Thinking back to June it scares me how much I really just did not understand the concept of being in God'presence...and desiring to be in His presence.
Our relationship with God is just that. A relationship, and a relationship goes both ways. Our relationship with God is not just something where we go to Him whenever we need something, or we have something we need to talk about. But because of the society we live in, that selfish outlook on life has translated over into our view of God and our relationship with Him. It's all about what we can get out of it. God made the ultimate sacrifice. He gave up His one and only Son. Why are we still concerned about what we can get, or what other blessings He can pour out on us? He already gave us the gift of eternal life. God has truly blessed me, but what if I was suffering? What if I was suffering like some of the people in Lorega living among the dead? What they taught me is that my definition of wealth is very skewed. My entire life I have measured wealth with material possessions. The Bible clearly says that's wrong. We are supposed to be storing up treasures in Heaven...not here on earth. Some of the people who I met in Lorega are the wealthiest I've ever met. They are keeping their eyes set on Heaven. If anyone knows what suffering is it's the people of Lorega, and yet I sat there with a group of women who were sharing about all the ways God had blessed them. Talk about a humbling experience.
I have come to a place where I look forward to spending time with my Creator. Think about it. The CREATOR of the entire universe desires for us to spend time with Him. To talk about all of our thoughts with Him. To ask Him what we should do. But we also have to just be quiet. To listen to His repsonse.
I have this mental image of God in Heaven sitting on His throne writing love letters and sending them to me. A lot of those letters are what make up the Bible, and the words I have read in its pages. But some of the love letters are gifts He has specifically given me throughout my entire life. And then I think about how when you write a love letter to someone, what do you want them to do?? Well, you either want them to write you one back, or better yet, you want them to perform some action that confirms it to you that they love you. I look back on all the love letters God has written me, and all of those I have failed to answer.
So why not starting answering God's love letters with the way we act? God wants us to live like Jesus. That's the ultimate love letter we can write to Him. Spending time talking with God (praying) and just sitting and marveling at the beautiful creation He has given us can all be part of writing a love letter back to God. Living in love, and doing everything for and out of love. Everyday. No exceptions. No excuses.
He not only loves us, but He is in love with us. For me there is a big difference between those statements. I have always loved God, but looking back, I don't think I was truly in love with Him. But after this trip I can tell with knowing it in my heart I am in love with the One who created me. The One who while in the Philippines and being surrounded by poverty, depression, trash, feces, prostitution, and molestation put His hands on my cheeks in the middle of all of this and opened my eyes to the beauty of around me. The most beautiful thing I saw in the Philippines was the people. And it's not a coincidence. Afterall, God cares more about souls than He does any other thing in the world. I remember at times looking around me while I was sometimes wondering where the good in all of this was and the Holy Spirit whispering to me, "Cora, look at the little girl's hand you're holding. Did you miss that beauty? And when she laughs, the feeling you have in your heart of love? That's a gift. And that flower you just passed by?? What was that, was it not God's gift to you also?"
Don't be fooled. The world will sometimes tell you you're alone in this. You're not alone. The world will tell you there is no hope. There is hope. The world will tell you that having material possessions is important. It's not. The world will push you to have a plan for the next 20 years so you won't "fail" in life. Don't give in. Especially in the United States we are told to have money is to be successful. To dress a certain way or act a certain way is to be considered beautiful. This world does not determine and define your beauty, God does. And God has already told us, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." He named us His own before we were even born. Pretty cool, right? I now live everyday excited for the next oppurtunity I get to open my Bible and read one of the love letters God has written to me.
In Luke 15:8-10 it says this, "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me, I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." That's how much He cares about one. One person. This verse is much a part of the reason I believe in the power of one. If God cares so much about one single individual, why don't we? It's like sometimes we pass people in need on the streets and wonder if we should help them and then think to ourselves, "I don't really have time, and after all, it's only one person." It's not only one person. Every single person is a beautiful creation of God! And one person can change everything. If people don't believe this, just look at Jesus. He became human (just one person) and not only changed the lives of everyone around him, but he changed the lives of everyone after him. He changed the lives of you and me. Don't tell me that the person on the side of the street doesn't matter because it's only one person. In Matthew 18:10-14 it says, "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 'What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost." It's comforting to know that on those days we feel lost and we have wandered away from the herd, God doesn't just let us go. He searches for us until He finds us.
I pray we would all learn to live in the beauty of this moment. We as the Body of Christ are not just called to live, but to HAVE life, and that life has been given to us by the blood shed on the cross. God didn't call us to have "boring" days.
I realize this post has quite a few jumbled thoughts and different points and topics, but I hope while reading it God spoke to you through some Bible verses or stories.
God Bless!
Cora
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