When You Don't Love God Enough - a new post!

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There is this really great and (in my experience) really difficult command. What makes it even heavier is that we are told by The GodMan Himself it's the first of only two commands: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 

All of it? All of it. Like, really all of it.

Well. Yikes. That pretty much is a #dailyfail. If love has the elements of respect and honor, patience and kindness, isn't self seeking or self-insisting, then yep...definitely pretty much on a daily basis I'm weighed in the balance and found wanting.

I have - after taking what I had and squandering it on people that I thought would like me and maybe even love me, on situations that I thought would fulfill me, on accomplishments I thought would complete me (side note: many of these things are "good" things like serving others, doing well vocationally, generally being awesome...) - found myself lifting my face out of the slop and wondering what in the WORLD was I doing?! I'd tried so hard to do good and to be great but my mouth ended up full of swill that was neither nutritious nor delicious. Once again, I've come to myself. 

And I rehearse in my mind the verses that demand my all. I rehearse the verses that call me to repent, and wonder will I ever get this commandment, THE commandment, right. I rehearse the familiar wondering of do I really belong to Christ when I break one of the two commands He's given? and just can't seem to do that (or the other one for that matter) right.

Then THIS happens...

And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. Luke 15:20-23 ESV 

I arise and I come to my Father. I confess where I have fallen short. And He rejoices in my coming and in my confessing and in my growing. The following verse goes on the talk about the son being lost and then found. There is the ultimate experience of us being lost and then found when we first come to faith in Christ. There are, I believe, subsequent "findings" that happen to us as parts of our hearts and minds and souls reveal their lostness to us. Something happens that bumps into the dark place untouched by the love of the Father. When we come to our senses and realize the "soul slop" we've been consuming, we bring that to the Father, and He loves us so that we in turn love Him more than we did before.

When you find yourself 'not loving the Lord enough', rise, come to the Father, and let Him love you.

Created Well is the primary contributor at TheAntiBlog.net. She's a 30-something married Christian who likes to talk about the unexpected, especially the tough stuff. As a communicator, her loves include writing, speaking and teaching. She's been called a "Dream and Vision Consultant" by those she's helped and worked with. Find her on twitter @_TheAntiBlog_ 

The Edge - a guest post from @_TheAntiBlog_

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My client has been making good progress, considering. Her story to the untrained heart is gruesome at best and soul-condemning at worse, with a past stained deeply with some of the most horrific acts of unredeemed flesh. Her struggles affect her thought process, her emotions, her actions. Her expectations, her self-worth, her hope are worn and torn to basically shreds. 

The problem isn't that she rejects Christ. She very much believes in His word and His person. But we are still working, possibly unbeknownst to her, on her conversion. I won't even say her "true" conversion, but a conversion to reality instead of perception. Her image and view of Christ, God, faith and salvation is hopelessly entangled in performance and perfection. Add to that mental illness and abandonment and the recipe is nigh to fatal.  She came to me, having been washed off the hands of her family and outcast by her comrades. As we started working together, her sister was willing to be integrated, slowly, back into her life.  Her sister was encouraged because she could see glimmers of change in her, but admittedly remained cautious.

"I've seen this in her before," she said. "It doesn't last very long. It doesn't stick."

"If you keep bringing that expectation around her, I guarantee it won't. You can't heal her, but it will be very hard for her to heal without you."

Her sister and I became the small army of two fighting to help my client make one step at a time. Today, progress has been interrupted by a frantic call from her sister. My client left a note with, to her sister, unintelligible information. However, after all our past sessions, I could decipher the clues.

Thankfully, I don't get pulled over though I'm going at seemingly break-neck speed. She's exactly where I thought she'd be, teetering on her edge.

"It's a little early for you to be out here, don't you think?" Always start with benign, calm dialogue.

"I thought you'd send my sister after me. I was going to do something poetic."

She stands up, and walks to the edge. She turns and looks at me, defeated, weary, hopeless. She looks over the edge and speaks.

"I'm going to fly down to the end. I don't have to wait to see how it plays out. It plays out right here, right now, at the bottom." She looks back at me. "Isn't that better? Isn't that better than this bleak existence?"

"You've given up?"

"I've been thinking...I have nothing. I've ruined everything God has given me. What's the point?" I saw tears fall and a resolve begin to solidify. She starts to look back over the edge.

"Hey!" Desperate and commanding, I grip the moment hoping she still feels her ability to choose. I ask, "Is God still God?" 

She looks at me a little bewildered, then freezes, realizing what is being asked of her. 

"Is God the God He says He is?"

Pausing, I hope it sinks in.

"Is God still God?"

She waited, thinking, knowing the answer would demand a change of her initial solution. More tears fell and the wind started to blow. She took a half step back from the edge and crumpled to the ground. I rushed to her, in awe of the victory grace had just won. She'd been brutally attacked by her past, her weaknesses, and her consequences, and yet God's grace still won.

Created Well is the primary contributor at TheAntiBlog.net. She's a 30-something married Christian who likes to talk about the unexpected, especially the tough stuff. As a communicator, her loves include writing, speaking and teaching. She's been called a "Dream and Vision Consultant" by those she's helped and worked with. Find her on twitter @_TheAntiBlog_ 

"The Danse" – Part 2 ~ A guest post by Nya Jacobs

The room stops.  Everything - every flickering light, every person, every sound - it all stops. His full attention is on you.  There is a connection in His gaze, as if He knows you and a gentleness on His face, as if He's been expecting you.  With resolve He's walking towards you and you entertain turning to leave.
  

But I don't want to leave. Again. What have I been running from? I've been looking for something and this - Him, HE - feels like the something. Something like…home. 
 

He comes closer and you stand, waiting to see if He will actually talk to you. Or maybe He's looking right past you at the more beautiful, confident girl behind you. Why in the world would He ever approach you? Does He have any idea there are much better dancers, better socializers, better people in this room than you? 

Hello. 

Hello.

  

I'm really glad you're here. 

Oh...you are?

  

Yes. I Am. Would you like to danse with Me?

  

He holds out His hand, His offer confident but not forceful. You sense the freedom to choose to dance, or not to dance.  But why say no? You've heard about Him - stories and songs and experiences of others.  His eyes are inviting, His body language open. 

No I'm sorry, I don't think so. I’d have no idea what I'd be doing out there. 

I will show you if you’ll let Me.

  

Counter to all your learned responses, you're drawn to trust Him. Trust He won't care if you look ridiculous, in turn making Him look ridiculous. He seems willing to be patient with you and there is a sense your company is meaningful to Him.

  

So…you take his hand. 

  

He leads you onto the floor, giving you some very basic and seemingly oversimplified instructions: Don't worry. I've got you. Just follow Me. Just follow-that’s it? You find yourself staring at your feet as you choppily move over the floor that He seems to float on.  Periodically you glance up to see Him smiling compassionately at you while diligently leading. You keep doing the same steps, finding it's not the steps that make you uncomfortable because, essentially, it's like walking in place. It's the leading...being lead in this "danse" is what makes things harder. You can't move wherever you choose or it'll throw everything off.  There is music playing you've not heard before and the rhythm is unfamiliar.  But this stranger is making all the difference in the process.

I didn’t catch Your name.

Sorry?

  

Who are You? 

I told you before. I Am.

You have another moment like earlier when everything stops, except this time things don’t just stop, they become crystal clear.  He IS - what you’ve been thirsting for, what you’ve been searching for, why you’ve kept coming back and why nothing else ever satisfied. He is this I Am. The phrase feels awkward but it makes everything else make perfect sense. You’ve tried to do this partner danse all alone, failing miserably. Yet here’s your comfort – you’re finally dancing the Way it was intended: at home with the I Am.

Hola!  I'm Nya, and I'm honored at the privilege to write :) When I'm not planning my September wedding (and preparing for my marriage!), I work with those recovering from addiction, cook and bake, take road trips with my fiancé, and plan my next creative venture.  I have a very soft heart for the country of France and the salvation of their youth.  I grew up in church but came to Christ in my late teens.  Grace has been a stumbling block for my legalism and perfectionism, but from God's word, I've developed this mantra:

And I praise You because of the wonderful way You created me.  Everything You do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt.  God planned for us to do good things and to live as He has always wanted us to live.  That's why He sent Christ to make us what we are.  For sin shall not have dominion over you: you are not under the law, but under grace. Ps 139:14, Eph 2:10, Rom 6:14

Feel free to connect with me on Twitter @createdwell.