Tag Archives: Belonging to God

Does God Have Favorites?

By Lydia Floren

I have a confession: It has always annoyed me when Jesus’ disciple, John, described himself as “the disciple Jesus loved.” When I see those words, my insecure, overachiever brain thinks like this:

Phase 1: Annoyance: “Boy, John really thought a lot of himself!”
Phase 2: Insecurity: “Does God have favorites? I thought He loved everybody. Does he love some people more than others? Where am I on his favorites list?”
Phase 3: Competition: “What makes John so special? Personally, I like Peter the best. He was one of the Big Three too, you know. And I’m not so bad either.”
Phase 4: Reality check: “You know, John didn’t call himself ‘The disciple Jesus loved MOST’, or ‘The ONLY disciple Jesus loved.’ He simply called himself ‘the disciple Jesus loved.’”

The truth takes awhile to work its way through my convoluted thought processes, but eventually I get it: John wasn’t proud of being loved by Jesus. He was awed by it. John had experienced Christ’s love so profoundly that it had become THE defining characteristic of his life. To John, Christ’s love was a magnificent gift, a bright light that obliterated all his faults and failings.

For example, In the gospel of John it is interesting to see what John didn’t say about himself. He didn’t identify himself by his

Importance: “John, one of the Big Three” (Peter, James and John), or
Role: the only disciple Jesus asked to care for His mother Mary, or
Occupation: “the Fisherman Disciple”, or
Family connection: John, a son of Zebede.
Accomplishments: the NYT bestselling author of 4 books in the Bible—yes, THE BIBLE.

John never said that he was “the disciple that loved Jesus,” although his life showed that he did love Him. John understood that even his ability to love was due to Christ’s love for him: “We love,” he pointed out in 1 John 4, “because He first loved us.”

I imagine John experienced Jesus’ love most profoundly when he was at his worst. John discovered that Jesus’ love did not waiver when he was imperfect, off track, or had his priorities mixed up. Jesus loved John just the same when he…

Cowered in the boat while his buddy, Peter, climbed out and walked on water.
Tried to manage things, like shooing the kids away, or sending the 5000 to scavenge for supper.
Stood by while his helicopter-mother jockeyed for a better position for him in heaven.
Conked out – in spite of Jesus’ plea to stay awake and pray – in Jesus’ greatest hour of need.
Hightailed it, when Jesus was arrested, and when they tore his clothes off while chasing him, he kept on running naked.

In his darkest times, John could understand that Jesus’ love was a gift with no strings attached: it had nothing to do with his performance, and everything to do with God’s grace. Jesus loves us the same way. God’s love has nothing to do with our performance, and everything to do with God’s grace. His love is as constant as the sun’s rise. So wherever you are – at your “best,” or at your worst, or somewhere in between – claim this truth by saying today: “I am the disciple Jesus loves.”

Does God have favorites? Of course He does. We are each His favorite.

The steadfast love of the Lord never changes. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness, O God. Lamentations 3:22-23

What about you? When do you experience the love of God?

Rest for My Soul

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heavy load

We fail.

We mess up. We make bad decisions, and many times the heavy load we carry is the result of those choices. When we recognize this, we pile on self-condemnation—guilt and shame. Not God, our Loving Father. He opens His arms wide, and says:

Child come here. Put down that heavy load, and climb up in My lap and tell Me all about it. Receive the grace, the forgiveness I so want to give you, and let me release you from your worry. Quit accepting shame, and embrace the freedom-joy of My love once again. Just leave it to Me. I will help you know what to do as you move forward from here.

I will not only show you what to do now, but I will help you learn from this. I can teach you to be free of your compulsions, to see more of the world from My perspective, so you don’t make this same mistake twice. If you choose, My Holy Spirit will do this deep healing in your spirit.

It is so much easier–and more enjoyable–to follow Me when you aren’t carrying unnecessary burdens. The load I give you is quite simple: stay connected with Me. Don’t let anything get in the way of this connection, especially not your mistakes. Don’t let anything keep you from embracing the identity, value, belonging and calling I have given you.

When you stay connected with Me, you will be able to hear my voice and follow where I am leading you to go.

I will show you the next step from here.

What helps you stay connected to God, even in the midst of failure?

By Lydia Floren

Image by woodleywonderworks

The Kindness of God’s Acceptance

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God’s acceptance of me boggles my mind, when I think about it.

Too often, I don’t – think about it, I mean. Instead, I hide from myself,or others, or Him. Yet hiding doesn’t change reality. No matter where I hide, He is there, with His arms open wide to me. He is fully aware of my faults and failings, and loves me lavishly in the middle of them. (BTW, one of the best ways to hide from yourself or God is to stay too busy.)

In order to receive the full measure of God’s acceptance, I must stop each day and remember that God knows my every thought before it becomes a word or an action, and is intimately acquainted with all my habits.

This is gritty reality. He accepts me knowing every unkind word I have uttered, every selfish act I have done, or will do. Even more daunting, God accepts me knowing the ugliness of the motives behind some of my words and actions, those things often hidden from others. He accepts me with my petulance, pride, manipulation, greed, impatience, annoyance. It boggles the mind.

You would think this would be depressing, but in truth, it is quite the opposite.

The understanding that finally someone knows me completely and loves me unconditionally, empowers me to accept myself with all my faults and failings, an to give my true self to Him each day, and allow Him to make me whole once again.

I can start each day:

Celebrating who I am – His precious child, made perfect by Him.
Rejoicing where I am – on His path to growth and wholeness, with Him showing me the way.
Embracing what I am called to do – love Him, others and myself – in the unique way He created me.

How are you starting your days? enclosedbehindbefore_lg

By Lydia Floren

Wind Chimes

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My husband Andrew is not materialistic. In fact, for special occasions it is almost impossible find him a gift that he actually wants, and would enjoy. For Andrew, wind chimes is one of those gifts. Over the years, Andrew has collected a set of perfectly harmonized wind chimes in a range of octaves, each carefully hung with the others on our screened porch out back.

In summer, when we practically live outside, those wind chimes give us special pleasure. Some days the chimes only ring an occasional note or two as a breeze wafts through. On windier days they produce a progressing cacophony of sound. First the trees will rustle as the air pushes through them; then the chimes will joyfully clang an answer, sometimes even echoing down the hill with the neighbors’ bells. The sounds ebb and flow, almost like the crashing of waves, but with clear crisp tones—bold, and then quiet. Even though there is no distinct melody or set rhythm, the wind stirs them to make beautiful music.

We are each created to chime–to resonate the reality of God’s presence and love to those around us. When we position ourselves toward the wind, the beauty of God moves through each of us like the wind on a summer day. And as God liberates us from the shackles of our shoulds and oughts, we are free to clang away with joyful abandon, almost like a 2 year old banging on pots and pans.

And God blends the ebb and flow of our clanging into a lovely harmony.

And then He smiles.

Now it’s your turn: When have you seen God moving through you or someone else to bless another person?

windchimes-lg By Lydia Floren

Facing My Failures, Embracing God’s Grace

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It’s hard to see my own shortcomings. I don’t want to look at my ugly wounds. But, if I desire to heal – to be restored – I must first face these flaws. Then, I must be still and allow the Great Physician to free me from the habits-rooted-in-lies that keep me doing the same destructive things over and over. Sometimes God’s knife must go deep – it can’t be helped – to get to the root of the lie. The results are definitely worth it: true healing, and with it, profound joy.

Father, forgive me for my haughtiness, my rudeness, my feeling of superiority, of trying to jockey for position, or importance. Help me to be an instrument of your peace, not of my own pride. Thank you for restoring my soul.

The deeper my soul reaches toward Truth, the more deeply God’s love reaches into me, warming me, like a cup of hot tea on a cool morning. In the safety of His embrace, I can celebrate my God-given identity, value, belonging and calling independent of others’ fluctuating opinions, or influence.

Each time I manage to turn around and face my failures, the brilliance of God’s grace takes me by surprise

Why do I forget this? How can I learn to remember?

Do you ever find yourself running from yourself? What prompts you to remember the brilliance of God’s grace?

We would love to hear from you!

God's grace is brilliant - joy - God's love

Enjoy the Music, and Give Thanks

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Love is spontaneous, but it is not random.

God sees an opportunity: one heart open and willing to give, another heart ready to receive. His Spirit prompts, and we respond. He uses us “in the moment”, to love and encourage someone who crosses our path. And we both are blessed. Occasionally, often after the fact, He will show us what He has been about. And then our joy multiplies.

In those moments, we must remember to give thanks. The practice of thanksgiving acknowledges God at work through us, and keeps us from seeing His work as something we can take credit for. It reminds us that our identity, value, belonging and calling come from Him alone, not from what we do. We are following our Shepherd in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Thanksgiving assures the continued flow of God’s love through us, toward those around us.

give thanks for what God is doing and has done through us

Enjoy God working through you, but make sure you are directing attention and praise – yours and others’ – to Him for what He is doing, not to yourself. You are an instrument, not the musician – a violin, not the maestro. You do not create or play the music. It moves through you.

If you become comfortable receiving accolades, you will start to think that you don’t need the Maestro. You might think you can sit and play a ditty, and expect people’s hearts will be touched and changed. They won’t.

I am the instrument, God is the maestro

Beware of giving yourself pats on the back for God’s work though you. Then, pride multiplies. And a sense of self-sufficiency, and the false belief that you can love, as God calls you to, on your own. Nothing kills the movement of the Spirit in our lives quicker than this kind of attitude.

We must always be careful to give thanks for what God is doing, and has done, through us.

Enjoy the moment. Enjoy the music, and the part you get to play in sharing it with the world.

And, always, always remember to give thanks.

True Peace is the Absence of Fear

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My peace I give to you…

The peace of God is unlike any other that we see on earth. It is not an uneasy truce, or an acquiescence to domination. It is the abiding understanding that our identity, our value, our belonging, and our calling are safe. No person or spiritual force can change this in any way. We can come to God in tears, feeling worthless, or abandoned, or like failures. He reminds us that we are precious. We are His, and we are one of His chosen vehicles for loving the world. We can go into our days with confidence and light hearts. And, we are safe. We are not alone. The God of Peace is with us, within us, and He loves us.

True peace is the absence of fear, and the Presence of God.

He restores my soul. Psalm 23:3

Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them. Psalm 126:6

Perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4:18

Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14

God’s Supreme Attribute

Indescribable Joy

Waking Up to Beauty

Yesterday morning I woke up to this:

This morning I woke up to this:

Each view is

breathtaking, dazzling, unique, captivating, lovely.

Created and adored by our Heavenly Father.

Every day, I wake up to me, in my skin, with my unique blend of personality, temperament, gifts, talents, DNA, history. Whether I recognize it or not,

I am

breathtaking, dazzling, unique, captivating, lovely.

I am created and adored by my Heavenly Father.

I am beloved.

You and I

wake up to beauty every day…

and then we open our eyes.

“I am fearfully and wonderfully made and my soul knows it very well.”