{Deeper Still}

Have you ever reached a point in your life where you feel like the only possible thing left for you to do would be to take the longest shower on earth then crawl into your bed with 13 blankets, 9 pillows, with some cream soda and watch Band of Brothers and cry your eyes out? Anyone? No? Well we all probably have our own rock bottom, rehab for the soul technique. That is mine, and whatever yours may be we all know that feeling of hopelessness. Like it couldn't possibly get any better (or worse). Maybe you had a bad day, stubbed your toe, said a few bad words, shattered your iPhone, got in an argument with your best friend, and to top it all off burned your mac n cheese. Or maybe it was a bad week? Maybe you spent three days working on a project just to have it all fall apart at the end, then your battery on your car dies and you have to get a new one, and to top it ALL off you just found out your FAVORITE show on TV just got canceled. Maybe you've done something you're a little ashamed of. Or maybe it was just a bad year. You've spent so much time and effort building up your career only to be fired mid-year, you lost a close loved one, you're romantic relationship fell apart, and then you have to replace the air conditioner in your home. Now all that you can think is "this is it, I cannot possibly go any lower." Whatever the road it took to get you to rock bottom, once you are there then it seems pretty hard to get back up. I wish it could be like Gilmore Girls where Rory gets pretty low because she isn't accepted into the New York Times and she cannot seem to find a job, all it took was some food from Luke's Diner, a little shopping, and a heartfelt karaoke rendition of "I Will Always Love You" sang by her mother to pick her back up! Some cheering up from your friends and family can cure a bad day, or maybe even a bad week, but when you're really feeling low and worthless it's easy to sink deeper and deeper into depression. At times like this it doesn't matter how long you spend under the covers, or how many old war movies you watch, there is only one place to retreat, only one place you can go to seek sanctuary, under the Wings of your Savior.

 The picture above reminds me of that, that no matter how crummy I feel about myself or the way life is working out that God's love covers it. No matter how low I feel, God's love goes a little deeper, and a little farther. That the amazing thing about God's love, His love doesn't just cover our sins and our shame and our shortcomings, it goes a little farther. It covers every inch of us and then goes farther to cover the places around us, His love goes before us as we walk the path of life and is left behind us in His mercy every time we get back up when life knocks us down. God's love is SO vast and SO amazing that when we delve deep, deep, inside our lowest depths of despair and decide to wallow there for awhile God is there with us, His love knows no limits and cannot be contained to one place. When we are sinking to the bottom of the ocean of our problems God takes it one step further and meets us at the deepest, darkest bottom with open arms. Because He loves us and wants us to succeed.

So when you feel low and you can't seem to figure out how you could possibly get through what you are going through just look around, God is still there, you didn't sink so low that He cannot reach you. God is with you ALWAYS. Not just when you're happy, not just when you're worshipping, not just when you're succeeding, He is there with you in the struggle. He is there with you in the fire and in the hurt. He is there when you are crying and when you feel worthless. He is there whispering "You did not choose Me, but I chose you" (John 15:16). God CHOSE you. He CREATED YOU. Does a creator just abandon his creation? No! Like the picture below says, He loves us much too much to ever let us go. So whenever you are ready, He is right there with you, ready when you are. You just have to get up and get going.

Love and Blessings,
K

{Table For Two, Please}

 

Today in church I was looking around and it looked like most churches around the world, families, couples, friends, all sitting together. Then I noticed a few people, mixed into the blur of the pews sitting alone, an empty seat on either side of them. I sat and thought about how most of my life church has been a social event, I get up and get dressed on Sunday morning, I talk with my sisters while they get ready, and then my family gets in the car and we go to church. Sometimes my sisters and I, sometimes my dad and I, or any other mix of our family. Sometimes I do go alone, but I meet my friends there and we sit together. So I sat and I thought about these solitary people who woke up this morning, got dressed in their Sunday best, drove themselves to church, and reached the church that hundreds of people in my city worship at, to sit alone in a pew and worship God.   I know that to a lot of people this may seem sad, or maybe this seems very normal, but as I sat here thinking about these people, and about our relationship with Christ I thought of how appropriate it was. We are in a relationship with Jesus, a deep personal relationship. We are in a committed courtship with Jesus where he awes and woos us. How appropriate to awake, dress, and go to meet Jesus alone. This is not a post to bash those of us that do choose to go to church with family, a family worshipping together is beautiful. I was just struck thinking about how sweet of a gesture it is, and how appropriate a return gesture of devotion. Just as we date romantically, setting a time and place to meet, with the expectation of spending quality time together, it is absolutely proper and vitally necessary to do so with Jesus. And just as we prepare ourselves for meeting with our significant other, adorning ourselves in fine clothes it is dually appropriate to adorn ourselves to go and meet our King! And as I was thinking about these people I could not help but admire their dedication and devotion, they came to get themselves some Jesus this morning, and they came alone to meet and worship Him at a table for two. Just their Creator and them.

Love and Blessings,
K