Enjoy! :)
~*~
Your Not-So-Secret Admirer
A devotional written by Raelee May Carpenter
A few summers ago in late July, the peak of my irritation with what felt like a feverish Persian kitten lying across the back of my neck happened to coincide with a $7 haircut sale at BoRic’s, and short-story-long, the curls that had dangled a couple inches past my shoulders were chopped to brush softly against my chin. I was officially ready to take on the summer…now that it was half over.
This slight alteration in my physical appearance drew a lot of comment at the factory where I worked at the time, including from people (mostly) who I did not know.
In one such moment, I was walking the plant floor when a gentleman I didn’t recall ever laying eyes on said to me, “You got your hair cut.”
I smiled and said, “Yes” then headed back to my work area while he said to the person next to him, “Her hair was long yesterday.”
I related the “incident” to a coworker who responded, “Well, you never know who’s noticing you.”
I know she met this in a nice way, like maybe I sorta had a secret admirer or something which was sweet, but on another level, her comment kinda made me squirm. Like maybe I’d been caught stealing cookies or something. Weird, I know. But what’s weirder is: I used to feel that way about God.
Have you ever felt that way? Maybe like God is Cruella Deville with PMS? Or an angry boss you’re afraid of. You can work along at your job when He’s out of the office, but when you see Him, you’re so nervous you can’t remember what you’re doing. He’ll see you at your desk, seeming to be typing away industriously on a project, but if He’d look at your screen (hopefully He doesn’t), He’d see something like, “jtirjihj ihi ijihn uiw…”
When did God’s ever-presence become a source of anxiety, instead of a constant well of love, joy and hope?
Through my writing, I am constantly repeating the message: how much God loves you, no matter who you are or what you’re doing. This is why.
I mean, yes, you are guilty of sin. And, no, God is (as C.S. Lewis put it) “NOT a tame lion.” Yes, God wants you to live a good life. But He does not want you to live a good life just because you’re afraid He’ll hurt you if you don’t. Or even because you know that you should.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said a hundred times: God loves you. That is exactly why He doesn’t want you to live (or fake) a good life, because you’re running scared. Living scared is NOT part of the Love Equation (perfect love casts OUT fear, remember?).
If you’re a parent, you probably know on an intellectual level you should hug your children and tell them you love them. It’s “good for their development.” But I’m guessing that “good for their development” is not what you’re thinking when you snuggle your babies in your arms. You don’t do it because you should. You do it because you love them, and loving them makes loving on them about the easiest thing in the world to do.
That’s the picture of God you need. That’s a God you can fall in love with, and you should love that God, because he’s the real One. As big and wild and sovereign and holy as God is, He’s still your Da-da.
How many of you want your children to hug you and tell you they love you because they think you’ll spank them if they don’t? Or would you rather they hugged you because they knew you loved them? Wouldn’t you rather they say, “I love you,” because they actually do love you?
That’s what your Da-da wants too.
Or, if I may dare another comparison, God is less like an angry boss and more like a Secret Admirer. Only instead of sending Russell Stover’s and anonymous poetry, He created a whole universe, complete with mountains and oceans and planets and stars and signed it in big red letters with the pen of His very life: “I AM.”
Watch the Light, Beloved.
~*~
Author bio:
Raelee May Carpenter is a Christian and an author of contemporary fiction, inspirational essays, and modern mythology. Her work is passionate, descriptive and just a little edgy. Raelee's three lifelong passions are faith, people, and words. She's a tone-deaf music fan and "Mumma" to a young-at-heart, rescued Beagle mix. Her favorite thing to write about is the force that saved her life: Grace.
~*~
Buy Raelee's book, Liberation Song:
Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/1GwBH4O
Barnes and Noble - http://bit.ly/1dsRlRl
Through my writing, I am constantly repeating the message: how much God loves you, no matter who you are or what you’re doing. This is why.
I mean, yes, you are guilty of sin. And, no, God is (as C.S. Lewis put it) “NOT a tame lion.” Yes, God wants you to live a good life. But He does not want you to live a good life just because you’re afraid He’ll hurt you if you don’t. Or even because you know that you should.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said a hundred times: God loves you. That is exactly why He doesn’t want you to live (or fake) a good life, because you’re running scared. Living scared is NOT part of the Love Equation (perfect love casts OUT fear, remember?).
If you’re a parent, you probably know on an intellectual level you should hug your children and tell them you love them. It’s “good for their development.” But I’m guessing that “good for their development” is not what you’re thinking when you snuggle your babies in your arms. You don’t do it because you should. You do it because you love them, and loving them makes loving on them about the easiest thing in the world to do.
That’s the picture of God you need. That’s a God you can fall in love with, and you should love that God, because he’s the real One. As big and wild and sovereign and holy as God is, He’s still your Da-da.
How many of you want your children to hug you and tell you they love you because they think you’ll spank them if they don’t? Or would you rather they hugged you because they knew you loved them? Wouldn’t you rather they say, “I love you,” because they actually do love you?
That’s what your Da-da wants too.
Or, if I may dare another comparison, God is less like an angry boss and more like a Secret Admirer. Only instead of sending Russell Stover’s and anonymous poetry, He created a whole universe, complete with mountains and oceans and planets and stars and signed it in big red letters with the pen of His very life: “I AM.”
What do you do with a love like that? I’d really like to know.
~*~
Author bio:
~*~
Buy Raelee's book, Liberation Song:
Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/1GwBH4O
Barnes and Noble - http://bit.ly/1dsRlRl
~*~
Connect with Raelee:
Website - http://www.raeleemaycarpenter.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/RaeleeCarpenter
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/raeleemaycarpenter
Website - http://www.raeleemaycarpenter.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/RaeleeCarpenter
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/raeleemaycarpenter
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