Coaching at RashidatO.com | Social Activism at Whereveryougolove.com
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Work, Work, Work, Work, Work…
Yes, I’m quoting Rihanna’s song, not with any connection to the song, but simply because that is what we feel we must do. Religion makes makes us feel like we must “work, work, work, work, work” for God’s love.
But the truth is, He’s loves us regardless. He has always loved us and will continue forever to love us. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The same God who gave what was most precious to Him in exchange to save His creation from themselves. He made a sacrifice, willingly, that none of us can repay even as we acted against Him. Rebelled against Him. Turned away from Him.
So if He loved us through all of that, why do we still feel we have to earn His love?
Maybe it’s because we can’t understand why someone, why He could and would love us so much…
I accepted Christ when I was 6 years old. But I didn’t surrender my life to him until I was 29. I have always known that He loves me. I have always known that He has been with me… Through my anger, through my loneliness, through my accomplishments, and through my success. I could feel His presence even as I blatantly contradicted His word.
But at the age of 29 I looked at my life and realized I was nowhere close to where I wanted to be, not who I wanted to be, and not how I wanted to be. And to be completely transparent, I had no direction on how to accomplish what I wanted from life.
But He, my Father in Heaven, was waiting for me…
I made a great friend when I arrived in Atlanta. When I was low and I was searching for more depth with God, this friend literally picked me up and took me directly where God wanted me to be. I learned what it meant to truly to surrender my life to Christ and I have never looked back.
It has been an amazing journey for me that I would never change! If anything, I would have loved to have started this journey into freedom earlier in my life, but all in God’s time.
God has a plan to mold us into the way He wants us to be. He constantly dips His right hand into a bowl of water as He molds us on His potter’s turn table. Then lovingly with His left hand, He adds intricate detail to our form carving us into a unique and magnificent work that only some one as big as He can imagine.
As this happens, I’ve recognized that I am somewhat of a control freak! I want to help God be God! I want to put myself into place on that spinning pottery table and wiggle as I see fit trying help God create the detail in me. But in His gentle fatherly way He says “If you don’t sit down!” Oh, that might have been how my mother says it! No, my Father says “Rest Little One, let Me take care of you”.
I was reminded of this at training camp.
Jehovah Shalom – The Lord is my peace. God is my rest.
About half way through training camp we had some sessions that were only for the ladies. Our time was spent doing a scenario where we supported each other and our teams through some physical inhibitions like vomiting uncontrollably while urgently needing to get to a bus. (You probably weren’t ready for that visual in your mind, but it’s truly what we did!) In another scenario, it required fun, sweat, and girl power to think of asking the person at the border crossing for the English translation rather than trying to sign or use any other language that we really didn’t know. And later that evening we got to hear our squad leader’s stories, which made me love them and appreciate their freedom even more.
As I processed all that was happening, I realized something truly amazing… Life has it’s ups and downs, but at this point God had me in a place where…I am OK.
Nothing was wrong.
God worked me through many of the issues that were on the surface for me. He had cleaned out my wounds and had healed them. And though I know there will be more to come since spiritual warfare is still alive and well, it was awesome that in this moment… I am OK.
I heard the Holy Spirit whisper in my ear “Don’t go looking for things to be wrong! The moments of peace and quiet don’t last forever. My child, do not fear that everything you do is wrong. And know that even when you do something wrong, I still love you, and I have plenty of grace for you.”
God, our Father gives good gifts. In this moment I received the gift of peace and rest.
My need “to do” and to earn my Father’s love is withering. My need to “help” God be God is learning to take a seat somewhere. My fear of being unacceptable and always needing to work for God’s love is fading as He shows me what it means for Him to love me unconditionally.
And He loves you that much too…
