Take Heart

As I explained on Friday (see post 07/04/08), I carried a distorted view of God for a long time. The teachings of my early years focused on God as judge and on humans as, well, sub-human creatures mired in sin and corruption. Obedience, not relationship, was the objective.

Our home mirrored this mindset with father as judge, children as cisterns of disobedience that needed to be brought and kept under control. That was how God saw us as His children, right? It was right there in the Bible. The truth is that Satan loves to dress his lies in light to snare the believer. My well-intentioned parents fully believed they were acting biblically.

Satan is clever, but God is faithful. Even as I listened to messages of condemnation, there was a Still Small Voice whispering in my ear, “This is not who I am.” Eventually, God revealed the fullness of His true feelings for me. He did this primarily through the love of other women sharing their own journeys. Women who had been touched by God said to me, “We were like you, full of doubt and self-loathing. Come along with us and we will love you until you learn to love yourself.”

I invite you to join in that same quest to know God’s love in the here and now. The Good News of the Gospel is that His love is all around us. But we have to do a few things to see and feel it. Come back later this week, and we’ll talk about some ways to experience the eternal in this life we now live. I promise you that it is possible!

May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.

The last Word:
Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father's house. The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. (Psalm 45: 10, 11, NIV)