did not communicate with me, but I was told by a mutual friend how or what he was doing, would our relationship grow? Would it be sustained? Maybe at first it might, because the friendship that we have already built is so strong. In the long run, however, our friendship would suffer. Even though I am aware of how Jake is doing, our relationship is still hurt due to the lack of communication and kinship between us. I may know about Jake, sure, but the mere knowledge of his situation without mutual conversation does nothing to strengthen our relationship.

By ignoring the need for communication with God, I was not only missing out on the emotional support that He could give me, but I wasn’t allowing us to become any closer or stronger together.

Always let God know that He is appreciated.

God wants to bless you for no reason other than because He loves you. God’s intentions are pure, and He does not favor us for the praise. Does that mean that praises are unnecessary? I certainly don’t think so. I fully believe that we underestimate the power of a small praise. I think that God, like anybody, delights in knowing that we appreciate His actions and His blessings.

I feel like God is similar to a mother who slaves away each night over the stove to cook a delicious meal for her children. She does this because she loves the joy that she sees in them during the meal; she does it purely because she loves them. After months and months of such effort, however, if she lacked any sign of gratification from her children, she may become discouraged and hurt. I don’t know exactly how God feels when we take His blessings for granted, but I can’t imagine it's any better. I don't imagine that He would be opposed to a little recognition and praise.

I think that it is important to acknowledge God’s hand in even the simplest of things. We say that it's, "the little things that mean the most," but sometimes it's the recognition of those little things that mean the most. It is now midway through December, and I have yet to see much snow. I have been craving any sign of the beautiful white flakes, and today I woke up to a lovely snowfall; I made sure to let God know how thankful I was. Simple, yet so important. Were you struck by the beauty of a flower? Did you have a pleasant day at work? Was the weather gorgeous on your day off? Could you feel His peace when you needed it? Did you meet an encouraging stranger who “randomly” crossed your path?  

Whatever it may be, thank God for it! Remind Him that He is appreciated. It could be something as small as a light snow, but a little praise can be a big deal.  

Worship Him.

God knows who He is, and He doesn’t need us to tell Him what that is. God doesn’t need to be reminded of what He’s done for us and He doesn’t need to be reassured of who He is. So why is worship necessary? Similar to the idea that communication with God is just as much for us as it is for Him, I believe that worship has the same concept.

Worship is for our heart just as much as it is for His.

I do think that God finds pleasure in hearing us rejoice but, more importantly, He deserves it. God deserves nothing less than to be praised, glorified, and lifted up.  I think that worship is vital because it reminds us of that fact. Worship reminds us of the pain our Savior endured, the sins He bore, and the cross that He carried. It reminds us of His power, glory, and wisdom. It tells us of His love and grace towards His children.

One of my favorite worship songs is a perfect example of how worship reminds us who our Lord is and what He can do. I think that the bridge of the song is the most powerful, and it goes like this:

“All our troubles and all our fears, God our hope, He has overcome. All our failure and all our fear, God our love, He has overcome. All our heartache and all our pain, God our healer, He has overcome. All our burdens and all our shame, God our freedom, He has overcome … God our justice, God our grace, God our freedom, He has overcome. God our refuge, God our strength, God is with us. He has overcome.”

David speaks about our Lord in Psalm 18, the Lord who is His strength, his rock, his fortress and deliverer. His rock in whom he takes refuge, his shield, the horn of his salvation, and his stronghold.

Worship writes on our hearts the wonders of His love, the amazing works that He has done, and the number of things that God can be, will be, and is for us; our hope, strength, love, freedom, refuge, grace, and our justice.

Christian author Joni Eareckson Tada said, “The Christian faith is meant to be lived moment by moment. It isn’t some broad, general outline- it’s a long walk with a real person. Details count: passing thoughts, small sacrifices, a few encouraging words, little acts of kindness, and brief victories over nagging sins.”

I think that she worded it perfectly; the Christian faith is about our walk with our savior, and the little details matter just as they do in any other relationship. I think that sometimes we not only forget the simple things we need to do to strengthen our heart and our walk, but we forget the importance of these simple things; we lose sight of how vital they are to its strength and growth. It’s no question that the relationship we have with our Savior is different than any other, but we mustn’t forget the areas wherein those relationships are the same.

Spend time with your God. Love Him, praise Him, and talk with Him. Tell Him about your day. Thank Him for the snow. Sing to Him of His greatness. Don’t let your relationship with Him become distant or stagnant, because being in love and close with your God will result in the most amazing relationship you’ll ever have.

Our relationship with God is undoubtedly unique and it is magnificently different than any other, but it is a relationship nonetheless, and all relationships require certain basics of time, communication, appreciation, and praise. If these are necessary in our earthly relationships, shouldn't they be exponentially more important in our spiritual relationship with our Savior and our God?

Simply Thankful

I am convinced that it is impossible to find a family without some element of “crazy.” Family holidays, birthdays, reunions, get-togethers; they’re all nuts! In one form or another, there is always a little madness … I think it’s awesome. It’s crazy because it’s different.

There are a number of traditions that are more or less the same throughout each family despite the differing craziness (putting up a Christmas tree, painting eggs for Easter, dressing up in costumes for Halloween, etc), and then there are other traditions that are more personal, more unique. Those are the traditions that are really meaningful and fun, because they are different from one family to the next.

My family has quite a number of our own unique traditions. One of my favorites is our yearly Thanksgiving ritual. A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving Day, we get together every night to read and write our “thankful leaves.” Since it is the fall season, we cut out pieces of construction paper in the shape of leaves and on each leaf we write something for which we are thankful. We write out only a few leaves each night and then we sit around the fire with hot chocolate to read each other our leaves, as well as listen to the leaves of others. After each round, the leaves from that night are hung around the kitchen on the cupboards, creating a colorful, autumn-themed, “thankful leaf” display.

I think this yearly custom that we have created is absolutely fantastic. Not only do we get to spend time with our family, but we get to hear what each person is thankful for that year, and it makes us think about what we are truly thankful for that year as well. It’s also really inspiring, and sometimes humorous, to look back on the leaves of the past and see the change of importance of certain things in our lives and what we were most thankful for a few years ago.

But I digress.

So, this year as I was writing out some of my leaves, I noticed that the majority of them had the same general topic of gratitude.  I noticed that I was consistently and deeply thankful for

God…

God…

and some more God.

The first few of my leaves were obvious: I was thankful for God’s blessing of this, thankful for His forgiveness of that, His grace for those, His peace in that; the list goes on. Then I got to the next leaf and, while I knew what I wanted to write, I couldn’t find the words. I had an idea, but the words seemed too simple; they just couldn’t express the extent of my joy, my gratitude, my amazement.

I wanted to write, “I am thankful for God’s love for me; His unconditional love,” but those words just didn’t seem enough.  

I took myself back two years (or even one year ... even six months) from this day and thought of the person that I was and the position that I was in. Again, I can’t find the words to describe my state at that point in my life, but “terrible” doesn’t do it justice. I was living an impure life in a number of ways. I was a liar. I was rebellious. I ignored my family and I ignored my God. I ran away from my faith and my conscience. I’m not sure I felt any shame for the way that I lived, and if I did, I immediately shoved it away; I had no intention of changing. Did I think that God loved me then? No.At that time, I was certain that He didn’t. But did God love me then? Of course He did.

Even when my conscience caught back up to me and I tried to turn my life around, I still didn’t turn to God. Full of shame and regret, I decided that I could still be a “moral” person without necessarily involving God; I was convinced that He didn’t want me back anyways. However, God’s unconditional love was ever present, and as I continued to ignore Him, He continued to love me.   

God loved me enough, even in my darkest hours, to rescue me. He pursued me time and time again, even when I ran. He blessed me constantly, even when I cursed Him. Even when I abandoned Him, when I loved the world more, He fought for me. He wanted everything to do with me when I wanted nothing to do with Him.

Looking at my timeline of the last two years, the transformation is nothing short of incredible. The way God has shaped my life these past couple of years is unimaginable. Words can’t describe it and I oftentimes feel that I can barely comprehend it. His love was, and is, phenomenal. He loved me at my worst. He fought for me at my worst. The way in which He loves us is incredible.

Max Lucado wrote, “Father, your love never ceases. Never. Though we spurn you, ignore you, disobey you, you will not change. Our evil cannot diminish your love. Our goodness cannot increase it. Our faith does not earn it any more than our stupidity jeopardizes it. You don’t love us less if we fail. You don’t love us more if we succeed.”

That concept, the concept of His unfailing love, is so ... I don’t even have the words for it.

Saying that, “I am thankful for God’s unconditional love for me,” doesn’t accurately portray it. I wish I could find the words to describe how thankful I am, but I can’t. I am thankful that God’s love never ceases. I am thankful that He loves me in my darkest hours; that he fights for me in those hours. I am thankful that His love produces such blessings and joy. I am thankful for the inconceivable bliss that I feel because I so strongly love someone who loves me more than I can even understand. I am thankful that He saved me from myself.  He loved me enough not to leave me where I was, where I thought I wanted to be. He picked me up, dusted me off, and reminded me how deep His love is for me.

Isaiah 54:10 - For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but my lovingkindness will not be removed from you.

Zephaniah 3:17 - The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

Micah 7:18 – Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love.

Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Two years ago, I was so far from anyone I ever wanted to be. In my own eyes, I was undoubtedly a disappointment, and yet I was undoubtedly loved by God. His unfailing love is amazing.

As plain and simple as it sounds, I am thankful for God’s unchanging love; it has radically changed my life, and words can’t even describe it.

Psalm 136:26, Give thanks to the God of Heaven. His love endures forever.

Ordinarily Extraordinary

There are a vast number of people who have greatly changed all of our lives. There are inventors, speakers, writers, doctors, teachers, scientists, and more who have changed our world, whether that is technologically, physically, or inspirationally.

For example, Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell contributed highly to our modern technology. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb and Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. There are also hundreds and hundreds of other inventions (big and small) that have changed our lives; cars, microwaves, penicillin, the printing press, computers, airplanes, television, toothbrushes, locks, paper clips, glasses, etc.

Martin Luther King Jr. changed the lives of many with his famous, I have a dream speech. Frederick Douglass wrote three autobiographies that paved the way in the abolitionist movement of the 19^th century. There are countless people who have changed and inspired our world through their speech and/or writing; William Shakespeare, Karl Marx, Plato, Rene Descartes, Thomas Paine, George Orwell, Leo Tolstoy, etc.

There are painters like Picasso, leaders like Abraham Lincoln, and artists like John Lennon or The Beatles who have helped to shape our world. These people are famous, their names are recognized by most, and they have changed some aspect of our society and our world.

Doesn't everybody wish to somehow change the world like they did?

Changing the world is such a big dream; it’s a huge dream! It’s intimidating and oftentimes seems out of our reach. I love the idea of inspiring or changing the world in some way, but I also love to be realistic, so I decide to dream a little smaller. My mind immediately jumps to justifications for why I am incapable of such a dream. Changing the world isn’t for everybody, right? It’s for those who have remarkable ideas, unheard of IQs, or unmatched talents. People who change the world are extraordinary people, and I would say that I’m fairly ordinary, so changing the world just isn’t for me. I would love to do something so great, but wanting to do something and having the ability to do it are entirely different. I’m just not the, “great enough to change the world,” type, and I accept that.

However, I reach an issue with this mentality regularly. I don’t think that God is too fond my attitude and outlook on my abilities. Why is this an issue? Because God calls us to do crazy, change-the-world things!

God calls us to love our enemies (Matt 5:44, Romans 12:20, Luke 6:27-28, 1 John 2:9). He calls us to serve and sacrifice ourselves for others (Matt 25:35-46, 1 Peter 4:9-10, Galatians 5:13-14).

God calls us to be enemies of the world; to be in the world but not of the world (1 John 2:15-16, James 4:4, John 17:14). He calls us to preach the gospel to all (Mark 16:15, Matt 28:19, Mark 13:10) and to be a light unto the world (Matt 5:14-16, John 12:35-36).

I don’t think that any of those things could be regarded as “small” duties. God calls us to do some pretty monumental things.  

Now, I know what God wants and expects from me. I know it from His word and I know it from what He has impressed upon my heart. He’s got plans for me and He’s got work for me to do. I know what He wants, but I doubt that I can do it.

Sometimes I feel like I have to remind Him that it’s me. “God, you do know that you’re talking to me, right? You know, Mary Bocks?

Oh, you do know that?

Well then, you must’ve forgotten all about who I am. This is the Mary Bocks who has disappointed you time and time again; the one who continually falls short of your expectations. This is the one who-

You say you know exactly who I am?

Well if you know exactly who I am, you should know I am surely not good enough for this. I don’t understand why you would want to trust me with such a calling. God, with all due respect, I think you’re crazy! I want to serve you, I do, but there is no way I can do something that big! Can you trust me with something a little smaller?”

This conversation between God and I legitimately happens. I imagine He is constantly shaking His head at me.”Mary, you tell Me that you want to wholeheartedly serve Me, and yet when I ask something of you, you say it is too much, too big, too great. Do you not see the contradiction? You are not only underestimating yourself, but you are underestimating My ability to know you; My ability to know what you can do with my strength. I can trust you to do this, because I know you trust me.” Usually after awhile I understand the absurdity of arguing with God about what He is calling me to do, but that doesn't mean I think I can do it. There are many times I just can't understand why He is asking me to do it, and I can’t accept it.

“God, I’m just ordinary. I am nothing spectacular and I don’t have the potential to change the world. I just don’t understand why you think I am capable of doing such extraordinary things when I am just an ordinary person who makes ordinary mistakes.”

God reminds me that He doesn’t need extraordinary; He needs obedience and trust. He told me that, if I read my bible, I would quickly be reminded of all the times that he used ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

            God used fishermen, a tax collector, and religious radicals as His disciples.

            He used an ordinary shepherd boy named David to be the king of Israel,

            a young virgin to be the mother of Christ,

            an ordinary man (who was no prophet) named Amos to prophesy to Israel,

            a weak man named Gideon to defeat the Midianites

            a prostitute named Rahab and an adulteress named Bathsheba.

God uses ordinary people who trust in His strength to do extraordinary things; His disciples were fishermen! Alone, they were not wealthy, perfect, or strong; they were ordinary. But with God’s strength, they were extraordinary. They influenced lives and they changed the world. God still wants to use ordinary people to do amazing things today.

God doesn’t need us to be flawless. (Thomas Edison failed over 2000 times before he successfully invented the light bulb .. random fact!). If we let Him, God can use us to change the world.

“We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, or fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel unsure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.” – Marianne Williamson

We are all ordinary people with the potential to be something and do something so much greater. Who was Picasso, but a normal man intrigued by art, before his work was famous? Who was William Shakespeare, but one of the many children at his charter school, before he became a famous playwright? Who were any of the aformentioned inventors, writers, or speakers before they changed the world? They were ordinary people. As quoted, maybe the question isn’t, “Who am I to change the world?” but rather, who are you NOT to change the world? Who are you NOT to be extraordinary?

What would have happened if Abraham had said he was too ordinary to "make a great nation?" What if Noah had thought himself not great enough to build an ark? What if David had not believed himself strong enough to defeat Goliath?

God will call you to do crazy things. He will call you to do incredible things. Let God use you to be extraordinary, because with Him, you can be. After all, who are you not to be?

God Loves Boldly

     Currently I'm reading a book by Max Lucado, A Gentle Thunder. There was a chapter about God's love that almost brought me to tears; it's downright mind boggling (which God's love always is to me). I figured I could write about the beauty of God's love, but I thought he did it so well I'd just share an excerpt from his book. Anyway, here it is!


"God, I have a question. Why do you love your children? I don't want to sound irreverant, but only heaven knows how much pain we've brought you. Why do you tolerate us? You give us every breath we breathe, but do we thank you? You give us bodies beyond duplication, but do we praise you?
   
    Seldom.
   
    We complain about the weather. We bicker about our toys. We argue over who gets which continent and who has the best gender. Not a second passes when someone, somewhere, doesn't use your name to curse a hammered thumb or a bad call by the umpire. (As if it were your fault).
    You fill the world with food, but we blame you for hunger. You keep the earth from tilting and the arctics from thawing, but we accuse you of unconcern. You give us blue skies, and we demand rain. You give rain, and we demand sun. (As if we knew what was best anyway).
    We give more applause to a brawny ball-carrier than we do to the God who made us. We sing more songs to the moon than to the Christ who saved us. We are a gnat on the tail of one elephant in a galaxy of Africas, and yet we demand that you find us a parking place when we ask. And if you don't give us what we want, we say you don't care.
    We pollute the world you loan us. We mistreat the bodies you gave us. We ignore the Word you sent us and we killed the Son you became. We are spoiled babies who take and kick and pout and blaspheme.

You have every reason to abandon us.

I sure would! I would wash my hands of the whole mess and start over on Mars. But do you?

    I see the answer in the rising of the sun. I hear the answer in the crashing of the waves. I feel the answer in the skin of a child.
    Father, your love never ceases. Never. Though we spurn you, ignore you, disobey you, you will not change. Our evil cannot diminish your love. Our goodness cannot increase it. Our faith does not earn it any more than our stupidity jeopardizes it. You don't love us less if we fail. You don't love us more if we succeed.

Your love never ceases.
How do we explain it?

    Perhaps the answer is found in yet another question. Moms: Why do you love your newborn? I know, I know; it's a silly question, but indulge me. Why do you?
    For months this baby has brought you pain. She (or he) made you break out in pimples and waddle like a duck. Because of her you craved sardines and crackers and threw up in the morning. She punched you in the tummy. She occupied space that wasn't hers and ate food she didn't fix.
    You kept her warm. You kept her safe. You kept her fed. But did she say thank you?
    Are you kidding? She's no more out of the womb than she starts to cry! The room is too cold, the blanket is too rough, the nurse is too mean. And who does she want? Mom.
    Don't you ever get a break? I mean, who has been doing the work the last nine months? Why can't Dad take over? But no, Dad won't do. The baby wants Mom.
    She didn't even tell you she was coming. She just came. And what a coming! She rendered you a barbarian. You screamed. You swore. You bit bullets and tore the sheets. And now look at you. Your back aches. Your head pounds. Your body is drenched in sweat. Every muscle strained and stretched.

You should be angry, but are you?

    Far from it. On your face is a for-longer-than-forever love. She has done nothing for you; yet you love her. She's brought pain to your body and nausea to your morning, yet you treasure her. Her face is wrinkled and her eyes are dim, yet all you can talk about are her good looks and bright future. She's going to wake you up every night for the next six weeks, but that doesn't matter. I can see it on your face. You're crazy about her.

Why?

    Why does a mother love her newborn? Because the baby is hers? Even more. Because the baby is her. Her blood. Her flesh. Her sinew and spine. Her hope. Her legacy. It bothers her not that the baby gives nothing. She knows a newborn is helpless, weak. She knows babies don't ask to come into this world.

And God knows we didn't either.

   We are His idea. We are His. His face. His eyes. His hands. His touch. We are Him. Look deeply into the face of every human being on earth, and you will see His likeness. Though some appear to be distant relatives, they are not. God has no cousins, only children.
    We are, incredibly, the body of Christ. And though we may not act like our Father, there is no greater truth than this: We are His. Unalterably. He loves us. Undyingly. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. (See Romans 8:38-39).
    Had God not said those words, I would be a fool to write them. But since He did, I'm a fool not to believe them. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ."

I'm not entirely sure why this chapter of the book struck me so hard, but I found it incredibly inspiring. To compare our touch, our eyes, our face to that of our Father's ... that is just amazing to me. Any time that I read about God's unfailing love for us, I am astounded. I hope that this inspires you the way that it did me.

"How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings." Psalm 36:7

Oh How I Adore My Prince Charming

“I want to meet my own Prince Charming someday.”

All of our dreams differ, even as we are children, but in almost every little girl’s dreams there is the fantasy of meeting a prince. We begin fantasizing about our Prince Charming as young girls and continue to do so for years and years to come. We dream all about a man, THE man, who will come in to sweep us off of our feet.

We dream of a man brave enough to come to our rescue; a man strong enough to slay the fire-breathing dragon; a man who will take care of us until the end of time; a man who will provide for us; a man who will love us unconditionally; a man who will treat us like a princess; a man who will wipe our tears when we cry; a man who wants us, even when we don’t want him; a man who chooses us. We dream of this man, we long for this man, and we pray for this man.

Does this man even exist? I mean, he’s perfect, right? Is such a prince even possible outside of fairytales? The answer is yes, yes, and yes.

How do I know such a prince exists? Because I have found him; I have found my Prince Charming.

When I first met my prince, I had no idea who he actually was. I knew him, yes, and I knew what he was all about, but I had no idea that I would one day find him to be my prince. I was very young when I first met him and I sometimes only spoke to him out of obligation, because he was a family friend and it was what I was told I should do. I think that my mom knew all along how I would see him differently once I was older, because she always encouraged me to talk to him. She seemed to always be talking about how great he was and how much she loved him (and my mom is an incredibly smart woman) so I figured that he MUST be something really wonderful.

As I grew older, I started to talk to him a little bit more. He became a pretty good friend, but I certainly never thought he was my prince. It’s not that I thought he wasn’t a good enough prince; it’s that I didn’t even know he was a prince! It’s like he was a prince in disguise and was just waiting for me to realize it. (I wish he would’ve had a sign that said, ‘I’m a prince,’ because that would have made it a lot easier. But looking back on it, maybe he did). So, not knowing that my best friend was actually my prince, I waited patiently for my handsome prince to come find me and sweep me off my feet.

I waited and waited for years.

In those years, my friend and I grew apart. I don’t think that we necessarily grew apart from each other; I think that I just grew apart from him. My life took me in a different direction than where he was going, and so I just stopped talking to him. I wasn’t a very good friend to him after that and I felt like I disappointed him almost every day. He tried to talk to me all the time, but I ignored him for years.

I didn’t know he was my prince back then, but he was. He acted like a prince and treated me like a princess even when I ignored him. Regardless of the way I treated him, he told me every day that he loved me. He would remind me in every way possible, even when I didn’t want to hear it, that he would always love me no matter what. He continually pursued me even when I insisted that I was not interested. He showered me with gifts and tried to make me happy even when I wanted nothing to do with him. The more that I pushed him away, the harder he pulled to win me over.

Ok, so let’s cut to the chase.

The point is: I found him. My prince, after pursuing me for years and years, finally got my attention. I’m not entirely sure how he did it, because he hadn’t changed from the start. He was always a prince; I just failed to realize it. Nevertheless, he caught my eye and he captured my heart and since then, he has been everything that I’d always dreamed my prince would be and I am absolutely crazy about him.

My prince was brave enough to come to my rescue and save me.

John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

Romans 10:13, “For whomever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

My prince is strong enough to slay the fire-breathing dragon.

John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.”

1 John 4:4, “You are from God and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

Psalm 28:7-8, “The Lord is my strength and my shield … The Lord is their strength, and He is a saving defense to His anointed.”

Job 9:4, “He is wise in heart and mighty in strength.”

My prince is strong enough to carry me when I am weak.

Isaiah 40:29, “He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power.”

Isaiah 46:4, “And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; I will bear you and I will deliver you.”

My prince is strong enough to bear my burdens.

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

Psalm 55:22, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.”

My prince promises to provide and care for me.

Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 121:7-8, “The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.”

(Also see Luke 12:22-31).

My prince loves me unconditionally.

Isaiah 54:10, “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake but my lovingkindness will not be removed from you.”

Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.”

Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”

John 15:10, “Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you.”

My prince wipes my tears.

Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

2 Corinthians 1:3, “Blessed be the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction.”

Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Everything that we as little girls dreamt about, my prince was, is, and always will be.

My prince is strong; strong enough to carry my sin, your sin, and the world’s sin to the cross. My prince slays my dragons and fights my battles. My prince protects me, provides for me, and guides me. My prince loves me more than I can fathom and will love me in the same way until the end of time. My prince sought me; He pursued me even when I ignored Him and ran in the opposite direction. My prince reminds me each day how much He loves me and each day He makes me fall in love with Him all over again.

My prince chose me, my prince saved me, and my prince loves me.

He’s better than any fairytale prince I could have ever imagined, and He’s mine.

Ps. He can be your fairytale prince, too. I think He would actually prefer it if I shared.

This Is Way Too Easy

       Has anything ever seemed TOO easy? Have you ever come across those instances wherein you feel almost conned? “This is just way too easy. It’s got to be a trick.” You feel like you must be missing something or you must be doing something wrong. We ask, “What’s the catch?” We think, “This is way too good to be true.” Have you ever had those moments?

I have. I feel that way daily about God’s grace.

His grace is absolutely incredible and it astounds me every day.

I must be missing something, because receiving God’s grace is just way too easy.

I think that one of the reasons that His grace is so hard for me to comprehend is because our society teaches us to work. Work, work, work to get, get, get. We learn that nothing is given to us. We don’t gain anything that we didn’t earn. You have to be the best to have the best. This is how our society works; but God and His grace? That’s an entirely different system to follow, and it’s so easy!

God doesn’t require us to reach a certain “level” before He grants us grace. He doesn’t require that we work a certain amount of hours, sing a certain amount of praises, or do a certain amount of good deeds. His grace is a gift, and we don’t have to work to earn it; we can’t ever earn it. Grace is a gift because Jesus did the work for us. He carried our burdens and our sins and laid them upon the cross. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,” Ephesians 1:7.

Grace is a gift. A gift! That means it has been GIVEN to us.

So how do we receive it?

We ask.

You read that correctly. We ask for forgiveness and we’ve got it. That’s it! You see what I mean about too easy? We can’t work for it, we can’t earn it, and we don’t deserve it. We merely ask for it. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

God is always ready to forgive. His forgiveness is different than the forgiveness (or lack thereof) that we have experienced with others. People have difficulty forgiving the way God does, if we even decide to forgive. We keep track. We hold grudges. We remember the mistakes and we bring them back up later.

God doesn’t.

We find it hard to forgive because we feel the hurt and we feel that forgiveness is letting a person “off easy.”

God doesn’t.

We can’t always see a “clean slate” or forget the sins of others.

God does.

God promises to forgive us, and all we must do to receive it is ask. Our request doesn’t go before a judge and jury. God doesn’t contemplate how many offenses we have committed and whether or not this will be the last straw. He doesn’t even consider if we deserve it; He knows that we don’t. There is no, “I’ll forgive you if…” with God. He forgives us regardless of what we’ve done and how many times we’ve done it. It’s called grace for a reason.

Grace: Favor or goodwill. Mercy; clemency; pardon. A manifestation of favor, especially by a superior. Synonymous with kindness, forgiveness, charity, mercifulness, leniency, reprieve, love.

None of us deserve God’s grace, nor will we ever earn it, and yet we all can receive it. His grace is so easily attainable. Too easy! There is no catch. God wants to forgive us. It’s not too good to be true. God wants to give us His grace. I don’t see God as feeling burdened when we ask for forgiveness. I don’t see Him as unwilling to forgive. Instead, I see Him as saying, “Mary, what took you so long to ask me? I’ve been waiting on you. I have been wanting to forgive you.”

His grace is amazing. His grace is a gift. Receiving His grace is way too easy.

“For you, Lord, are good and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon you.” – Psalm 86:5.

Dear God, Why?

     People always say to look at the glass half full rather than half empty. They encourage you to find the positive in a negative situation or they throw at you whatever other cliché they can think up. Most of the time, I feel like this is a fairly easy concept to put into practice. In most situations that seem negative on the surface, one can usually find a silver lining. However, this is certainly not the case on every occasion. There are always instances wherein we find it impossible to see any silver lining. We feel that there is none; it’s just a bad situation. There is no understanding why it has occurred or what good could possibly come from it. So where do we then go for hope? Who can possibly guide and comfort us in such hopeless situations?

Our heavenly Father.

The hope that you can find in God is different than any you may find in a friend, or any other person for that matter. People will give you hope by trying to explain away any situation with a list of ‘maybe’s. They will encourage you to try and understand “why” and help you to see the glass half full, but sometimes there is no “why.” We can’t always find a good answer, and that is where God comes in. God’s comfort and hope is completely different than any that you will find in an explanation.

God is not going to sit you down and say, “This is why what you’re experiencing has happened and here is how it will benefit you.” He will not give you a map, a cheat sheet, the inside scoop, or the reasoning behind His plan. I don’t think that is how God works. This isn’t to say that God doesn’t want us to understand (I don’t believe that God is against us knowing His plan) but I don’t believe it’s necessary for us to know, nor is it probable for us to know; we don’t see the big picture.

God doesn’t ask us to decipher why He does what He does. He doesn’t promise that we will understand each fork in the road or each tribulation we face. So what does God do and what hope does he provide for us? He does promise in Romans 8:28 that all things work to good for those who love Him. He promises to be faithful and that His lovingkindness will never be removed from us. He tells us in Romans 5:3-5, to rejoice in our tribulations so that we may achieve hope. God understands the reasoning. God knows the timing. Our job is to wait on Him and trust in Him. “Wait upon the Lord. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait upon the Lord,” Psalm 27:14.

You don’t always have to understand His ways; you just have to trust them.

When you do come to trust His timing and His ways, you will have all the comfort that you need. What greater comfort can you find than in knowing that your Savior has a plan for you? “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future,” Jeremiah 29:11. He has a plan, and He knows what steps to take to accomplish it.

God comforts you not in saying, “This is why,” but rather in saying, “I’ve got this. Just trust me.”

God Loved You First

Romans 8: 35-39

            “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God’s love for us is oftentimes an incomprehensible idea; it is near impossible to wrap your minds around the lengths and depths of His love. Nothing we do or say can separate us from His love. You catch that? Nothing. That's a pretty comforting thought! But what about those of us who don’t love Him back? What about the sinners who do not acknowledge Him or His love and power? Is His love still unfailing in those cases?

Absolutely.

I have come to know people who are convinced that, because they do not have a relationship with God, He does not love them. They believe that God doesn't love sinners and they can't understand why God would want to bless them, love them, or care for them if they don't know Him. "God doesn't love sinners," they say.

First things first, we are all sinners. Romans 3 tells us that, “There is none righteous, not even one.” In one form or another, we are all flawed and sinful. God’s love doesn’t differentiate; His love is referred to as ‘unfailing’ for a reason. His love doesn’t fail; it does not fall short of expectation or give way. His love is continuous, never-ending, unceasing and certain. God loves us in all moments, not just our best ones. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” Romans 5:8. Read that again. Christ died for us even while we were yet sinners. He didn't die for those who were perfect, which no one will ever be. No, He died because we ARE sinners.

I have a friend who struggles in his relationship with Christ. Since he doesn’t see himself at a place of “good standing” with God, he struggles to understand that God still loves him and wants to bless him. He thinks that because he spent years ignoring, disbelieving, and doubting God that he is not loved and he will be treated as such; a child unloved by God. However, God’s love is so much more than that. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love, because He first loved us.” His love isn’t based on our decision to love and accept Him. God loves us, not because we love Him, but because we are His children. God loved us first! God loves us before we even acknowledge Him, before we love Him in return, and before we invite Him into our hearts. (God even intructs us to do the same to others! Luke 6:32-35, Matthew 5:43-48). His love is not based on our performance or our love for Him. Crazy as it seems, there is nothing we can ever say or do that will make God love us more or make God love us less. Never. Nothing.

Christ died for us because we are all sinners and we are all children of God; each and every one of us. God’s love for us is unfailing, and we couldn’t escape that love if we tried. God loves us, all of us, period.

“Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39. 

Listening to God

Once there was a man who dared God to speak.

            Burn the bush like you did for Moses, God.

                        And I will follow.

            Collapse the walls like you did for Joshua, God.

                        And I will fight.

            Still the waves like you did on Galilee, God.

                        And I will listen.

And so the man sat by a bush, near a wall, close to the sea

            and waited for God to speak.

And God hear the man, so God answered.

He sent fire, not for a bush, but for a church.

            He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin.

                        He stilled a storm, not of the sea, but of a soul.

And God waited for the man to respond.

And He waited…

            And He waited…

                        And waited.

But because the man was looking at bushes, not hearts;       

            bricks and not lives, seas and not souls,

                        he decided that God had done nothing.

Finally he looked to God and asked, Have you lost your power?

And God looked at him and said, Have you lost your hearing?

The first time I ever read this story, I was left speechless. I don't know about you, but I have been guilty of looking at bushes, seas, and stones only to be disappointed and convinced that God didn't hear or answer me. I used to think that if I wasn't hearing Him, He just must not be answering. "If God was going to move in my life, wouldn't He move in big ways?"

           God does not always answer us the way we want Him to or think He will. Sometimes His answers don't make sense to us, sometimes they go unnoticed, and oftentimes they don't come when we think that they should, but He always answers us. Isaiah 55:9 says, "As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." The problem isn't that God doesn't hear us or that He doesn't answer us. The problem is that we don't know how to look or listen. I feel like we have underestimated the power God holds and simplified the ways in which He can reveal Himself to us. We take everything for face value and do not look deeper to see the meaning beneath. 

            I think that we need to begin to see God in the beauty of everyday life. Do we see and hear God in the everyday miracles? Do we hear His voice or see His work in the beauty of simple things or the small acts of kindness? If we don’t, we should. The pastor at my church gave an amazing sermon on this topic fairly recently. He said, "The whole world is a love letter from God." He stressed the importance of feeling God's presence and hearing His words through the gifts, the people, and the world that He has given to us. God works in amazing ways; He doesn’t necessarily always give us a verbal response or a physical embrace. If you don’t think you hear or see God in your life, merely look around. All of your blessings, the sunshine, the rain, a smile, a friend, a bible verse, a song, anything; you can hear God if you listen and you will see Him if you look. If we turn our focus away from bushes, bricks, and seas, maybe we will see God in the miracles of hearts, lives, and souls. If we learn how to look and listen, we will come to recognize the comfort that is in our faithful Savior and that His comfort is not necessarily revealed to us how we expect it should be.   

            Matthew 13: 16 – “But blessed are your eyes, because they see and your ears, because they hear.”