For God's Love #thankfulin(F)All

Today I'm thankful for God's promise of unfailing, perfect love.

"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Jeremiah 31:3

Always available to me. Always searching me out. Always waiting on me. Yeah, I know. That's a lot of "me's", isn't it? Sounds a bit selfish even as I type out the words, but it is true. God is a personal God and I don't suppose He minds me being selfish with Him. After all, He is a jealous God! 

He knows every detail about me. He knows what makes me happy, what makes me sad, what thrills me beyond words and what devastates me to no words. He is concerned about me and made an individualized plan for my life. That set of plans came complete with ups and downs, victories and defeats, skinned knees and trophy moments. He knew I'd fail at times and He's alright with that too. He knows I can't make it without Him and patiently waits on the sidelines at times for me to remember that as well. He knows I'll mess up frequently and that He'll find me on my knees again at an altar crying out to Him for help. He's always there waiting.

He scoops me up and tells me I can make it. What affirmation! He places me just right so I can hear His life-giving heart beat. He encourages me to continue on because, after all, I CAN make it. I can overcome any obstacle or tragedy with His help. Sometimes He has to break a leg when I get too far away and try to do things on my own. He doesn't leave me there in my pain however. He gently, and without condemnation, carries me in His gentle arms until I heal from the brokenness. He is a faithful Savior. When I find myself buried beneath the weight of the world, He is there, beckoning me to come to Him. He invites me to take His yoke and learn, for He is gentle and can always be trusted. Oh, how He loves me! He gives me strength to make it through every valley, all the while, inviting me to trust in Him a little more than I did the day before. 

Although He is a God of judgement, right now He is a God of grace and that is more than enough for me. He never gives me what I "deserve to get", He never says, "Girl, tough luck, you had that one coming! Deal with it." He gives me what never should have been possible...His love, second chances and all His promises to boot. He only wants me to live a life...more abundantly than ever before. Who else could ever provide that for me? And there's no one who desires it more for me that He does either. If that isn't love!

I know I said this sounds a bit selfish, but the beautiful thing is...He feels the same way about you too. 

He longs to show us His unfailing love. He longs to demonstrate to us exactly how He feels about us. He desires us to rest in Him. To trust Him. To give Him all our hopes and dreams, no matter how shattered and broken they have become. Why? Because He loves us and no matter what we may look like at this moment, He knows the difference His love can make in our lives. He is love. He can change the scenery of area landscape to fit our exact needs. And He wants to do it for us today. Not tomorrow, not yesterday, but NOW. 

Aren't you thankful for that kind of love? What a warm embrace from our heavenly Father. What a hope to know that He loves us so. Take that bit of hope as you go about your day. We don't have to worry about not being good enough or beyond His reach. Let Him in and allow Him to hold you in the hard times when it seems like there is no hope, but also in the good times. He wants you and I to enjoy each of our days with Him...living in His perfect love. Let's rest in that promise today ~