I have always pictured a very long, dusty road when I think of a "journey". When people talk about following where God leads down this journey, the pathway of life, I picture a pitiful scene. Where God is in a trailor in front of me leading the way while I walk behind. I am covered in dust and sweat. I am tired and exhasted, and am supplied with only a cup of water every few miles.
Before I continue, be forewarned that this post will be particularly long ;) So, grab your Bible and set aside some time to spend with me as we look into some of the truths of the love God has for us. Men are invited to join as well, but I don't think you will attain this information on the particular level that us females will. Alright, here we go.
For the past two summers, while I am out of school I isolate myself to spend some time with God and His word. And, for the past two summers He has brought me back to the same subject- His love for me.
Last summer, it was a website, called
Kelly's Page (this website=amazing, go to it if you're struggling with "waiting" for the right guy or...if you want to furthur experience the love God has for you!) This page was found after looking at my favorite artist's website- Jimmy Needham...so after you go to Kelly's page, go listen to his wonderful music!! :)
This summer, it was a dusty old book that was found, not even fully read. But, the title caught my attention:
Do You Think I'm Beautiful? Honestly, I am not that insecure about the way I look, yet I really wanted to read this book.Well I read the last chapter this morning, had to share everything that I've gained from it. These next paragraphs are going to be intermixing of my own thoughts and passages from Angela Thomas's book- which will be surrounded by (" ")
The moment one accepts Christ, there is a wedding. The bride accepts and receives a Groom to spend the rest of her life with. This Groom is there to have, to hold. In sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer. He is there for her, although she might not realize that until trials come and He is by her side. His Perfect Love never fails.
"When God looks into the eyes of a women, He sees all the beauty He created there. He sees every potential and every gift. He sees what can be and redeems what has been. He loves the curly hair that you wish were straight. He is taken with your smile and the shape of your nose. He's crazy about big feet and knobby knees and every curve that is particular to you. He is the One who loves the inside
and the outside of you. You were all His idea, and you are physically and emotionally beautiful to Him. Do you want to dance?"
Life after salvation is the reception. A dance. Following Christ -> our Groom is not a long, dusty road. It is a waltz, a two-step, an electric slide. God will be there for us
always. We have to be the ones to take His hand when he asks us to dance. "When God says, 'Come dance with Me' He is not saying you have to know all the steps. This is the God of all creation who provides the music, sets the stage, takes you by the hand, and then leads. If you wil
l rest in His arms, you can trust every turn that He takes. You do not have to look behind you to see where you are going because you can trust that He is watching."
The more dependant we are, the more we allow Him to lead, the better dancers we are. There is no doubt we will trip, mistep, and fall altogether. But God will pick us up, dust us off and hold us close as we continue to dance with Him. Hold His gaze, move as one. If you let Him lead, you will easily follow. "The dance is you in the arms of God gliding around the center of the room, becoming the woman He thought of when He dreamed of you...To dance is to grab hold of what you were made to be and then let Him show you how to
become."
We are not the leaders in this dance. Sorry, but every one of us are too clumsy and frail to perform a single dance move without God's lead (John 15:5). We may be the worst dancers the world has ever seen, but God takes us and through Him makes us a beautiful bride, one with class and elegance. When we let God lead, His perfect plans are fulfilled through our lives! His love for you is unfailing, He calls you beautiful! Don't believe me?
- Isaiah 54:10
- Psalm 121: 3-8
- Ephesians 4:14-19
Psalm 45:10-15:
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...All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold. In embroidered garments she is lead to the King...They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the King.
"Enthralled by your beauty. That means captivated, smitten, fascinated, spellbound, and delighted. That's exactly how the prince feels about the princess in fairy tales. But this sentiment is not fiction. Enthralled is how God in heaven feels about you. He is taken with you. Undistracted. Intensely interested. Emotionally connected. He enjoys your laughter and takes pleasure in the way you think. He is not bored with you, and He would never consider you ordinary. There is no way you will ever go unnoticed with God. You are beautiful to Him. Incredibly, breathtakingly beautiful. When a man feels this way about a woman, we say that he is in love.
You may have heard that God loves you, but maybe you have been like me and misunderstood. His love for you is not just a 'whole world in His hands' kind of love. This love is individual. God and you. One-on-one. Intimate. Personal. Romantic.
God's love for you is passionate and pure and without reservation. He never holds back or plays games with your heart. There are no riddles with God. This kind of love does not stand you up. He always shows up, always remembers, and always keeps His promises. God's love is unrelenting. He does not turn away even if you do. His excitement over you does not wane. God's love is not some namby-pampy kindergarten crush. He is not fickle. God has seen you across the room, and He cannot take His eyes off you.
Do you get this? Do you hear me describing the love that you long for on this earth? Does this sound like the love you have been looking for all of your life? Maybe you have tasted this love in relationships or in marriage, yet you recognize that there is still a deeper longing. Is your heart pounding,'Yes that's the love I have imagined'? Our desires reflect our design. That love that God has for us is the love your soul was made for. It is an intimate, vulnerable, completing kind of love.
Satan whispers lies to you That God really doesn't love you, that you are certainly not beautiful! That at the dance, your only rightful position is to be a wallflower. No one would ever want to dance with someone like you!
When you are wrapped in the arms of Christ, dancing with Him, Satan will try to cut in. Over, and over, and over again. But if you are holding on so tightly to your Dance Partner, you will never even realize he is there.
Enough watching, already. That's it. One foot in front of the other. One step at a time. Find the rhythm. There you go. Now, this isn't so bad, is it? I knew you had it in you. Wait a minute, I think you're smiling! Nope, it's more that a smile. It's something deeper. Something more brilliant. Can you see it? Can you feel it? You are beautiful. Yes, you. Breathtaking.
