Distortion-->Restoration
I think the word "full" would describe my summer. I spent two weeks at an apologetics, worldview-training conference in Colorado, which was absolutely amazing. I learned way more than this small brain could handle.
I am now preparing. Sometimes I don't even know what for. Opportunities? People? Encounters? God? Lord, what am I here for? Why me, on this trip?
A question that I must often remind myself of. Why me? Our God is a great God. While at summit, I had the opportunity to talk to one of my new friends there. His name is Joshua. Joshua is the one in the middle next to me. He is adopted from Ghana, Africa, and I got to hear some of his story which was really cool. He said that when he was younger, white people would come into his village ever year. At first, I asked Joshua if the white missionaries even made an impact on his life, but his response shook me up.
"Once you experience love, it's hard to not miss it."
To experience love? Could it really be that we become numb to the idea of LOVE? That we become so desensitized by the world's perspective of 'love' that we don't even appreciate it or value it anymore?
I imagined what it would be like to be in Joshua's shoes. Experiencing love--real love-- for the very first time in your entire life. And he was right, how could you not miss it?
It's easy to get discouraged at the thought of "not making an impact." Trust me, I'm there all the time. I mean, come on..it's two weeks. Can you really make life-long relationships in that short of a time period?
But to love..
To simply love.
And that is what I am here to do. To love the Lord with everything in and of me, and then to love the world even more than I love myself, my possessions, my hopes, my dreams. To sacrificially love people.
How can you love the world though, if your view of love is distorted?
God has been teaching me the importance of the word 'restoration.' He has brought it to my attention several times over the past few days and I looked it up. The word restore means to bring to life again.
BRING your love to LIFE. We, everything inside of us, are made ALIVE in Jesus. Our love is made alive in Jesus. It is restored to the absolute maximum capacity available, being able to be poured out and to be a source of life for others' love.
LET CHRIST RESTORE YOUR LOVE. Because, without true love, we are nothing. Our actions, words, songs, clothes, food, healing, and efforts are meaningless. As worthless as dirty rags.
With His restored, true love, our actions, words, songs, clothes, food, healing, and efforts produce love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And there is no law against such things, because they have been completely restored by the LOVE of Jesus.
Let Christ redeem that distorted view of love that the world has thrown at us and where you are, right now, to everyone around you--let them experience true love for the first time. And make it an experience that's hard not to miss.
I am now preparing. Sometimes I don't even know what for. Opportunities? People? Encounters? God? Lord, what am I here for? Why me, on this trip?
A question that I must often remind myself of. Why me? Our God is a great God. While at summit, I had the opportunity to talk to one of my new friends there. His name is Joshua. Joshua is the one in the middle next to me. He is adopted from Ghana, Africa, and I got to hear some of his story which was really cool. He said that when he was younger, white people would come into his village ever year. At first, I asked Joshua if the white missionaries even made an impact on his life, but his response shook me up."Once you experience love, it's hard to not miss it."
To experience love? Could it really be that we become numb to the idea of LOVE? That we become so desensitized by the world's perspective of 'love' that we don't even appreciate it or value it anymore?
I imagined what it would be like to be in Joshua's shoes. Experiencing love--real love-- for the very first time in your entire life. And he was right, how could you not miss it?
It's easy to get discouraged at the thought of "not making an impact." Trust me, I'm there all the time. I mean, come on..it's two weeks. Can you really make life-long relationships in that short of a time period?
But to love..
To simply love.
And that is what I am here to do. To love the Lord with everything in and of me, and then to love the world even more than I love myself, my possessions, my hopes, my dreams. To sacrificially love people.
How can you love the world though, if your view of love is distorted?
God has been teaching me the importance of the word 'restoration.' He has brought it to my attention several times over the past few days and I looked it up. The word restore means to bring to life again.
BRING your love to LIFE. We, everything inside of us, are made ALIVE in Jesus. Our love is made alive in Jesus. It is restored to the absolute maximum capacity available, being able to be poured out and to be a source of life for others' love.
LET CHRIST RESTORE YOUR LOVE. Because, without true love, we are nothing. Our actions, words, songs, clothes, food, healing, and efforts are meaningless. As worthless as dirty rags.
With His restored, true love, our actions, words, songs, clothes, food, healing, and efforts produce love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And there is no law against such things, because they have been completely restored by the LOVE of Jesus.
Let Christ redeem that distorted view of love that the world has thrown at us and where you are, right now, to everyone around you--let them experience true love for the first time. And make it an experience that's hard not to miss.
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