(written 05/11/2010)
Carolyn Arends is probably – no, not probably… she is – my favorite female singer of all time.
And There You Are is, hands down, my favorite song of hers.
Maybe even of all time.
This song is all about how God loves us and is always right there with us no matter what.
For me, the idea that God really does love me like crazy, whether I’m aware of it or not, whether I believe it or not – it’s captivating.
You’d think, then, that my generally overactive imagination would take hold of that and run gleefully with it.
You’d think.
But you’d be wrong – so very wrong.
I rip the idea apart.
I look at the world around me.
I look at my own experienced.
Neither one is a good basis for determining whether this idea is worth considering or not.
It’s evidence for a case against everyone who lives and breathes, but not evidence against God.
The thing is-
I use it anyway.
I use it because satan’s just too good at convincing me it’s worth it.
This last couple of weeks, I’ve been (for the millionth time this trip) sorting through the ‘evidence’.
Sorting out the lies from the truth, and getting to the heard of all the evidence.
When it all stacks up, here is what I know.
The idea that God loves me like crazy isn’t just an idea.
It’s fact.
What father would send his only son into harm’s way, knowing his (the son’s) death was the only way to save me?
And with all the evil that exists in the wrold, how else could I possibly be alive and thriving?
There’s a line out of The Shack (which I’ve been reading recently and HIGHLY recommend) that has stuck with me ever since I heard one of my teammates say while she was reading it.
“A child is protected because she is loved, not because she has a right to be protected.”
I am God’s child.
He protects me because He loves me, and not out of obligation.
So this is my declaration over my life from here on out-
I AM LOVED BY GOD.
And, given that declaration, now it’s time to walk that declaration out in my life.
