For the past few days, the musical masterpiece, Pieces by Steffany Gretzinger and Amanda Cook from Bethel Music has been wrecking my heart (seriously, this is a bop, give it a listen). This song speaks about how fully and completely God loves us. He doesn’t love us imperfectly, like people on earth. He loves us in a way that is whole and perfect!
“Unreserved, unrestrained. Your love is wild. Your love is wild for me. It isn’t shy, It’s unashamed. Your love is proud to be seen with me.”
He doesn’t hold back this love from you and I. His love is WILD for us; He is PROUD to love his children.
“uncontrolled, uncontained. Your love is a fire burning bright for me. It’s not just a spark. It’s not just a flame. Your love is a light that all the world will see.”
He loves us so boldly, without waiting for love in return. Imagine if the way you loved someone was measured by the light emitted from an object in the sky. God’s love is like the SUN! It shines so brightly that the WHOLE WORLD can see it! And even then, this love is constant and doesn’t need to be loved back. He continues to love us, even when we close our eyes and turn our backs to this “sun” (2 Timothy 2:13).
“Your love’s not fractured. It’s not a troubled mind. It isn’t anxious. It’s not the restless kind. Your love’s not passive. It’s never disengaged. It’s always present. It hangs on every word we say. Love keeps it’s promises. It keeps it’s word. It honors what’s sacred. ‘Cause it’s vows are good. Your loves not broken. It’s not insecure. Your love’s not selfish. Your love is pure.You don’t give Your heart in pieces. You don’t hide Yourself to tease us.”
THIS my friends-THIS IS TRUE LOVE. All of those adjectives, that His love is not…those adjectives often times describe the love that we give. Not only to the Father, but to those around us.
These lyrics remind me of 1 John 4:7-21. This passage of scripture speaks about how God is love. The very essence of His being is LOVE. It goes on to speak about how if you and I proclaim to know God, but fail to love the people around us, then we don’t really KNOW God. And if we say that we love God, we are commanded to love those placed into our lives. We love because of this exceptionally perfect love shown to us by the Father. That while I was broken and not worthy of being called a child of God, He STILL loved me. You and I are called to love everyone this way. And when we love others like the Father loves us, we are showing them Jesus. Verse 12 says:
“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”
I pray that Yahweh will mold all of our hearts to love more like He does. That we wouldn’t see race, religion, lifestyle, or background when we love others. That we wouldn’t love in pieces. That our hearts would continuously reflect the love that he is relentlessly showing His children.
When people ask me what I am most excited about doing on the race, this is what my heart wants to shout. I want to say that I cannot wait to love broken and hurting people the way that Jesus loves me, because I know that through that love, doors fly wide open to share the gospel and that is when Jesus begins to change hearts!
My heart crumbles at the thought of a person never ever seeing a glimpse of the Father’s perfect love. I am continuously awestruck that the Lord has chosen me-to maybe show His unfailing love to a man, woman, or child that has never seen this kind of love before. I cannot even express how unworthy I am of this calling that He has placed on my life. It blows my mind everyday that He is providing for me to go to Swaziland, Nepal, India, and Guatemala for the sole purpose of loving those who are lost, hurting, broken, and living in poverty.
Fundraising
I’m more than half way to my first deadline (June 22nd, 2018)! I have to raise $5,000 by then! And I have $15,000 to raise by December 31st, 2018! Thank you to those who have donated and to those who are giving monthly. As well as all of the people who are continuously lifting me up in prayer! Thank you for believing in me and the work that the Father has called me to and for wanting to be a part of something that is so much bigger than some random, clueless girl flying to four different countries and living with orphans! I know that the Lord is going to do big things through this; I am so happy that you are a part of the story that will unfold.
Pieces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0FW–zidYA
