Ch. 485 - Start Your Engines!

I know it's not August 24. But I'm back. It's [only] been twenty days. I really should have stopped writing earlier (like the beginning of the summer...), but it's been beneficial to not have written for three weeks. I really feel that the time has come to just... start over. Things happen. People change. Lessons are learned. But God remains faithful. And good. And gracious.

I love that.
(Who wouldn't?)

Moving on, a branch of my life is dead and I am alive in Christ. Free. I'm more than ready to move forward and take life one day at a time once again. Because whatever "it" may be - it is so much bigger than I am. This world, this life, this call, this beautiful Creator I say is my God. Selfish desires and pride shouldn't fit into the picture, yet sadly enough they do. But you know, I think it's a good thing. We get so worked up and push God so far out of our minds that we don't realize we were ever on the cliff's edge until we're falling. What pushed you? Those desires. That pride. Sin. Soon enough, we find ourselves hitting rock bottom. Hurts, doesn't it? Yet praise be - we have Someone to help pick us up and brush the dirt off of us. He's especially good at ridding our hearts of the muck and grime that it's accumulated over time. What a humbling experience. Sin enables us to have reality checks. I mean, without sin, wouldn't we be living in [essentially] a perfect world? We are reminded of our inadequacy and unworthiness through sin and falling down. Because whether you believe it or not, you will fall eventually. And it will be more or less difficult to get back up, depending on how willing you are to turn to God and trust Him to help you. You can't do everything on your own. You simply can't. We like to think we're superheroes. "I can do anything." "No one can touch me." Guess what? It's not true. My apologies to the big executives of multi-billion dollar corporations and to the perfect-casserole-making soccer moms.

We need God.
We need God all the time.
Not only when our child is being baptized.
Not right after our college years, when we "grow up".
Not on our deathbed, right before we die.
We need Him now and forever.

That's what it comes down to.

And we need to love Him.
Because He loves us.
Have you ever given love to someone and felt you didn't receive love in return?
Not exactly a picnic in the park.
God's love is indefinite. Unconditional. It's a perfect love.
He loves us no matter what.
We have nothing to lose by loving Him.
So I wonder how much it hurts God when we don't love Him.
I wonder how much it hurts when we push Him away, time and time again.

God may not need us, but that doesn't mean He doesn't want our love or that He doesn't want to be our Everything to and for us.


'Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!'
[Isaiah 30:18]