Friendships can be very hard, can't they? A few months ago, I found myself in the midst of relational hardship. It was the type of hardship that makes you feel sick at your tummy. The type of strife that captivates your thought life. I may have functioned as a mom and wife that day, but my mind was on one thing....this mess.
It was hard and yucky. So I called my mentor, Debbie and explained everything to her. "What you you do if you were me, Debbie?"
Her words I will never forget.
"Never cower in battle, Becky. Move towards pain. Move towards hardship. You are God's girl. Do not be afraid. You serve Him. Not man. Do what is right and move forward."
Move towards pain. Isn't that totally opposite of our first instinct?
But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
God moved in on us. While we were a mess he pressed into our pain. Into our hardship. He didn't wait on us to get it together. He showed His love to us...the sinners.
Day Six: Love Moves In
Do you find yourself cowering away from hardship? Avoiding pain? I know that is exactly what I want to do. But the God kind of love moves in on pain. The God kind of love moves in on mess.
Today, as much as it makes you cringe, move in. What relationship is God bringing to mind right now? Maybe a family member? Or a friend you haven't spoken to in months? Maybe it is someone you avoid because you just don't really like them. How could you love like Jesus today? It doesn't have to be a huge restorative moment, but even just a gesture to say, "You are loved by God...and therefore by me." God is in you, friend. His love resides there. Promise.
WINNER!! And congrats to Lisa Huskey!! You won Calvin Miller's book Letters to Heaven!! Will you send me an email at becky.crenshaw@uscm.org and give me your address? I will stick it in the mail this week! And thank you ALL for sharing our love series and entering to win. I am thankful for you.
I just had to "move in" last week ~ with a family member though, not a friend. I took a couple of days to allow God to prepare me, then I did what I had to do. It was amazing how God began a work of restoration. We're not all the way there, but I feel like things are on the mend!
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