November 24, 2008

It's About Time For Another

Earlier tonight I was asked three simple questions by a person who is dear to my heart.

1. How often do you pray?

2. How often do you spend time with a devotion or with reading the bible?

3. How many people have you show unconditional love to recently?

Simple? Yeah, not so much. Words like that can penetrate straight to the heart. They certainly made me think. How often do I pray? Well, the answer to that would be only when I feel like I need something from God. How often do I spend time with a devotion or with reading the bible? I would have to say, twice; once when I'm in Thursday night bible study, and once when I'm in church on Sunday. How many people have I showed unconditional love to recently..... This question blew me out of the water and made me see how far gone I have been for so long. How is it that I have been living everyday life failing to just love people?! The answer, I haven't been loving God. That's the root of all my problems. If I can't find the love to love the maker of all things, how on earth and I going to attempt to love people around me?

I think I’m beginning to understand what love actually is. I finally see what is means to say that love is patient, love is kind, love is not bitter, love hopes all things, love endures all things, love never fails. I get that when you love each other, God’s love and light shines through that, and without depending on Him there’s no way I would ever be able to show love.

So now that my eyes have been opened, what now? With lack of another way to put this I'll just steal Matt Theissen's amazing words:

"When I got tired of running from you
I stopped right there to catch my breath
There your words they caught my ears
You said, “I miss you son. Come home”
And my sins, they watched me leave
And in my heart I so believed
The love you felt for me was mine
The love I’d wished for all this time
And when the doors were closed
I heard no I told so’s
I said the words I knew you knew
Oh God, Oh God I needed you
God all this time I needed you, I needed you"

The answer to all my problems? Run to God, fall into his loving arms, and embrace his grace and mercy. I have heard those words many times. It takes seeing what you've lost, to seeing where you're at... to get you where you need to go.