We Can’t Love

Will you let God love you?

I’ve never thought about this before. I’m realizing that I live to let God know that I love Him. This isn’t the first time I’ve been confronted by my perspective and reaction toward God. Growing up I struggled trying to earn God’s love. Throughout college I grew tired trying to attain peace with God by pleasing people. Shrapnel of those misconceptions and misunderstandings is still lodged within me, misguiding my understanding of God and treatment of people on those wrong-side-of-the-bed-rainy-days.

Or when I forget that I am loved.

A lot of my history is marked and marred with attempts to right my wrongs and perfect myself. A broken person trying to fix broken things only leads to greater brokenness. I don’t like to admit I’m broken, but I do like to think I’m unloved.

There’s a story in the Bible about a man who marries a prostitute. Actually, God wants the man to marry her so He can make a point. Hosea marries the prostitute and they have children together. She then leaves him to reengage in her former way of life. God then gives Hosea directions to go back and get her, to pursue her, to recapture her heart.

For the relationship to work the woman has to let Hosea love her. She has to let him embrace her, lead her, forgive her, and renew her.

Hosea represents God, and I have been asked if I will let Him love me.

I know my story is intermingled and overlaid with rebelling against God and rejecting His love. I know He made the first move to win me back, pursue me, and capture my heart so He could renew and transform me.

Now will I let Him love me to continue the process?

The writer of Romans reveals that it is the kindness of God that leads to repentance. Repentance gets a bunch of bogus and negative criticism, but it actually means to turn from to turn towards. The message here is crucial, God’s love turns us from our rebellion and rejection, turning us toward His renewal and transformation. God’s love enables us to love God.

Will I let God love me so I can love Him?

Giving God this type of permission and power requires trust. If I really let God love me I’ll have to allow Him to remove the shrapnel of my past and my lingering rebellion and rejection. Because, His love removes and replaces. Destroys and rebuilds. Denies what we want so He can gives us what He has. Works surgery on the wounds we hide. Empowers us to love others correctly. Messes up our plans and popularity. Permits us to love like Him. Casts out fear and calls in peace. Breaks cycles and starts movements. Allows us to rest in what He’s done instead of stressing over what we have to do. Requires me to love those who hate me and forgive those I can’t stand. Disables and repairs. Offends the self-righteous and the insecure, the intellectual and the idiot. Brings the far away close by. Moves the comfortable to places of discomfort. Gives us what we never dreamed we’d have. And, can’t be controlled, bottled, or sold.

His love enables us to love Him like we never could.

I don’t trust Him to love me this way because it would mean that I would have to give up my attempts to let God know that I love Him, by myself.

So, will you?

:: The French Pressed Four ::

: Empire State of Mind :: Jay-Z

:: Jon Foreman :: “If you approach the world with the apron of a servant, then you are allowed to go places that you can’t go if you approach it with the crown of a king.”

::: Headache :: The boy in front of her does give a valiant effort

:::: TMok’s 3 B’s of the AM :: Basketball, Brew, and Bible