God is love...means more than I thought.

The first week of Advent seemed to be filled with getting rid of the garbage that so easily piles up in my heart. Everyday it seemed that I was dealing with learning to see my need for a Savior more and more.
This week has already taken an amazing turn - it seems that everywhere I look I am overwhelmed by the love of God. A friend posted on my last post and said the word that it brought to mind was "Tenderness" - and that's exactly what I am seeing. The tenderness of our loving Father and I am overwhelmed.

On facebook someone shared a youtube link of Christopher Duffley singing "Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord" and I sit in tears. Today I am overwhelmed by the love of God for each of us....for me.

As I thought about "love", I remembered a sweet little old lady we used to go to church with, Mrs. Katie. Mrs. Katie was a hoot; we never knew what she was going to say. Of course, in our youthful stupidity, we often didn't realize just how wise this tiny little lady was. She'd say things like, "I just realized something - God is love. Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm." We'd just stand there politely and smile. I'm pretty sure inside I was thinking something like "Duh!" I did mention I was a lot younger then - and I thought I was a whole lot smarter than I was. In fact, the older, I get the stupider I realize I truly am, but again - that's a blog for another day.

Three simple words - "God is love." Today I think I started to realize just how smart Mrs. Katie was.

While waiting for everyone to get ready for church this morning I happened to pick up an old copy of Discipleship Journal. I was already thinking about the Journey to Advent and the turn it had taken. (I really like this stretch of road a whole lot better by the way!) Anyway, back to the Discipleship Journal. The first article I turned to was by Dan S. Baty called "Love Supreme," an article about God's love. What really caught my eye was the scripture reference he used, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. I have heard that verse a thousand times focusing on how we are to love others, but if God is love (1 John 4:8) then this passage is a description of God!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.⁸ Love never fails....

I know there is no way I can cover that entire passage in one blog, so it may be that it shows up throughout this week. For today, I'll focus on just the first part: "Love is patient." I don't know about you, but I sure am glad God is patient with me. I've said before, I'm glad I'm not God because if I were, I'd have probably zapped everyone by now...bet you're glad I'm not God, too!


God is patient, giving us chance after chance...telling us over and over again. I still remember a pastor saying to me, "God not only knows the last thing He told you, He knows the last thing you understood." The Bible puts it this way:

2 Peter 3:9

New International Version (NIV)

⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance

When I think of this passage, I remember a book I read a few years back called The Shack. Now, I'm not into debating the theology of this book - I'm not nearly smart enough for that. There is one part, however, that really stuck with me. The following is a review I found online and it explains the passage far better than I could. The full review can be found at http://theshackreview.wordpress.com/ and it's by Rachel Musgrove. (Link to full review)

"Jesus directs Mack to a cave like entrance, which Mack unsteadily enters into. He comes to a chair sitting in the middle of an open space which he sits in, waiting for something to happen. As he did this, a beautiful Latina woman appears.

She begins a barrage of questioning that intentionally lead Mack down a path of his judgment. She asks him of repentance and then informs him that he will be the judge of God and the human race. She peels back the layers of Mack with a brutal honesty until Mack finally confesses that He’s angry at God.

The questioning goes on until the woman asks Mack to choose 3 of his children to go to hell and the other 2 to go to heaven. He screams at the woman that he can’t, he won’t make that choice. He offers himself in their place. The woman smiles and says, “Now you sound like Jesus.”

God is love....Love is patient. In the words of Mrs. Katie, "Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm."

God doesn't move as fast as me...

I admit, I tend to move quickly most of the time. I don't really think of it as being in a hurry, I just have things to do and don't like wasting time in between. That's probably why running appeals to me - I can hurry up and get it over with and be done! It's not that I'm really a very fast runner, actually I'm pretty slow compared to "real" runners...still I try. My son once asked me why I walk so fast and yet run so slow. I guess it's because walking is usually what I'm doing inbetween something else.

I tend to do most everything quickly - eat, read, work, talk, even sleep! My husband, on the other hand, doesn't get in a hurry about anything. He moves slow and steady. We always manage to be at about the same "place" however because while he moves in a straight line, I'm bouncing back and forth like a pinball in a machine. My "movement" isn't necessarily moving me forward!

Today I had a random thought - God just isn't as "fast" as me. Now, granted, He managed to make everything there is in only 6 days and I can't even seem to bake a cake without ruining it. (I either keep opening the oven to see if it's done or go off and completely forget about it until someone mutters, "Is something burning?") What I mean is that He's just not in as much of a hurry as I am.

I'm thinking, "Okay God, tell me what to do and I'll get 'er done!" God seems to be content to just wait. Maybe that's one reason why He doesn't reveal too much to me. If He showed me everything I was to do, I'd either become completely overwhelmed or I'd hear half the instructions and be off like a light...making mistakes every step of the way. I have students like that. They are so quick to start their work, they forget to wait for instructions! They wind up making mistakes simply because they didn't listen!

Today we had a guest pastor at our church, Pastor Charles Simpson, and one of his main points was that we don't know how to listen! He brought up Isaiah 55:3 where it says "Hear and you shall live." Listening will save you. It's not what I say to God that makes the difference, it's what HE says to me! The key here is hearing (and that means stopping long enough to do just that) and then taking the steps He tells you to take.

See what I mean? God just isn't moving as fast as me...or at least that's how things appear to one who is bound to this earth and cannot see exactly what God is up to.

I had a friend who once taught on Moses crossing the Red Sea. He told the story in a way I'd never heard before. It seems that in the scripture the parting is described in detail in a way that I usually just skim over. (See, I told you I read quickly.) According to my friend, it tells of how the sea began to part on a certain side - and that was NOT the side they were standing on. The sea started to part and all Moses and the children of Israel could see was water. To make things even more interesting, it was probably dark. They couldn't even see the miracle until it was right in front of them and it was time to do the crossing.

Okay, I get it. It's not like I ACTUALLY thought I was faster than God...I just act that way. God is doing things in His perfect timing. He is moving in ways I cannot see and when the time is right, I get to join in. I'm just having to learn to wait on His timing. I once heard that God isn't in a hurry because He controls time. If you're feeling pushed and rushed, it's probably the enemy of your soul because he's the only one running out of time!

Since I know it's hard for some of us to just sit, I find encouragement in knowing that waiting does not mean just doing nothing. I can praise, I can worship, I can serve with whatever God has placed before me...and I can work on my listening skills.

That should be enough to keep me busy till He tells me to move. In the words of Betty Robison, "Don't get in a hurry to settle for less."

The following is copied from my friend, Courtney's, facebook page. I thought it was a perfect fit for the blog: "If you are going through a wilderness period today, know that God has not forgotten you. He is trying to accomplish something important (usually to change us), and when the timing is perfect He will deliver you...He promises. He works ALL things for the good of those that love Him (Romans 8:28). There is a time and a season for everything (Ecclesiastes 3). Hold on a little longer...He is faithful."

2 Peter 3:9, 15 
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.