since i last wrote, i’ve had all these little snippets of revelation that seem very simple separately but, at the risk of sounding cliche, have the distinct possibility of rocking my world if i take the time to put them together.
so i’m taking the time.
i recently talked about us being created in God’s image and how, by distorting our image of self, satan can distort our image of God. the following week, this concept was taken to the next level. our reading in ‘discipleship journey’ included this quote from c.s. lewis:
“to fully enjoy is to glorify. in commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.”
i made the notation that ‘the best way to honor someone is to fully appreciate and enjoy every aspect of them.’ funny looking back now because the following sunday’s sermon was about honoring God and others. more on that later.
that night at discipleship class, everyone was sharing about what God had been doing and how He had been revealing Himself. a friend shared that she really related to God’s ability to go low.
this is something we had talked about before, but it hit me with new, and intense clarity. lately, i have really been struggling to not let my old companion depression get the best of me in terms of feeling like a crappy friend and human being ... but not doing a very good job of it. i won’t go into all those details yet.
what struck me that night was how if going low is part of God’s image, and appreciating - even enjoying - EVERY aspect of God brings Him glory and honor, then i need to be okay about going low with Him. not only does God meet us at our lowest points - our deepest, darkest hours of need. He takes us there. it is there that He can reveal and invite us to enjoy a part of His character that we would never get to know otherwise. not allowing yourself to experience your brokenness, disappointment, sadness, etc. is not allowing yourself to enjoy every aspect of God, and the fullness of His image in and through you. not doing so is not glorifying God, and that is disobedience. wow.
so with that reminder came the invitation to go low with God. i came face-to-face with my disappointment, and it broke me. good thing the passionate commitment of the Lord Almighty guarantees HOPE! (isaiah 9:7b). because of that i can trust Him not only to take me there, but also to take me through. the God who has literally been to hell and back will not let you get that far gone, and will certainly not leave you there.
the first step is letting yourself go low, and then being willing to stay there as long as necessary. there is beauty on the other side of brokenness, but the question is ...
how low will you go?
in my last post i mentioned that something really cool had just happened. literally as i wrote the line about being created in God's image, my sweet friend sent me this text:
"you are created in HIS image and you are beautiful. you exist b/c He created what He pleased. Rev 4:11"
i absolutely LOVE when God does stuff like that to confirm what He is already speaking. but the really cool part of it is not just the confirmation, but also the blessing of obedience. in addition to speaking about being created in His image, God had been convicting me about being more intentional in spending time with Him, specifically in terms of writing and sharing what He has shown me.
so in choosing to spend those extra 20 minutes heeding His voice instead of doing any of the 100 other things that would have quickly filled my time, i got to experience the blessing of hearing from Him further. sure, that text would have been sweet no matter what. but it would not have had the same uplifting impact. now i'm not trying to pat myself on the back here. seeing as i haven't written a blog in over 3 months, i clearly don't have this down. it as much a reminder to me as anything ...
how many times have i missed out on God wanting to speak because i have not made the time to spend with Him?
or how about this doozy - how many other people have missed out on God speaking to them because i have not made the time to share what He wants me to?
ouch.
if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us (james 4:8). how cool is that?! i'm so thankful for His graciousness in reminding me of that time and time ... and time ... again. if i make the time to meet with Him, He will not be remiss in meeting with me and, through that, others may meet with Him as well. what an honor. what a privilege. what a responsibility.
it may seem like a sacrifice at times, but don't you think the benefits truly outweigh the costs? it says in matthew 11: 27-29 that as we come to know the Son, He will not only give rest to our weary souls, but that through Him we can also know the Father - KNOW GOD! and "our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 cor 4:17)." i don't know about you, but i'd be okay with some eternal glory. and the best part is, we get to experience a little part of that NOW when we spend time with Him!
BRING ON THE GLORY!
so it's been a while ... a LONG while ... since i've written. let's see what i can come up with in the 20min before i have to leave for work :)
last night during discipleship class, one of the facilitators said something about "putting on" Christ (galatians 3:27). this is a concept i have heard discussed many times in the past. it seems simple enough. i mean, who wouldn't want to put on Christ?
he then went on to talk about how satan LOVES to distort our image of God. an image is not the real thing, obviously. we were made in the image of God. we are not God. however, for me i think one of the main ways he can distort my image of God is by distorting my image of myself.
stick with me. this is hard enough for me to wrap my head around for myself, let alone explain through my early morning, haven't had my coffee yet haze. if satan can make me unhappy with some (or many) aspects of myself, but i am supposed to be made in the image of God, then what does that say about the One i'm supposed to look like?
hmmm ... God, why did you make me like this? if i am imperfect, are You? okay, obviously NOT. but satan has sure done a really great job of convincing me to buy into these questions at times. has he done the same for you? is the first step in correcting your image of God, correcting your image of yourself?
i'll write more later, because something REALLY cool just happened, but those are just some thoughts to get my and your brain juices flowing for the day ...
be a blessing!
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this is something we had talked about before, but it hit me with new, and intense clarity. lately, i have really been struggling to not let my old companion depression get the best of me in terms of feeling like a crappy friend and human being ... but not doing a very good job of it. i won’t go into all those details yet.
