Embarrassed to quote my source...

I've had a few rambling thoughts today.
Some that got rambled out in my head.
Some that aren't finished rambling yet.
And some that have been rambling for awhile -
finally needing to be expressed.

Most of this rambling started a week ago when I read some sermons from this great guy I know who has been a preacher for about as many years as I have been alive (go Dad!).

He was talking about Jesus journey to the cross
from childhood until he is crucified,
and how Jesus never demonstrates the emotion of fear.
Sorrow, yes.
Anguish, yes.
But fear? No.

There is something about Him that is completely unfathomable to us.
We cannot,
no matter how intensely we try,
imagine a world or a life without fear.
By that and through that,
we can never totally love the way that God intended us to.

I heard someone say last week
(this is the source I am to embarrassed to acknowledge - I'm sure they don't mind!)
That "when you're dealing with choices - you have 2 perspectives:
How would love decide,
and how would fear decide."
The person who said it followed this with,
"You have to let love decide."

The combination of those two thoughts puts me all over the place.
With God.
With friends and family.
With people who I've had deeper relationships with.

Fear that it won't turn out the way I want it to.
Fear that God's will isn't the same as what my eyes see or my heart feels.
Fear that I will be hurt.
Fear that I will really have to love seventy times seven times.
Fear that I will be taken advantage of if I love as Christ loves.
Fear that I understand the example Christ has set before me incorrectly and thus my love is not really a reflection of His.

What it comes back to is that I need never fear His love.
He IS love.
It won't fail.
He always protects.
His mercies are new every morning.
He is faithful.

He loves me.
And wants me to delight in Him,
in His love,
and in loving Him in return
more than anything else.

"Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Beg, Borrow, and Steal

So maybe I won't call it cheating.
Because if I do,
I may have to claim it as one of my gifts.
When I was at Dordt
our Education profs always told us
to "Beg, borrow, and steal."
Basically they wanted to tell us
that we don't have to reinvent the wheel.
If there's good stuff out there
then use it.
By all means.

So, with that in mind,
I have a new favourite song.
I know that my last one is only a week old.
Yup, that's me.
Flavour of the week.
Ha.
Anyway, it's repetitive,
but not annoyingly so.
It's just an earnest prayer.

May it be mine...
and yours.

Erase - by Geoff Moore

Erase all that's different between us
Until nothing ever separates us
and we love like You love
And we ache when You ache
And our heart is undone
By what makes Your heart break
And we hear what You hear
And we see what You see
And the difference is erased
Erase all the distance between us.

Replace all the space with Your presence
Until we love like You love
And we ache when You ache
and our hearts are undone
By what makes Your heart break
And we hear what You hear
and we see what You see
And the distance is erased.

So build me up
Or tear me down
Until Your heart is all that's found
I want to love like You love
I want to ache when You ache
I want my heart to be undone
By what makes Your heart break
I want to hear what You hear
I want to see what You see
Until the distance is erased
Between us.

Cheating a bit...

So, maybe it's cheating.
But I like to share things that are meaningful.
And if what's meaningful to me as of late
just so happens to be the words
of someone else's song
well, then, too bad.
I'm cheating.

I've had song 7 repeating in my car from Mercy Me - Spoken For
over and over for the last couple of days.
The song is "Word of God Speak".
And that's really all I've got.
He's good and faithful.
Indeed.

Here it is:

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
and the funny thing is it's OK
The last thing I need is to be heard,
but to hear what You would say.

Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak.

I'm finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice.