Category Archives: Spiritual Formation

Buttered to the Edges

IMG_1087 (2)By Judy Villanueva

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,  nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season.  And its leaf does not wither;  And in whatever he does, he prospers.         (Psalm 1:1-3)                                                                                                     

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

The smell of bacon crisping filled the kitchen and snuck up the stairs with enticements to wake up and get moving!  My husband and I were staying at the home of dear friends and had dutifully followed the call of pork to the kitchen. “Pop!” The toast had risen and the buttering began!  That’s when she said it!  “Did you butter to the edges?”  I looked up just in time to catch the nodding smile of my friend’s husband as he slathered butter all the way to the crust!  The idea made sense on so many levels and seemed to sizzle alongside the bacon with a question for me to ponder. “Is my life buttered to the edges?  Is Christ being formed in me all the way through to my crust, saturating every bite with the taste of His buttery goodness?”

The Potter and clay, the Vine and branches, and the tree firmly planted by streams of water tell a story of spiritual growth.  They describe ways of being in life that are soul forming and God-shaping.

Revealed in each metaphor is an invitation to flourish alongside a call to a mind blowing collaboration with the Creator!

Our part involves staying in His hands, abiding in the Vine, and sinking our roots into
the waters of Life.  His part is faithfully molding, filling and nourishing us to our edges.  Far from a magic wand, we work with God in the growth of strong branches and forming of fruit.  But, it is His beautiful heart that cleanses, heals, and imparts the power that transforms us from the inside out.

A seed sprouted that day at the breakfast table, a desire to be buttery!  And, right alongside was an invitation to consider my crustiness.  I sighed as I recognized the dry burnt edges of worry and fear, impatience and pride…unbelief and self-will.

Can I know what God already knows with my arms raised and heart secured by His love?

Do I trust that His invitations are designed to shape my soul as they stir up desires to be more like Him?  In those precarious moments that seem to teeter between pain and promise, I felt the Potter’s hand gently tilt my face toward His and say, “Abide with Me.” Staying in His hands, delighting in His word, paying attention to His voice help me touch His love and cooperate with becoming buttery.

“Thank you, Father, for your love. It’s what drew me to you so many years ago and what keeps drawing me every day since. Teach me how to abide better. Call me into your presence. Make me more like Jesus. Amen.”

What about you?

Is your life buttery to the edges?  Is Christ being formed in you?

Can you name your crusty edges?

Most of us know how to visit God but what is it to abide with Him?

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Worship

Mary and Martha

DSC_1493By Judy Villanueva

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)

To sit at the feet of Jesus and let Him be my one distraction sounds both enticing and elusive. More often than not, I find myself in the kitchen with Martha, scowling at Mary and wishing so badly I could be the one sitting at Jesus’ feet.  I like to think that Martha loved Jesus from the kitchen amidst her many distractions and wish I couldn’t relate to how she let them postpone the joy of entering his presence.  But, I can.   As I slow down with this passage and take my pulse, I become aware that I am stuck in the kitchen!  I want to be next to Jesus, close enough to see the expression in his eyes and hear the tone of his voice. I know he is in the room with me but am not quite sure how to drop all my doing and find a place at His feet.  Do you ever feel that way?

This moment of awareness becomes a prayer and I ask Jesus to take my soapy hands and lead me out of the kitchen. “Help me, Lord, to turn away from the many things that fill my heart with worry and teach me to want only one thing — only One.”  I suddenly realize that one simple nod from Jesus is all it will take to help me drop my dishes and run to Him. Imagine this moment with me.

Can you see Jesus looking at you in the middle of your day and inviting you to come sit with Him?

Prayerfully, with my Bible on my lap, I imagine the scene and I look at Jesus.  He looks at me!  I see Him seeing me and hold my breath.  THEN, He gives me a smile and a nod and I run to Him!  I realize, as I make my way over, that I didn’t think there would be room for me and I wasn’t sure I’d be welcome.  But, looking up at Jesus face I find a big welcome and looking down at His feet, I find a place prepared just for me!

“Jesus, thank you that always see me. I give you permission to nudge me out of my busyness! Thank you that I will always see a “welcome” in your eyes and find a place in your presence prepared just for me. Help me today to bring that same welcome to others. Amen.”

How about you?

Where do you find yourself in this Bible story? Are you in the kitchen, busy with preparations? Or, are you sitting at Jesus feet?

Does the pace of your life leave room for noticing Jesus beckoning you to come to Him?

Do you define yourself by the “many things” or by the “only One”?

What do you need from Jesus today? As you sit at His feet and have His full attention, how can He help you today?

Worship

Finding God

DSC_0527By Judy Villanueva

But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. (Deut 4:29)

How sweet it is when my little granddaughter finds me!  To be reached for by chubby baby arms is too wonderful to describe but the words “sheer joy” come awfully close! Sitting on the floor I quietly watch as my two-year-old visitor stacks and knocks over blocks with glee. Occasionally, she stands and runs in circles laughing until another toy beckons for her attention.  All the while, I see her sneaking peaks to make sure I am near and, every so often, she interrupts her play to find me.  Then, for a few cherished moments she crawls up on my lap and nestles in close for “kissies.”  As I soak her up, I realize how good it feels to be found, reached for and wanted! “Is it any different with God?” I wonder.  Does He, too, feel delight when we turn away from our toys and reach for Him?

I never dreamed that after so many years of being a Christian I would still be learning how to want God — most! That may sound strange but I find that life has a way of crowding out my desire for God with temporal offers of fullness.  I naturally know how to want these things, but want to want the Divine heart that watches and waits for my notice.  The thought that God is delighted when I reach for Him is as much mind-blowing, as it is an explosion of wonder!

The One who made all things wants me and reached across the heavens with a cross to make a place for me on His lap.

Trials always motivate me to reach for God, but my prayer is to grow in love for God and live interrupted by His presence, in breathless anticipation of finding Him and being found!

Last night, as my husband and I sat under a canopy of stars we decided to begin an experiment.  For thirty days we are endeavoring to spend 20 minutes a day in silent prayer. Our hope is to engage in a daily moment, 1200 seconds long, that consists of crawling up on the lap of God and sitting quietly in His arms.  What happens to worries and fears when we stop looking at them and rest with God instead?

In stillness, God helps us feel His love touch our lives.

When we stop talking and moving about, when we let His movements of grace interrupt our play — when we simply let God hold us,  we find a place on His lap where we are hugged and kissed — found, reached for and wanted!  Yes, He soaks in our presence and wraps us up in His.

 “Thank you, Father, for being my place of rest and for all the ways you reach out for me.  Help me to look up from my toys and find You in my days.   Thank you for the cross that reached across the heavens to find me!  Amen.”

What about you?

Do you want God?

Do you believe that God is delighted when you reach for Him?

How do you reach for Him?

Do you notice when God’s presence invites a holy interruption?

God wants you!  Reach for Him.

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Worship

Father

levi and joeBy Judy Villanueva

Luke 15:11-14, 20

And He said, “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished… 

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

Coming up the stairs I could hear the sound of the television and knew exactly where dad would be sitting.  I quietly giggled as I made my silly plan and pictured his smile when, startled, he’d see my head pop up over the railing.  It’s a little game we play every time I come home and almost every time I reach the top of the stairs.  It’s a way to say “I love you” at a time in our relationship when words are hard for my dad to hear.  I think I’d do just about anything to make this man smile and I’m pretty sure the same is true for him.  I cannot begin to imagine his heartbreak if ever I were to look at him and say, “I wish you were dead. I don’t want you, dad, only what you have to give me.”

That is essentially what the younger son said when he asked for his share of his father’s estate, gathered it all up and left for a distant country.  What kind of father listens as a child rejects his presence in favor of his treasure?  And, what kind of dad consents to give his son what he asks for knowing it will shatter his own heart?  As I trouble over why this father doesn’t knock some holy sense into his child, I find myself invited to notice an incredible revelation of God rising up from the story.  Curious, I lean in close and finally see it, a reflection of the Divine heart beating with beautiful love, too big to contain — pure, powerful and free!

This is the heart that listens to us when we ask for what we should not or  when we leave home to seek fullness in a foreign land. This is the Father who waits for our return and runs with abandon to kiss and embrace us!

There are lots of ways to leave home lest, like me, you have trouble identifying with the younger son.  When I am willful, fearful, or fretful I can tell I’m on my own somewhere far from the Father.  Sometimes I hide and other times I leave in search of life a part from God whether in front of a tv show, a balance sheet or a banana split.

To be honest, if I pay close attention to my prayers I realize with tremendous sorrow, that like the younger son, I often want what God can give me more than I want God.

That’s hard to write and hurts to know. Yet, this is where the Father finds me.  This is where I feel His heart beat with beautiful love.  This is where I am gathered up and forgiven by the One who watches for my return and runs to welcome me home!

“Father, I want to want You most! Thank you for your faithful heart and compassion for your children.  Help me find my way home whenever and however I wander from your heart.  Amen.”

What about you?

Are you learning to want God?  Most?

What kinds of things draw you away from “home”?    Away from the Father’s heart?

Have you experienced the Father’s love for you?

Do you know that God watches and waits for you?

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Worship

Kindness

IMG_4241Judy Villanueva

“Kindness is a habit that softens the atmosphere. It is an outgoing of neighbor-love that becomes instinctive, and is often unnoticed even by the person who practices it; yet voices and actions and even thoughts surrounding acts of kindness impart this softening toward others as if it were a benevolent virus, a happy infection that eases everything for everyone…Kindness is a selfless form of thinking that sees a need and meets it, almost by reflex, with no thought of reward. (*J.I. Packard)

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:32)

I felt the cold wind touch my cheek as I emptied the contents of my trunk onto the pavement. Spring had one more snow shower to deliver and I had one large box to fit into my car before she did! The package looked a lot smaller in the store and was definitely not cooperating with my plan to override the laws of physics. Pushing and turning I pleaded with my new box and just when I’d about given up, a voice lifted up over the parking lot, “Do you need some help there?” It was definitely a rhetorical question asked by a fellow shopper who noticed my predicament. He stopped and with a smile and few calculated shoves loaded my box and closed the trunk! I shook his hand and thanked him, aware that this simple kindness deposited a “soulish” blessing — one that felt like a sweet touch from God.

Kindness is both gentle and powerful! It smells good, feels good and leaves love in its wake.  It notices another and offers care.

It springs up from kind deposits that have left their blessings and created love.

Kindness moves outward with intent to bless.  It is healing and makes us kinder people.  Its touch is disarming and its voice speaks with reminders of things we most need to remember.

“You matter. I see you. I love you. I am here.”

God is kind and when kindness touches us, it helps us touch God.  That is why in the wake of kindness we feel lighter even if our burdens have not yet been lifted, and hopeful even in the midst of a storm.  Is it any wonder God asks us to be kind and tenderhearted to one another because when we are, we usher people into an experience of His presence.

As I drove away with my new box safely tucked away, I became aware of a blessing that lingered over me. “Is that You, God?” I queried, remembering my morning prayer where I’d asked God to help me feel His presence in my real life.  He did … through the kindness of a stranger in the middle of a parking lot!  What may seem like a small gesture was a gift that encouraged my heart and helped me feel God touch my real life.  It also awakened me to the potential that each day holds to be kind and bless others, to participate in God’s kingdom coming to earth in ways that “soften the atmosphere” and usher fellow shoppers into His presence.

“Thank you, Father, for your many kindnesses and for helping me feel your presence today. Create love in me and use me to bring your kindness to others. Amen.”

How about you?

Where did you last experience kindness?

How did it make you feel?

Who in your life offers you kindness?

Are you kind?

Can you feel God in and through acts of kindness?

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 *J. I. Packer with Carolyn Nystrom, Guard Us: Divine Leading in Life’s Decisions, )Grand Rapids, Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2008), 70)

Worship

Pausing and Pointing

DSC_0220By Judy Villanueva

Psalm 18

“In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.” (verse 6)

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. (verses 16-17) 

He brought me out into a spacious place;  he rescued me because he delighted in me.” (verse 19)

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.  He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. (verses 32-33)

…you stoop down to make me great.  You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn. (verses 35-36)

When I look out the big picture window in our home my eyes are immediately drawn to the peak that seems to stand watch over us. It’s irresistible!  I can’t help but look at it every day, several times a day because its face changes with the light and I don’t want to miss even one of its beautiful declarations!  As clouds pass over shadows form and as the sun sets, colors dance around its silhouette.

“Look!” it beckons, morning, noon and night always inviting awe into the narrowed places of my heart and mind —the places that get small when I neglect to look at God.

Today, for the first time, I noticed a ridge I’d never seen before, a sheer rock wall that stands over a hundred feet high supporting an entire family of aspen trees.  The light, the time of year, and a moment that had my full attention gave way to an experience of God setting me in a spacious place where I could see more of His majesty!

Reading Psalm 18 today felt like standing before a spectacular mountain peak.  My inclination was to ascend up and over the 50 verses lickety-split but, I’ve learned that to hear God speak I must stand unhurried before His Word and listen as I read.  So, I took a deep breath and told myself to wake up and pay attention!

Pausing and pointing our attention at God, reading with patient expectation and noticing where we are drawn invites us to see things in Scripture we’ve never seen before.

Reading in this way becomes an experience of God speaking into our lives and, in that spacious place, we are known and loved and taught.

God hears my voice and my cries are before Him!  That my words are in God’s ears catches my attention and breathes love over me and the great consolation that I am known.  He takes hold of me and draws me out of deep waters.  He sets me in a spacious place and delights in me.  The relief and gratitude that God rescues me is overwhelming but the notion that He delights in me practically knocks me out unconscious!  It’s news that is too good to be true and while I can’t quite touch it, it touches me deeply!  Next, to read that He arms me with strength and makes my way perfect pours joy over my head and makes my faith sit up straight!

Most impactful is coming upon the words that God stoops down to make me great.

I’m not sure I can even put words to what exactly this speaks into my narrowed places but it undoes me!  It broadens the path beneath my feet, puts me in the arms of God and loves me to the core.

“Thank you, Father, for who you are always and for helping me see you a little better today. I see your great kindness in these verses and I am so grateful. There is none like you!  Amen.”

What about you?

How do you pause and point at God?  What helps you tune in to His voice?

Are you aware of the narrowed places of your soul?  Where you lack faith or a big enough vision of God?

How does it make you feel that God hears your voice?  That He delights in you?

I hope you’ll take time to pause and point your mind and heart at Psalm 18.  I pray you’ll see things about God that you’ve never seen before.

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Worship

 

You Belong

DSC_0992 2By Judy Villanueva

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. (Isaiah 43:1)

“Yes, there is that voice, the voice that speaks from above and from within and that whispers softly or declares loudly: “You are my Beloved, on you my favor rests.” (Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved) 

“Shall we sit here, Nana?” I inquired as we came upon an ancient Oak whose branches stretched out over our heads offering a canopy of shade we couldn’t resist.  I pushed her wheelchair until it rested next to an iron bench and took a seat next to her.  It was our favorite tree and our favorite spot on the grounds of this quiet place that was now her home. She was ninety-eight years old and the matriarch of our family, not to mention one of my dearest friends.  Maybe it was because we had become friends over the years that I felt the freedom to tease her with a particular question that always brought a smile to her face.  “Nana, am I your favorite?  You can tell me.  I promise I won’t tell anyone!” J 

I don’t think I’m unique in wanting to be “the favorite”, am I?  It seems to be a need that bubbles up from the core of the human heart.  I notice it in children when they hunt for assurances that they are the fastest, the cutest, or the “best” at something.  I see it in the smile that erupts when a friend calls a friend her “bff” or when a husband whispers to his wife “You are my one and only.”  It is about belonging and being wanted.  It has to do with, what I believe is, a God given need to feel special. (because we are!)  I was reading the story of the last supper this week and came upon verse 13:23 where John refers to himself as “the disciple who Jesus loved” and I heard a familiar echo.  “Am I your favorite?”   

Can you hear the Voice that calls you from above and from within with whispers and loud declarations?  “You are Mine!”

It is staggering that the One who made the heavens and the earth summons us by name!  He keeps track of our thoughts and knows the sound of our voices when we pray.  He understands our need to be someone’s favorite and longs for us to feel His heart that spills over with joy for us.  When my soul cries out to belong, especially on days when I can’t feel that I’m wanted, I return to Gethsemane and kneel next to Jesus.  There, I experience His unfailing kindness.  And, as I watch Him pray with His face to the ground, I remember the length that Everlasting Love went to make me His beloved child. 

We belong.  We are wanted.  We are His!  

“Thank you, Father, for making me yours and calling me beloved. That your love is “everlasting” and your kindness, “unfailing” touches my heart with gladness!  I love being one of your favorites!  Amen.”

What about you?

Where do you best hear and feel God’s love? 

Has your heart been touched by God’s unfailing kindness?  

What does it mean to you that God has summoned you by name and called you beloved?

You are special to God. He loves you with an everlasting love!

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Worship 

Worship!

heart wiminucheBy Judy Villanueva

Psalm 145:3-7

Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised,  and His greatness is unsearchable.  One generation shall praise Your works to another,  and shall declare Your mighty acts.  On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
, and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.  Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, and I will tell of Your greatness.  They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness
, and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

I found myself standing by the window early this morning, sipping hot coffee and watching for the sun to announce the new day. Shadows slowly transformed into snow-laden pines and colors of pink, purple and blue emerged on the horizon as if being softly painted by a Master. With each minute that passed the landscape unfolded its splendor and shouted, “Glory!” I looked from east to west and felt the goodness of God reach out and offer me its blessing through glistening snow and frosted mountains that wrapped around me with a happy embrace! A mesmerized witness, I listened as creation declared, “He is worthy! He is good! Worship Him!”

Seeing God, wherever and however we do, creates worship in our hearts. It writes a song that must be sung!   Noticing Him in the world around us, in the things that we might ordinarily pass by, all become invitations to celebrate His goodness! It might be a moment of laughter, a tasty meal, or a warm hug that draws you into awareness of God’s love. It might be the feeling of gratitude that sweeps over you as you hold a child, pay for groceries…or sit by a fire eating heart-shaped brownies with a friend.

All day long we live in moments given to us, each one a grace and each one holding opportunities to see God and feel His touches of love.

On mornings where we stand at windows that display His glory it is an easy song to write, but what about the harder moments in life? What lights the flame of worship when we are hurting?

The Psalms of praise point us, with all our joys and sorrows, at the One who is high and lifted up!  They bring their whole lives to God, even the devastated parts, and ask us to look at the face of God and remember His abundant goodness.  Their proclamations of God’s faithfulness are unswerving and jubilant! They tell of His power, sing of His righteousness, and help us meditate on His wonderful works.

The fact of God’s faithfulness becomes an unfolding landscape of love that wraps around us with healing grace…and, holds us in all our places.

Out of these musings our songs bubble up and join creation in singing,  “He is worthy!  He is good!  Worship Him!”

“Thank you, Lord, for beautiful mornings and gently painted skies — for heart-shaped brownies, mountain hugs and unfolding landscapes that sing of your glory. Help me to notice you in the moments of this day that offer me your love and grace. Amen.”

What about you?

What draws you into worship?

How did God reach out to you today and offer you His blessings?

Are you able to feel God’s tap on the shoulder that invites you to notice Him in your day?

Muse on the wonders of God and worship!

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Worship

 

Glum

DSC_0335By Judy Villanueva

Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”  “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:19-24)

Driving down the highway in the pre-dawn light, my thoughts returned to a conversation I had with my husband just the evening before.  I sensed the Spirit inviting me to revisit my responses or, to be more accurate, my reactions.  It was one of those times when I was pretty sure a correction was coming and I knew I had a choice to be open or — turn on the radio!  I decided to listen.  I didn’t have to wait long before an old cartoon character filled the screen of my thoughts.  His name is Glum from Gulliver’s Travels and he says things like, “It’ll never work!  We’re doomed!”  In an instant, I recognized the echo of my own voice.  Good grief!  Is that how I sounded to my husband?  Is there a Glum, a naysayer, a doubting Thomas in me that needs to be forgiven and find her way to Jesus?

As I’ve prayed since this particular car ride, it occurs to me that one conversation does not a bad attitude make and it quickly becomes clear that I, like the frog who gets boiled on a low heat, have subtly developed a disposition of unbelief.   Not all at once but, little by little, and one disappointment at a time I have unwittingly become Glum.  It explains a lot like, why I have lacked peace lately and why it has felt difficult to hope.

Not trusting God is hard on the soul!

And, even though it stung, I am grateful for God’s correction because truly — I don’t want to unwittingly become anything.

 I want to live for Christ on purpose and honor Him with my best believing!  That is what He deserves no matter how I might feel on any given day.

I live with a man of strong faith who reminds me of the little boy who digs through a pile of manure convinced that a pony waits to be discovered!  In good times and bad, he holds fast to the truth that God is always working behind the scenes for His glory and our good.  It has been a long week of reflection, confession and listening for God.  And, while I feel refreshed and forgiven, I also feel exhorted to spend intentional time looking at God — in His Word, in silence, in flowers and in music that leads me to worship.

I must put myself in front of Jesus!

When I do, I can feel the power of Who He is touch my glum heart and say to my soul, “Everything is possible for the one who believes.  Trust me!”

“Father, increase my faith!  I want to honor you with a believing disposition and trust you with all of my life.  Help me to draw strength from who you are today and always.  Amen.”

What about you?

Is there a Glum in you that needs to be forgiven and led to Jesus?

Are you aware of who you are becoming?

How do you help yourself remember who God is?

What is God saying to you through this passage of Scripture?

Trust God.  I think it pleases Him when we dig for ponies!

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Worship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfvvEKMPGhA&list=PLspjCRPqATxpMAhhEEg7HNk4hT1xWcFNU&index=21

Child of God

DSC_0259.JPGBy Judy Villanueva

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1John 3:1)

“Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine.  You are precious in my eyes, because you are honored and I love you…the mountains may depart, the hills be shaken, but my love for you will never leave you and my covenant of peace with you will never be shaken” (Is 43:1, 4; 54:10)

Piggy-back rides to bed, family dinners at 6:00, sledding down muddy hills on rainy days, and giggling when dad kissed mom — I loved being a child of Bob and Linda! Their love was a blanket of warmth that spread out over our home as they set limits, listened to our hearts and taught us how to love and be loved. Growing up, I did not appreciate the gift of “footing” that being their child gave me nor did I have the slightest idea how their covering shaped a “Yes” in me to becoming a child of God.

Have you thought about what it means to be a child of God lately?

Words can become so familiar that their meaning evaporates and we end up living with ideas rather than realities.  The phrase “child of God” is such a massive concept that it’s no wonder it’s hard to grab and drag into the middle of our lives but, don’t you want to?  I have heard it said that our beliefs shape our feelings, attitudes and outlooks, so I can imagine that believing I am the daughter of the King, the Creator and Author of Life, the all powerful, all knowing First and Last might just make me feel — kind of special!

When I awake each morning I become aware of God’s invitation to live as His child.  On the best days, I open up the Word to look at His face and listen to His voice.  It helps me return my thoughts to all that is true and it is often there, that I begin to remember who God says I am — Redeemed. Named. Precious. Honored.  Forever loved!

Dragging the reality of being God’s child into the middle of our lives changes the ways we think and feel about everything.

It’s a prayer that sets our feet on solid ground,  gives us courage to trust beyond what we see and helps us hope from underneath a blanket of Love that spreads out over every part of our lives.

“Father, thank you that you made me your child. Help me to live in the reality I am precious to you.  You are faithful!  Amen.”

What about you?

How does being a child of God impact your daily life?

How does it affect the way you think and feel about the trials you face?

What does it feel like to hear God call you precious, honored and forever loved?

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