Well, well, well, friends. This is one of those seasons where God is doing so much. I am seeing His glory over and over. But it hurts. It hurts to be pruned into the likeness of Jesus. Sometimes pruning hurts. And this is one of those seasons.
The Race is not all adventurous and glamorous. It is rough and sweaty and smelly and hard and tiring and stretching and stressful and frustrating and annoying. Sometimes you climb mountains for nine hours after sitting in buses with too many people for half a day. But is it worth it? Of course. Because for one thing, all the distractions of American culture are gone and the voice of the LORD is more accessible here.
Either God spoke up and I can hear Him more, or things quieted down around me and I can finally tune in and notice His voice. I think the latter.
One of my friends asked me if the race was anything that I expected so far. I laughed when I emailed her back because the answer was an emphatic “NO WAY!”
This is a common theme of the race, and of life for that matter. That expectations are to be dashed constantly. The expectations lie because most of the time they are false and not of the LORD. As Jeremiah says, “the heart is deceitful above all things, who can understand it?” So true. Our emotions lie to us often and we don’t even notice! So expectations lead us to false realities and that is like bowing down to an idol because you are choosing to seek after your own preconceived plans and are not accepting God’s portion for you at the time.
Something the LORD spoke over me in India through my team leader Angelique was that this season of mine was “a honeymoon season with God.” That He would show me His love and romance me like never before! I was extremely excited. “I receive that!”
How naive I was in thinking the honeymoon season was all about love without any struggle or pain. God has to take the things out of me that get in the way of His ridiculous love.
God always adds through subtraction of our soul! The Kingdom is backward from earth. When He removes things, He always brings so much more. Without making this post unnecessarily lengthy, I will summarize. God removes people when the time is right, even if it doesn’t seem like His timing makes sense. God takes me away from my mess in Dallas. Out of my selfishness, out of my materialism, out of my mess. But why? Why is God doing all of this?
Because He loves me. Because He loves me. Because He loves me. Because He loves me. BECAUSE HE LOVES ME. BECAUSE HE LOVES ME! BECAUSE HE LOVES ME!!!
This is my honeymoon season with the LORD and He wants me all to Himself. If it was only this one thing that I learned on the race, it is joyfully more than I expected! That God loves relentlessly and furiously. He is not kidding around.
Why did God take me out here into Nepal? I know that part of it was to be romanced and wooed by Him. God wants my whole heart. He loves me. He is after me. And He reminds me of this truth daily.
I finally accept, with arms wide open, that this is my honeymoon season with the LORD (yes, that was a CREED reference). And sometimes it is messy and sucks and it hurts to be pruned — But it is so worth it because I’m starting to see Jesus shine through even more. I get the LORD of Heaven and Earth, the Author and Creator of my life, The Beginning and The End, The King of Kings, The LORD of lords, The Great I AM!
Thank You Dad for my portion. Thank You for bringing me here so that I could see and understand Your great, great love! You are so good. I pray for more of You. Don’t stop, please.
I encourage all of yall to make whatever this season of your life is a season of clinging to Him. A season of His love washing over you and making you new. Press in! He is waiting.
