Cathy T Burns

Counselor, Teacher, Writer, Spiritual Director

To Taste God’s Goodness We Must First Have a Taste for God Part 2

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Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 NLT

Empty at last. My home of the last five years was now a house again, empty of my family’s presence, pictures, and remnants. It had been a long, lonely ordeal of packing, sorting and disposing of my household goods. I had been alone for two months as my husband had begun a job eleven hours away.

As the moving van drove off, I entered the empty house and made my final round. I entered my study and noticed a crumpled piece of paper on the floor. I picked it up and begin to dispose of it, with the rest of the debris; but I stopped to examine the wayward paper.  My heart was energized as I read the words of a song copied:

I Have This Hope

Tenth Avenue North

As I walk this great unknown
Questions come and questions go
Was there purpose for the pain?
Did I cry these tears in vain?

I don’t want to live in fear
I want to trust that You are near
Trust Your grace can be seen
In both triumph and tragedy

I have this hope
In the depth of my soul
In the flood or the fire
You’re with me and You won’t let go

But sometimes my faith feels thin
Like the night will never end
Will You catch every tear
Or will You just leave me here?

But I have this hope
In the depth of my soul
In the flood or the fire
You’re with me and You won’t let go

Yes, I have this hope
In the depth of my soul
In the flood or the fire
You’re with me and You won’t let go

So, whatever happens I will not be afraid
Cause You are closer than this breath that I take
You calm the storm when I hear You call my name
I still believe that one day I’ll see Your face

I have this hope
In the depth of my soul
In the flood or the fire
You’re with me

I have this hope
In the depth of my soul
In the flood or the fire
You’re with me and You won’t let go

In the flood or the fire
You’re with me and You won’t let go

In the flood or the fire
You’re with me and You won’t let go

Songwriters: Jason Ingram / Michael Donehey / Jeff Owen

I had spent the last two months, seeking hard, studying diligently seeking to deeply satisfy my empty loneliness with the taste of God. I knew that this was a note from my Father, it had His flavor all over it! It was the provision I needed before I began the eleven-hour drive to another state.

The next morning, my car was loaded with treasured belongings and essentials, including two large dogs; my sleeping companions for the journey. As I was leaving the city limits, I HAVE THIS HOPE, played on the radio. I almost had to pull over because I was so overwhelmed with joy. Tears began to flow, as I tasted the goodness of God who had been and will always be my refuge.

 

Trust is the Taste Receptor of the Soul that Savors the Goodness of God

The tongue, the taste organ of the body, has 10,000 taste receptor cells. These cells convey information about the chemical composition of the “soluble stimulus” that come in contact with the tongue. This process is responsible for the pleasure derived in consuming delicious food.

The soul, the essence of our being, is equipped to receive unlimited stimuli from the presence of our omniscient, sovereign God. Our trust determines the soul’s limitation to accurately taste the goodness of God.

In that moment of hearing the song on the radio, my heart perceived his constant provision and presence. I was confident I was going to make the journey, accompanied by His presence. What a joy!

The more we examine Who God is and open the eyes to our heart we will be able to perceive His provision and presence.

Examine and see how good the Lord is.
    Happy is the person who trusts him. Psalm 34:8 NCV

We trust as we surrender and let God break and soften our hearts, knowing that He is good and His love is great. 

 

To Taste God’s Goodness We Must First Have a Taste for God Part 1

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 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. Romans 8:38 NLT

Living in a new state, miles from my comfort zone, has been more of a challenge than I would have imagined. I moved from a metropolitan area to a rural town, went from being known to being unknown, from being confident in my purpose to wavering in my direction. The changes have put me on edge, feeling lonely and fearful of the future.

In addition to the physical changes, and emotional losses, I am now feeling a pressing need to be more spiritually vulnerable. Awareness of my hidden pride is becoming more evident to me and is pounding on my soul, needing to be released. The pride in me is disgusted with my pride. How could it be?…I am indeed prideful!

My dissatisfaction stems from a need for my circumstance to assuage my heart. To feel valued and worthy I need certain circumstances to fill the “not valued” and “not worthy” wound of my heart. Circumstances feed my pride. The middle letter in pride is I which points to the focus of pride. I am worthy if I am known and belong. Pride causes the focus to be on self and not the amazing love of God.

This pride is a contributor to my weak confidence in my calling. “If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it” daily screams the quote from its perch on the windowsill of my bathroom. I needed to let go of my pride and lean in on my Father to soothe my losses and invigorate my calling.

Nestled next to the screaming quote on the window sill is a small but hugely important bearer of a healing truth – YOU ARE LOVED. That is the answer to dispelling my pesty pride…I need to live out of the truth that I am loved by the creator of the universe! That is all I need, trusting His love.

In the words of C.S. Lewis, “Pride always means enmity … not only enmity between man and man but enmity to God.” When I am focusing on what I need instead of submitting peacefully to the will of God I am not trusting God’s plan and His love for me. A prideful life is living without faith.

A definition of faith written in the Amplified Classic edition of the Bible is: leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness.

 Let us all come forward and draw near with true (honest and sincere) hearts in unqualified assurance and absolute conviction engendered by faith (by that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), having our hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty (evil) conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22 AMPC

My admission of the guilt of pride is fortifying my conviction to press forward in this place with “absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness” and let only the presence of His love fill my heart! As Romans 8:38 proclaims, “nothing can separate us from God’s love”, not even our fears. When we are prideful and fearful we are leaning away from a trusting faith. God then leans in to be available with His “goodness” his amazing grace-filled love and forgiveness.

The words to Audrey Assad song I Shall Not Want gives a remedy to fearful, prideful hearts:

From the love of my own comfort
From the fear of having nothing
From a life of worldly passions
Deliver me O God

From the need to be understood
And from a need to be accepted
From the fear of being lonely
Deliver me O God
Deliver me O God

And I shall not want, no, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness, I shall not want

From the fear of serving others
Oh, and from the fear of death or trial
And from the fear of humility
Deliver me O God
Yes, deliver me O God

And I shall not want, no, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

No, I shall not want, no, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
I shall not want
I shall not want

How do we “taste His goodness”?

To taste God’s goodness we must first have a taste for God.

To taste (a verb), consume, discern and experience God’s goodness we must first have a taste (a noun), an appetite, a desire and a preference for God. The converse is also true, the more we taste God’s goodness, the more we will have a taste for His presence in our lives.

Tasting is a choice that will lead to a life-giving peace. Pridefulness is a choice that stifles the peace in our hearts. To allow God’s goodness to satisfy our taste, to heal our hurt, to supply our insufficiencies and fill our every need takes deliberate acts that will deliver us from our fearful pride.

Please listen to Audrey Assad’s song I Shall Not Want.

Morning Reflections ~ Joyfully Trust God!

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by Edwin Mooijaart Photography

This morning my heart was stirred as I pondered the unfathomable presence, power, peace, and provision of Jehovah, the God of the universe, who is the lover of my soul. I am foolish not to trust Him.

Psalm 57:7-11 NLT My heart is confident in you, O God;
    my heart is confident.
    No wonder I can sing your praises!
8 Wake up, my heart!
    Wake up, O lyre and harp!
    I will wake the dawn with my song.
9 I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
    I will sing your praises among the nations.
10 For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.
    Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
    May your glory shine over all the earth.

Truth - Debbie Hannah Skinner

Truth – Original Watercolor painting by Debbie Hannah Skinner.

Job 26:14 NLT  …These are just the beginning of all that he does,
    merely a whisper of his power.
    Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?”

Psalm 139:1-6 NLT O Lord, you have examined my heart   
    and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand!

Ephesians 3:20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

 Lord, I joyfully entrust myself to Your keeping!   THERE NO OTHER NAME!

What is your Focus, Astonishing Actions or Admonishing Words?

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Then the proconsul believed (became a Christian) when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished and deeply touched at the teaching concerning the Lord… Acts 13:12 AMPC

Moving across state lines to help plant a church was an unexpected calling giving me a wake-up call! This faith move revealed how stale my relationship with God had become.

For years I had given counsel, taught, mentored and supported many individuals and groups for the sake of God’s kingdom. As I look back, I realize I had become comfortable with my relationship with God. I had many opportunities to admonish others to make their relationship with God a life priority.

Transplanting myself, with my husband, into a different culture pushed me out of that comfort zone.  As I heard their joyful stories of the astonishing acts of love and acceptance that drew them to learn more about God, the fledgling group of believers began to refresh and renew my view of God

These astonishing acts of bringing unrequested food to a family in need, delivering mattresses when the driver’s mother passed away, mowing a new neighbor’s lawn when a dad was in the hospital then paying the month’s rent, driving a dad an hour one way to a hospital for a day of chemo…the list goes on. These actions were unexpected by the recipient and hard to understand why.  “Why would someone do that for me!” was the common response to these uncommon actions. “Because God loves you” was the true explanation that prompted more exploration into the who and what about God.

The proconsul, a Roman governor, in Acts 13 was seeking to hear the Word of God. He invited Paul and Barnabas to teach him about the word of God. The sorcerer, Elymas, did not want him to believe and was attempting to thwart the teachings of Paul by perverting the true ways of the Lord. With the power of the Holy Spirit, Paul caused a darkness to come over Elymas and he became blind. The scripture says the governor believed when he saw what happened and the teaching concerning the Lord also astonished him.

The teaching was about ” the salvation in the kingdom of God attained through Christ.” (Acts 13:7 AMPC) The salvation truth astonished this “intelligent man of sound understanding”. The Greek word for astonished literally means to “strike with astonishment”.

The Truth of God’s love BLEW HIS MIND!

Are you astonished at the message of salvation? Are you excited enough to be motivated to give in sacrificial, unexpected ways to neighbors and people God puts in your life? Or has the world perverted God’s love in your heart?

God’s children powerfully reveal the reality of God’s love to an unbelieving world through astonishing acts of love.

I am learning that admonishing words of correction from an experienced Christian is not as effective as the unselfish acts of a new believer. The astonishing actions are an outflow of an astonished heart.

Astonishing actions of love point to an astonishing God.

We must show, not just tell others about the amazing love of God. The rewards of peace and joy will be astonishing!

God was my first love and was and will always be astonishingly amazing. The following words to Rend Collective’s song Simplicity express my heart’s tender love toward my Father, my Lord, my God…

I come in simplicity
Longing for purity
To worship You
In spirit and truth
Only You
Lord strip it all away
‘Til only You remain
I’m coming back
To my first love
Only You
You’re the reason I sing
The reason I sing
Yes my heart will sing
How I love You
And forever I’ll sing
Forever I’ll sing
Yes my heart will sing
How I love You
I come with my broken song
To You the Perfect One
To worship You
In spirit and truth
Only You
Only You
Give me a childlike heart
Lead me to where You are
Cause I’m coming back
To my first love
Only You
You’re the reason I sing
The reason I sing
Yes my heart will sing
How I love You
And forever…

Eclipse Highlights the Presence of God

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picture taken by Tabor Academy High School science and Astronomy teacher Michael Bentz

This is what the Lord, your protector, says,
the one who formed you in the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made everything,
who alone stretched out the sky,
who fashioned the earth all by myself  Isaiah 44:24 NET

My help comes from the Lord,
the Creator of heaven and earth!  Psalms 121:2 NET

The World Gazes at God

A common focus, the community of onlookers, human creatures of the earth, gazing at THE sun of the universe. Exclamations of emotions, expressions of amazement at the celestial experience. Viewing eyes covered and protected, mouths gaping wide with joy mingled with tears, describes the typical image of gazers. The experienced scientists, the newscasters, world travelers, the old, and the young were all impressed with the event that equalized humanity. An apparent reality emerged, as a human creature, we all live under the same sun. The intense darkness that seemed to consume the sun stirred a wonder as the world watched. The action of creation is evidence of the presence God.  Opening our senses to the presence of creation will open our awareness of God.

The action of creation is evidence of the presence of God

Sitting alone, in my empty grassy backyard, I observed a 95% blockage of the sun. I felt an exhilaration and awe as I experience the response of nature around me. The insects and birds were still, the temperature dropped as the light faded, I felt a connection with the moment. A connection with THE creator of the sun.  Wearing “glasses” with an intense filter allowed me to look directly at the powerful light, an amazing perfectly shaped sphere; placed with a purpose in the ordered universe.

God Creates with a Purpose

The moon is 400 times closer to earth than the sun and the sun is 400 times larger than the moon, a reality that makes a total eclipse possible. A probability steeped with purpose. The gazers, who made intentional plans to view the eclipse, were not disappointed. They were amazed and moved with a positive emotion.  The amazement crossed all gender and cultural boundaries. What stirred in their hearts? The wonder of creation? A realization of a divine presence? Why would God arrange an eclipse? I would like to think because he was us to feel this wonderment and joy.

I felt thankful, amazed, cared for, and elated to be known by the creator of this universe. How could anyone gaze upon this celestial event and not feel the wonder, see the light and seek the life that has been given to us by our Father in heaven, the creator? His intricate creation given as a display of His love. His son given as an anchor of His grace for us. My help, my protection, my provision comes from the creator of the universe!

Open, Lord my eyes that I may see.  Open, Lord, my ears that I may hear.  Open, Lord, my heart and my mind that I may understand the vastness of your presence, provision, protection, and peace authored by your eternal love for your created.

Wonder, by Hillsong, expresses the wonder of life seen in the light of the God’s way of the vivid color of grace and forgiveness.

 

 

 

Move to Wait, Wait to Move, the Journey of a Resurrected Life

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My memories of Easter as a child were of bright new dresses, fresh budding flowers, songs of joy, ham and Easter eggs. In my child’s mind, it was a time of new beginnings. A new season full of blooming nature, new spring clothes, the beginning of outdoor play, all pointing to the countdown to summer!

As an adult Easter is still a time of new beginnings.  Now it is a time of igniting a brighter hope and fresh focus. It is a time to authentically examine my heart extend the depth of my understanding of God’s love through the reality of Easter. A reality that points to the eternal perspective of a life connected to our loving God, through Christ, embodied by Holy Spirit. The resurrection of Christ gives the promise of a new beginning; a resurrected life, empowered by the divine creator!

To prepare my heart and mind to embrace the reality of our resurrected Christ, I engage in a two-prong process;

First, I reflect on my weaknesses, deficiencies, and defaults. Reflecting with a vulnerable honesty, seeking to purge the vain prideful mask that hides my fleshly fears. It is hard to die to yourself if you do not know yourself.

Secondly, I heighten a fresh focus on my Savior’s powerful sufficiency and strength. As I gain clarity on my need for His presences, I gratefully drop the mask to MOVE.  Moving to deny my misguided agendas, releasing my wall of fear and placing myself behind His will. To lift Him high as “my kingdoms fall”, the words of Once And For All describe the first step in living life through His love.

 

After the MOVE to lift Him and lower my faulty desires, I must WAIT. WAIT, to still my fears, still my control, to still my anxiety, as I trust in His power, praising His presence. Waiting on His direction.

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 NLT

God’s direction, His present Spirit within us moves us from… death to life, dark to light, fear to faith, sorrow to joy. We are united with Him through Christ, empowered to MOVE by a divine connection, a God-ability implanted in us.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Ephesians 1:3 NLT

MOVE, WAIT, MOVE a journey from personal vulnerability to a God-ability, beginning a new life reality, resurrected from fear, revived by the power of His love.

God’s Love Secures the Heart

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My flesh and my heart may grow weak,
but God always protects my heart and gives me stability.  Psalms 73:26 NET

When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,
    God is rock-firm and faithful.  (MSG)

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
    but God remains the strength of my heart;
    he is mine forever. (NLT)

 

Valentine’s Day!  These words evoke extreme emotions. Contrasting feelings of joy to feelings of grief. Hearts are everywhere – candy hearts of every color, hearts on cards and paper, priceless hearts of gemstones and broken hearts of loneliness.

As a counselor I have asked people, involved in a relationship, to give a metaphorical description of their heart as it relates to the relationship. I have heard descriptions of hearts “beating fast, bright red on the inside with a brick wall on the outside” OR  “my heart is in a million pieces, dark and cold.” The descriptions are endless, often describing hurting, limp, damaged, unstable, weak hearts bearing scars of unmet expectations and broken trust.

LOVE YOU, BE MINE, REAL LOVE, SURE LOVE, HUG ME….are some of the words written on those candy hearts. They can be sweet reminders of sincere love or hollow echoes of a lost love. Our needy hearts are vulnerable to the actions of others if it not stabilized by an infusion of  trustworthy love from our Holy Father.

God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.  1 John 4:17-18 (MSG)

God’s love is not hollow or wavering, it is solid and permanent. His love is the only reliable source that can heal our needy hearts.  “Heart” is mentioned in the Bible over 500 times, depending on the version. Our heart condition is a primary focus of God’s message to us.  “Heart” in the Hebrew language, the language of the Old Testament, includes in its meaning “the emotions, the reason and the will”*. It is the center of one’s being, the source of courage, an anchor of thoughts. It is the crucial component of our identity.     (*Vine’s Expository Dictionary)

Self-identity, dependent on the imperfect love of the world, will be heartbreaking! However, self-identity focused on the true love of our Father it will be securely anchored, allowing growth and development into its full potential.

Let God’s love be the banner over your heart. “The Lord is my Banner” is the translation of the Hebrew Yahweh-Nissi. Yahweh-Nissi is a name of God in the Old Testament. Acknowledging that His love is the banner over your heart indicates that you are identifying with God as your conqueror and savior. Life’s journeys will be more secure if they are traveled under the secure banner of his love.

The hearts of Valentine’s Day can be a reminder of the source of secure love, the steadfast presence of God in our lives.

Truth - Debbie Hannah Skinner

Truth – Original Watercolor painting by Debbie Hannah Skinner.

My flesh is fading.
His love is eternal.

My flesh is flawed.
His love is flawless.

My flesh is foolish.
His love is wise.

My flesh is fickle.
His love is loyal.

An eternal, flawless, wise and loyal love is my covering, completing me, as I trust,  always seeking His truth to light my path to life. His love is mighty! His love is expansive…

O Love, How Deep

O love, how deep, how broad, how high,
It fills the heart with ecstasy,
That God, the Son of God, should take
Our mortal form for mortals’ sake!

For us baptized, for us he bore
His holy fast and hungered sore,
For us temptation sharp he knew;
For us the tempter overthrew.

For us he prayed; for us he taught;
For us his daily works he wrought;
By words an signs and actions thus
Still seeking not himself, but us.

For us to evil power betrayed;
Scourged, mocked, in purple robe arrayed,
He bore the shameful cross and death,
For us gave up his dying breath.

For us he rose from death again,
For us he went in high to reign;
For us he sent his Spirit here,
To guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.

All glory to our Lord and God
For love so deep, so high, so broad;
The Trinity whom we adore,
For ever and for evermore.           Latin, 15th C.

Here’s my heart Lord!

Morning reflections- Self Confidence is rooted in God Confidence

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     Patiently wait for God alone, my soul! For he is the one who gives me confidence. Ps 62: 5 (NET)  …two principles I have heard: God is strong, and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love. Ps 62:11b-12a (NET)

Sitting by the fire this morning, warm coffee in hand, two furry dogs at my feet, I noticed how just being in my presence, my anxious adopted dogs, become calm. They know my smell, my habits and trust my provision. Their calm confidence highlighted a truth about our relationship with God for me.

My mind shifted from dogs to open-hearted reading of God’s word. Psalm 62: 5  drew my attention first;

My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him. (AMP)

IF my confident hope and expectation come only from Him, I CAN submit and wait calmly for Him. Reading another version expanded the meaning of the verse:

Patiently wait for God alone, my soul!
For he is the one who gives me confidence. (NET)

When I have confidence that God is trustworthy and will lead me strongly, it gives me confidence in myself. In other words:

Confidence in God determines confidence in self.

My confidence IS from God and nothing else. I do not have to take great effort to boost my own confidence. Instead, I wait,  submitting my focus and engage my body, mind, and soul in the presence of God.

I have an ADD brain, waiting is hard! So, how do I tame the distracting thoughts and wait?

Thoughts of self-doubt, constantly repeat old perceptions of “I am not good enough, I am alone, I am powerless”.  Plaguing perceptions that pound my confidence into a reality of uncertainty.

Reading through the chapter, I found the answer contained in the last two verses:

…two principles I have heard: God is strong, and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love. Ps 62:11b-12a (NET)

God is STRONG and has LOYAL LOVE for us. A no brainer…one would think. The truth is the spirit of my God, my divine Father who is strong with loyal love, lives in me. The obstacle to self-confidence is the lack of confidence of that truth. God’s reality is in me.

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him.
John 14:23 (NET)

A Divine power giving Divine confidence. My wandering thoughts can be captivated by the wonder of this truth, God in me. His children are defined by the divine presence of His spirit in them. Silently submit to Him!

O Love of God, how strong and true,
Eternal and yet ever new;
Uncomprehended and unbought,
Beyond all knowledge and all thought.

O wide embracing, wondrous Love,
We read you in the sky above:
We read you in the earth below,
In seas that swell and streams that flow.

We read you best in him who came
to bear for us the cross of shame,
Sent by the Father from on high,
Our life to live our death to die.

We read your power to bless and save
Even in the darkness of the grave;
Still more in resurrection light
We read the fullness of your might.
                                Horatius Bonar

His mighty power resides in us! The furry creatures at my feet have a simple confidence in me, a created being, sustaining them in a calm dog sort of confidence. How much more profound, powerful, and sustaining is a submitting confidence in the creator.  Oh the greatness of our God.

Father, flood me with your grace to fortify my confidence in your love, so that I may live boldly with confidence empowering my life to be a reflection of  Your love to the world. Amen

The Arms of Loyal Friends Unite Souls with the Loyal Love of God

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“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.  John 15:11-15 MSG

A picture of friends, captured at a funeral. The lovely young woman in the middle, with the infant child, had just lost her mother. The three childhood friends, surrounding her with hugs, have traveled miles to show her love. The love of loyal friends who had a yearning to give tender touches, eye contact, words, silence, compassion, encouragement and most of all, presence. The moment captured by a cell phone proclaims a statement of an enduring sincere love that will reach through eternity.

Their friendship began as children who learned about Jesus together. Their love is social; physical, touchable, and personal. Their love is spiritual; unspoken, soul connecting, bonding them as sisters united by the love of Christ.

This kind of loyal friendship, rooted in the love of God, allows us to experience the presence of God’s anchoring care. A loss so profound,  a loving mother now physically absent, can leave a daughter with a lonely ache in her heart. Friends cannot replace the love of another’s precious mother, but their fellowship can restore life in her heart. Her heart pain can feel known, and the sense of loyal connection demonstrates she is never alone.

As friends of Jesus as the passage in John emphasizes we are in turn to show this loving friendship to others. The word friend in this passage is from the Greek phílos meaning;

a friend; someone dearly loved (prized) in a personal, intimate way; a trusted confidant, held dear in a close bond of personal affection. Note: The root (phil-) conveys experiential, personal affection – indicating 5384 (phílos) expresses experience-based love.

Experiential is something that is personally known, observed and encountered. As followers, of Christ, we are friends of Christ who put his life on the line for us. He has commanded that we love each other in the same way. It is the mark of Christian love.

What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah). 1 John 1:3 (amp)

Our relationship with God, through His Son, is made strong as we trust His friendship and profound love. This connection impacts our soul, which creates neurological changes in our brains. We can then, “do love” in friendship as His love flows through us. We become friends who can:

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. 1 Corinthians 13:7 (AMP)

 God, the creator of the universe, has created our physical brains to be joyfully responsive to this relational connection. The book Anatomy of the Soul by Curt Thompson, M.D. brings to light information how aspects of neuroscience point to God and affirm what believers have been living out as a community of faith for thousands of years.

“I believe our lives will be abundant, joyful, and peaceful only to the degree that we are engaged, known, and understood by one another. I also believe we cannot separate what we do with our brains and our relationships from what we do with God. God has designed our minds, part of his good creation to invite us into a deeper, more secure, more courageous relationship with him and with one another.”

Facing the adversities of life alone and disconnected can become a burden we were not meant to endure. As humans, God’s creation, we desire to be known and fear to be alone. Positive changes in the brain occur as we feel known by another. We are wired to be relational!

The huddled hugging group of friends in the picture is a demonstration of being known by each other and making the friend connection a priority. To be known by friends is a treasure of life that gives life to our being.  “And friends are friends forever If the Lord’s the Lord of them” are words from an old song by Michael W. Smith that celebrates this treasure that is a gift from God.

4 Steps to Put Love Into Action

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The sign said EXPRESS CHECKOUT  15 ITEMS OR LESS. The person in front of me had 20, I counted. I was obeying the rules, I only had 6. It wasn’t fair, who did she think she was? I had things to get done!  I felt minimized and unimportant as she took the extra time to unload her cart. I did not say a word as I stuffed my irritation and continued to hold a wavering smile. I was aware my thoughts were becoming progressively negative, the more my heart increased and my body tensed.

I realized that all my stewing and stuffing was not going to change my situation. My choice to respond with tense inward irritation was not productive, it was life draining. I was allowing my life light to be dimmed by my thoughts and choices. I needed to change my focus. I was loosing sight of the light of God’s love in me.

A truth began slowly filtering into my awareness, the description of love:

 Love is patient and kind.      Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.   It does not demand its own way.    It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.    Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I could have shame myself for messing up AGAIN. Which only would have create struggle and shame. What I needed to do was SHIFT instead of SHAME. To shift my focus from my automatic, habitual was of responding, to the presence of God’s Spirit within me. Shifting from painful shame  to the peaceful truth of God’s love.

Shifting our focus is required in order to understand and experience love. Choosing love is a process. In 1 Peter, he writes, to persecuted Christians, words of empowerment and encouragement. In chapter one he emphasizes the importance of choosing love. The words seem to reveal a process:

Through Him you believe in (adhere to, rely on) God, Who raised Him up from the dead and gave Him honor and glory, so that your faith and hope are [centered and rest] in God.  22 Since by your obedience to the Truth through the [Holy] Spirit you have purified your hearts for the sincere affection of the brethren, [see that you] love one another fervently from a pure heart.  23 You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal [a]origin ([b]seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God.  I Peter 1:21-23  AMPC 

Peter is encouraging these suffering, persecuted children of God, to be loving. He empowered them by explaining how they can love in such difficult times. He reminding them of their connection to God, their reality based on the truth of God’s word.

Eugene Peterson says in THE MESSAGE in verse 23:

Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself!

From this truth we can make choices. This passage lays out a 4 step process. You can choose to______of God:

  1. Believe in the redemptive love of God v21. (Colossians 1:13-14)  Believing, trusting and relying on the constant reality of God’s saving love will change everything! If He has delivered us from the “domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (ESV) we no longer have to be stuck in our unloving, judgmental, attitudes. These attitudes increase stress and create limitations. We are connected to His Spirit which means we are empowered and enlarged to look at life through the lens of loved child of the creator.
  2. Focus on the true hope found in the love of God v21 . (IJohn 3:2-3)  What we believe turns the direction of our heart focus. The heart if often described as the center of our being. If our belief turns our heart to be “centered and rest” on a confident hope in God, we are accepting a truth that has a healing impact on our soul. A soul focused on God will find peace and serenity in this broken world.
  3. Change into a pure hearted child of God v22. (Colossians 3: 10-12)  As we embrace our transfer to the kingdom of Christ we see ourselves as a loved child. This transfer renews our hearts! As our identity changes we no longer base our value and acceptance on the response of others. We have a new identity, a new heart that is resting in God. When we believe, focus and change through the truth of renewed heart our brains are being reprogramed.
  4. Love from the grace connection of God v23. (John 16:13)  Our renewed heart is powered by the Spirit of God. When the truth of God’s love for us is realized and our actions flow from that truth. Then God’s love is being expressed in His creation. Our decision to love can draw others to His love.

Every step leads us deeper into a relationship with God. We can choose to believe in, focus on, change into and love from the presence of God’s spirit in us. He gives us that choice, he never leaves, but we can choose another direction.  His Truth is a reality that is life giving to our souls. I am not minimized or unimportant as His child. His Truth must be realized to change my heart. Truth, in the embodiment of Jesus Christ, is God’s nature expressed to us. His nature is expressed through his creation as we change and love.

Realizing God’s truth as a reality for your soul reveals love’s reality for your life.

Each time we choose to act, we should ask ourselves, “what is the most loving thing I can do?” A loving action will benefit others, it benefits us as well.

Practicing love is a process of progress. In the check out line I might have counted her items and then chosen to let it go, accept that I cannot change her actions but I can control my choices. I can refocus my brain to the new reality of my heart, I am loved and seen by God.  Acceptance is progress in living with a heart of love. The next step, as I mature in the process, would be to realize that what others choose to do is more about them. Then I would not even find it necessary to count any items. I will have a serene, peaceful heart that habitually focuses on my reality with God and with a grateful heart I will be open and engaging.

SO…the next time I am in a check out line, I will choose not to even count the items. I will kindly engage with the person or I will keep my heart open to God’s leading. I will stay engaged with the moment choosing a more positive mindset. I will feel less stressed freeing my heart to be open in the moment rather than to stuff.

A heart open to God’s light, reveal’s His love to the world. Listen to Brandon Heath’s song, The Light in Me, and be inspired to shine His light in love.