Love- Feeling with Another

What does love really mean? God has lately been teaching me that love is feeling another's pain. Love is looking beyond where you are and mourning with someone else. It is about being so involved and interested in what someone else feels that when healthy joy is felt you rejoice with them! Beyond that- you cry when they cry because most of the time words are not enough. Your heart breaks when theirs does. That is the summation of what love really is! Because Christ never ceased to feel our pain or joy. "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." ~Romans 12:15

Open Ears

Good morning world, just a few thoughts for you to start off the day. Why do so many of us Christians believe that to listen and not correct is to condone sin? Where do we find proof for this? No where. The truth is that so many times in my life I have heard someone discussing sin and have felt the need to tell them off. Yes, there is a place for exhortation, but I have seen it go too far in the church body. One of my friends the other day was sitting, listening to another of our friend's stories about how she has been involved with some illegal drugs. And to my surprise- I did not hear her say "Well you know how bad that is?" or "You are going to ruin your life!". Instead she sat and listened. She asked questions. How radically different would the world be if we expected the Holy Spirit to change people rather than ourselves. Phillip Yancey's famous quote states: “No one ever converted to Christianity because they lost the argument.” What a beautiful truth that penetrates this statement! No one needs to hear how wrong they are- they need to come to a place where they desire change. Our only conduct should be to show them they are more valuable than what they now believe, to pray for them, and to show them the abundant life that Jesus has for them. Let's stop trying to prove ourselves with actions and start living with the peace and joy of the relationship we have with Christ!

The Purpose of Purity

My whole life long I never understood why sex was meant to be saved for marriage. All my friends (Christian and not) told me that giving up their virginity was the worst decision they had ever made. But I honestly wrote it off like their opinions were meaningless. "Well, they just choose to be with the wrong person," I would convince myself. It was not until Christ spoke to my heart concerning the issue that I fully comprehended His vantage point.

Sex was created to be so sacred!!! And yet everyone is running around imprinted on those that they lost so long ago. Each of us is attached to our first love. How is this bondage broken? How can it ever be healed? This is the core of  why divorce is rampant. There is no one I would lay more down for than my first love. I am recklessly in love with him just as it was intended to be, yet we were never tied by marriage and therefore no security remains present. Because he is tied to someone else. Once upon a time, he gave that up as well to another girl in another moment and that is what he is psychologically bound to. And so we are in the end left alone and empty- forced to "get over" those past feelings and move on to that which will never be the same. The relationship will never feel equal for it is less than what we want to give.

But there is hope! Hope beyond reason. A light beyond what I was able to see at the present time of writing the last excerpt. There is healing in the name of Jesus! Every bondage is able to be broken and every addiction diminished! I no longer feel attached to my first love. Now this is abnormal in most senses because nearly everyone I know still feels a strong tie to them. But the difference is that above all else Jesus has taken brokenness and made it whole. He has taken my silly mistakes and created a beautiful life in spite of me. I am forever grateful! For all those who have not fallen into this temptation, seek a pure mind intensely. For all of those who have, know that each day is a new and fresh beginning. Jesus loves you beyond all your errors. He couldn't love you more if you were perfect!:)

And so I will go on in life seeking the relationship that Jesus has intended for me to live in until I die. But I will not settle for the sin that is now so distasteful to my soul. Now, and only now that I am whole in Him am I able to love my new love even better than I did my first. Because I am healthy and changed!

 ^"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." ~Isaiah 40:31

Title Explanation

"Broken Blessings". Last year, I found myself continually frustrated with one of  my friends because they never seemed to appreciate my love actions to them. I was furious that I put so much into a friendship that I was getting nothing out of. It was in that moment that the Lord spoke to my heart. "Britta, you do the same thing to me every day. I made the trees green because I know that you love the vibrant colors. I have the sun shine down on sidewalks so they are warm for your bare feet because I know you love it. I created silly little personality traits in every person because I know you enjoy observing mannerisms. I gave you an able body because I know outdoor activities invigorate you. I provided a family that loves and hugs you daily because I know how important it is for you to feel affection. I thought of you when I did all of this but you take my blessings forgranted! I imagined the smile that would dance across your lips as you received my love messages. But each one of them was ignored- each one was overlooked because you have been focusing on fixing life rather than enjoying it. Please, become mindful of my blessings!" And so I came to the realization that blessings are broken. Not broken in the sense that there is something imperfect about them. But rather broken in the "broken record" sense. They repeat over and over but we are so distracted by life that they are not heard. We go about with our existence not even realizing the broken words playing in the background. The Lord is pouring blessings on us each moment. He is repeating Himself over and over. Can we remember to still our days and listen for the blessings not meant to be broken?