faithjourneys

[faithjourneys]

"therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken." - Genesis 3:23

Who is God? It's a question everyone asks at some point in life. I've asked this question many times. I've discovered that it cannot be answered in a simple word or sentence. It would be like describing yourself in one word or sentence - it would fall short of fully doing justice to the person you are and everything that makes you you. You would want someone to spend some time with you and get to know you in order to understand who you are really.

So it is with God. Only bigger. He is so much older and bigger than humans that it could take a lifetime (or more) to really get to know Him. That's why this blog is called faith "journeys" - getting to know God is a journey. The beautiful thing about this journey is that, not only do you get to know God, but you also get to know yourself: who you are, who you were, and who you were meant to be.

I am still on my journey, but every day more characteristics of God are revealed to me. One of the things I have learned about Him is that He exists outside of our concept of time, but not in ignorance of it. From His perspective, He can see our past, present, and future all at once! And not just the things that happen to us, but the ways in which we change internally too: the thoughts and ideas we have, the things that are important to us, the development of our character. That's why people can trust in His plan, because He sees more than we can see with our limited perception, even of ourselves.

For example, when God created humans, He already knew that we would disobey Him and eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. He already knew the choices we would make and all the sadness (and joy) He would go through, but He still decided it was worth it to make us. And even when He sent Adam and Eve out of the garden, He already had a plan for how to get us back.

Our exile from the garden was never meant to be permanent. But we believed the serpent's lie then, and we still believe it now. Our delusion that God has not really saved us is what is keeping us from accepting His invitation. God knew that too: that we would be deluded by a lie that we weren't loved. That's why He has stayed with us and kept His invitation open for anyone who wants it. He says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20)

Let's open the door together, and claim God's promise and the truth that He loves us and has never left our side.

[faithjourneys]

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1

Many times I think about the losses in my life and feel sorry for myself. But just look at all of the wonderful things God has given me! A comfortable home, caring friends, and free time to pursue my interests are among them. When I feel sorry for myself over something not happening the way I hoped, I am basically telling Jesus “You are not enough.” When I think about that, I feel sad because I know what it feels like to give everything you have for someone in a relationship and feel like it will never be enough for them. But Jesus has loved me more deeply than anyone I have ever been in a relationship with. He knows the desires of my heart and he has a plan for my life that is “exceedingly abundantly above” anything I could ask or imagine. When I experience loss or disappointment, I can turn my sorrow into joy by simply going to God in prayer. Very soon, he will be doing something new with my life that I don’t expect.