Drawn

So it's been a while.  Ironically, it's taken me going on a business trip to clear my schedule enough to write.  I often find hotel rooms pretty desolate places when I’m in a town that's foreign and uncharted. 

There's been so much that I've been learning lately, that it will take probably multiple entries, consuming a number of tall hot chocolate's, and an endless shuffle of my music playlist.  But a sneak peak would be this.  I am coming to a personal realization that I am only a person and how much more I need God.  Ground shaking, eh? Before I get too big for my britches, let’s keep things moving.

So the title of this entry is "drawn."  I was thinking about calling it “bird’s eye view,” but I kept visualizing (as much as a blind person can) an ugly vulture watching overhead.  That didn't quite fit the mystery and love contained in what I wanted to share in this particular entry. So here goes.

As spring transitions into summer, I see an endless springtime armada of Facebook status updates of friends and family members entering into relationships and those who are taking steps towards a holy commitment together in marriage.  So it made me think of how these life events came to be.  A flirtatious glance that said so much.  A smile that gave a glimpse into the warmth contained within the sender. Or the process of how the connection of two hearts begins to cement an unbreakable bond.  Regardless of what dreamy scenario that plays out in real life or in movies, the commonality is the fact that two individuals were and will always be drawn together. 

I see this as a parallel to what draws us to God and to the love relationship He personally invites us to with Him, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  During the month of May I usually remember the way that God brought me to a point of seeing Him for who He was and who He could be in my life. 

Like the newly formed love relationships experienced by my friends, God prepared each of our hearts to be ready to be drawn towards Him.  But how? 

I've been learning lately, that God can reach out to us in unique and personal ways that encounters us in such a way that we know that it is Him.  While he was preparing my heart, my curious nature was activated and began asking questions of "why," "how come," and "what if."  God placed various individuals in my life to begin to guide me towards answering those questions.  I found even more beauty in the things of nature, flowers, clouds, the sky, the wind, any and everything that reminded me that there had to be something much bigger to how the world was formed and shaped.  And finally, I can confidently say that I encountered God through music.  Words to hymns and worship songs took on a much deeper meaning that tugged at my heart in unique ways that nothing else did.  His spirit began to move in such a way that I knew I had a decision to make.  At that point, all other solutions I had were only temporary and had some type of flaw to them.  Being found by God, provided a solution to the difficult place I was at that point in my life and offered peace and security for the life I gave away and an understanding that I could not create solutions for myself that would be lasting and complete.  But God could. 

Ok, now that was the encounter for me.  but is that true for everyone?  While Jeremiah 29:11-12 were pivotal verses in my acceptance of Christ, I wasn't really well versed in Scripture.  I'm assuming that is probably the case for a number of people who ultimately accept that invitation. 

What if, God chooses to open their eyes and hearts to the way in which He asks us as believers to live.  Meaning, through God using us, we are part of that process that draws people closer to that decision point. 

Even when we are unaware, those who are at that point of decision, are observing the ways in which believers love, serve, live, and even the not so pretty sides of life, how we fight, how we reconcile, what things we hate, and how we surrender even if it is unpopular.  I believe that God can use all of those aspects of human nature to speak to and encounter those who are desiring something more.... something or someone to love and encounter.  That is what draws me even closer to God because if I'm willing and available to God, I can be a part of someone's love story with God whether directly or indirectly.  The question is usually... Am I willing?  Am I available?  Am I in the midst of fighting with God and not able to see His personal invitation to join Him in His work?  My hope is that I am, but lately, I've come to realize there are times when I fall significantly short of doing those very things both inside and outside of biblical community.  So as feelings of discouragement come in, I'm reminded that there is a new day and with that new day brings God's grace, mercy, and love that surpasses what any person can fathom or dream.

Now all of this may be a similar reflection of my own desire for love, connection, intimacy, and vulnerability and I'm just working it out through this blog.  But what ever it is, it always points back to the dynamic relationship I have in God and how that is now pointing towards something deeper than just mere obedience, trust, or commitment.  It's love. And from that, will flow obedience, trust, faith, action, and commitment. 

Hmm, this entry is probably a little too cerebral for a whitty comeback.  So maybe next time.