Have you ever had one of those "A ha!" moments with God, where you feel like He peeled back the clouds and let you see something so profound and yet simple that you wondered how you'd missed it for a lifetime? It's pure grace when this happens, and I'm grateful for the times He's allowed it. It doesn't happen often enough, but when it does I just long for heaven in a brand new way! Yesterday I shouted, cried, moaned, and begged this: "Come Lord Jesus quickly!". It was an "A ha" God moment!
Twenty one years of ministry and I learned yesterday that I will never cease to be surprised by our human addictions to the world. And yet, God risked His reputation on us...on me! Often I'm so prideful and self centered that I'm unwilling to risk mine on a fellow sinner and struggling sister, but my Maker has continually risked His perfect reputation on a purely sinful me! Whatever the Christians in my sphere of influence think about my connections must be irrelevant. I must love and pursue anyone Christ would love and pursue. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. That's pretty clear cut! I'm going to try to maintain a connection with someone who might make me look like a sucker. I'm going to extend grace and love. I'm going to treat sisters the way Christ treats us, not the way the world treats us. It won't be easy, but it's just part of having the attitude of Christ while His Holy Spirit literally lives in me. How could I do anything less? I'm newly resolved to love unconditionally in the name of Christ.
Will this be easy? Even with all the human resolve I can muster, it will not be easy! It's only in the power of the Holy Spirit that it's even possible. I was remind of this yesterday as well. Last night Blake was leading our family devotion on Matthew 7:12 which says, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." We asked the boys why we don't REALLY do what this says. Caleb, the least easy to love in my family and yet the most profound, said, "Because it's hard and we're lazy." I heard that!!! That's it exactly! So stinkin' profound that I cried! I don't want to be lazy because it's hard! I want to do what the Word says. I want to be willing to risk my reputation without a second thought on a sister I love and believe God is pursuing! He's been pursuing her all along and I'm not scared to continue loving her! In the words of a very popular Christian song, let our hearts be led by mercy...Jesus is the friend of sinners and I will be too. There are no lost causes! I was that lost cause and He died for sinners just like me. His love endures forever, and He obviously doesn't give a rip about His reputation.
