Freedom in Relationships

I spend a lot of energy worrying about whether I'm going to do or say something to offend my friends and family. The Lord, of course, doesn't require us to earn His love and friendship, and He's been showing me that I don't need to earn it from others either. This is so freeing! I'm not going to stop trying to make others happy, but it's wonderful to be able to stop worrying about it.

A while ago we got a movie from the library called Mozart and the Whale. It's about two autistic people who fell in love with each other. Their disability made them unable to be fake, so they always expressed their feelings and ended up hurting each other often. Yet their love endured through it all. Reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13:4,5: "love....does not take into account a wrong suffered." Another show we watch is House, M.D. That man is such a royal jerk, but I'm wondering if he's testing people to see if they love him in the Biblical way. Kids, don't try this at home! Seriously though, when I think of how many times I've sinned against people, it's a wonder they like or love me at all, yet they do. I'm thinking that relationships aren't as fragile as I had thought. But if I ever did push someone to the end of their patience, I could go on as long as I believed that I could be loved without having to earn it. This is making me very happy!

Little Things

The great challenge of my life is to remember the Lord all day long. Of course I can't do this in the flesh; I need Jesus to keep me looking to Him. Lately He's been showing me that, contrary to what I had thought, He is interested in everyday stuff. He wants to share the "ordinary" moments with me. Everything in my life doesn't have to have five-star excitement in it in order to be significant. The little things in life are precious too, when they are shared with Him. Jesus truly enjoys being with us when we are making lunch or cleaning the house or doing any of the other myriad of mundane daily activities. This means a lot to me. When He said, "I am with you always," He really meant always. Thank You Lord.

Wings

"Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles" --Isaiah 40:31

Matthew Henry's commentary says, "They soar upward, upward towards God. Pious and devout affections are the eagle's wings on which gracious souls mount up."

Psalm 25 :1 says, "To Thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul."

I like the idea that our souls have wings when we turn them toward God!

"In Thy presence is fulness of joy" --Psalm 16:11

:)