Purposely Placed.....

     Sometimes it's too easy to settle in for the ride and be content with the lukewarm.  That's a place where we're giving just enough; listening just enough; responding just enough; and not creating any waves.  So, when real life comes crashing through in its wholeness we are thrown downstream!  

God's love is as deep and as wide as the ocean...imagine!

     A common message has come up for both Doug and me since returning from our trip in December.  It is one of "what does it look like to live, love, serve, surrender, abide like Jesus?"   Insert our hearts: this is challenging!!!  

    



  My command is this:  Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ~John 15:12-13

     When we have this as our filter it becomes urgent to not just say that, but to actively live it out.  The lukewarm no longer becomes o.k. We have found it interesting because once we adopted this mindset Jesus has given us real life occurrences to see if we really understand it.  It is human tendency to want to extract or pray a difficult person or situation out of our lives.  I also fall into the trap of wanting to pray that the Lord would change them....but actually He is wanting, needing to change me.  If that doesn't bring a little humility I don't know what does!

     Let that simmer for a minute....did He purposely, intentionally and consciously put that difficult and challenging person in your path and life to try and teach YOU/ME...not them?  Why do we so quickly want to remove the things/people in our lives that honestly draw us closer to Him?  I ask myself, "Do I deeply desire an easy life with no obstacles, so when I get to the end I can just kind of sail on in?"  Or, "Would I rather encounter the people and situtations that challenge me, stretch me and draw me closer to Jesus so that I can passionately and with reckless abandon meet my Jesus saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant" knowing that I loved like Jesus~with my whole life and heart?  The second choice definitely has a higher cost for our hearts...because they will be hurt and we will face objections.  Put clearly~it's because to the world it doesn't make sense when we respond that way.  They are looking for us to react.  It's that mindset if I treat you this way then I expect you to treat me the same~good or bad.  When we clearly respond with love, speaking God's truth (not the world's truth) with boldness and courage, people don't know how to respond.  That's the way it should be...completely not the norm.  

Simply beautiful...withstanding the forces of nature

     I heard a powerful and convicting quote last weekend that has burned in my soul and has me pondering, "how am I going to live that out~right now?"  I wanted to share it to hopefully have you stop and think about your life and what do people see....

    



 Why would anyone want to hear about Jesus unless they were compelled by seeing Jesus in me? ~Jennie Allen 

     The next time (which may be as soon as tomorrow or later today) you cross paths with those hard people to love, how beautiful it would be if you could recognize they are powerfully and purposely placed to help YOU love better, deeper and bolder.  The potential for growth and freedom in this is limitless...REALLY!

This is 19+ years of love!

     Grateful for the not-smooth-road,

Noelle and Doug