I know that I lived that way for a long time.
I have changed so stinking much this summer. At one point I tried to sit down and write down all the things Abba has done for me this summer, and how my Lord has WORKED in my life.. But I couldn't. Every single moment I think about the way He molded me this summer, and made me HIS, a new thing is revealed to me-a new piece of truth. If I had the opportunity to sit down and tell you what the Lord has done, and what he's doing now, it would take hours. Which is so cool. SO ask me about it sometime(:
But I kind of went off on a tangent there...
Anywhoo, I have changed, and there's not any doubt in that. I know there is plenty of more room for boldness as I live my life for Him at school- but I'm hoping that people at school have noticed even a subtle difference, whether it's thru my actions or words. But I know that from the day I got home from camp session five, until just a few weeks into school, I was terrified of losing what I had learned, and losing this awesome relationship I have with Christ. I was so afraid I would slip back into the way I was.
I started to feel obligated, like I had to do things for the Lord so that he would decide to keep me around..Or maybe not even that...because that's ridiculous. I guess I felt like I HAD to do things for Him, just to keep my relationship with Him strong. Ya'll, come on. That isn't how it works.
"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8
Check out a couple things in this verse.
"The lord HIMSELF"
Guys, think about that. Because we are followers of Christ, the holy spirit abides in us, and in our hearts. Just take a second, step back and think about that. Think about the fact that the LIVING GOD IS INSIDE YOU! The Lord Himself...Whoa. Whoa.WHOAAA.
Now look at this..
"he will NEVER leave you nor forsake you.."
Never. Does that mean..he'll try, but won't come through all the time? That he might decide to peace out and leave? That's so RIDICULOUS! Never means NOT.EVER. So think of it this way.
There's a reason why following Christ is regarded as a process of GROWTH. And there's a reason why why when we run for Christ, we aren't just running a race. We're running a marathon. There WILL be times when we mess up, and times when we lose sight of God- or even run away from Him. But it's insane to think that God would ever leave us, ever. Jesus didn't suffer the cross just to be with us some of the time. And he calls us to not live a life of fear, because he's with us. That includes being afraid of failing. Being completely honest, I had a hard time swallowing that giant pill of pride, and allowing the Lord to help me realize that, oh HEY Hannah. YOUR HUMAN! There will be times in my life where I'll try and run from God, because I"m stupid-a sheep, remember? But the cool thing is that God still uses those moments of running away to teach us something. I was so afraid of going back to when I idolized choir, and when I lived for myself. I pray that that'll never happen again, and there is no point in allowing myself to be characterized by fear of mistakes, because helllloooo, I am going to stumble. But the Lord promises in Psalm that even though we stumble, He won't let us fall! And he promises to pick us back up(: check out the song No Far Away by Chris August (thanks for the song, Krista!)
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord"
Romans 8:38-39
That's a pretty extensive list up there. It's so cool to think that NOTHING can separate us from the Love of Jesus, including, especially, our own mistakes. Get excited, and be encouraged. Notice when you are doing things that aren't honoring to the Lord, and repent, but know that our God is still passionately in love with us.
So.Cool.
No comments:
Post a Comment