Tender Touch on a Winter Day

I experienced another "stop-in-my-tracks" moment in the kitchen this morning while preparing breakfast and lunch foods.

More often than not this happens in the early morning, likely as an extension of my quiet time in the Scripture with Jesus before putting hands to daily tasks. 

Chopping celery for salad, I sensed that still, small voice utter in my mind, "I'm pleased with you simply because you are My daughter. Not because of what you do or don't do, but because of Who I AM--your Father who loves you. just because you're you."

My shoulders relaxed. I lingered in God's embrace, reassured of His infinite, incomprehensible, yet unconditional love fulfilled in Christ for a messed up gal whom He's chosen to take by the hand and walk Home, teaching me, growing me, speaking through me all along the way. 

With the greatest, most profound delight--His Presence.

In a quiet reminder from His Word.

In an invisible, yet calming Hand on my shoulder.

In an eastern bluebird fluffing her feathers on my dogwood tree. 

In a patch of frozen snow, glstening in the sunlight.

In a random chorus come to mind and out the lips.

In a grandchild's paper snowflake hanging from the ceiling, swirling in the air.

In a spouse's eyes. 

In another believing sister's hug.

In a voice so tender, speaking love to my heart, affirming a relationship, an eternal bond between Father and daughter. 

A tender unforgettable touch on a winter day. 

The One Great Love

Years ago, the Holy Spirit captivated my heart with the thought that the Lord is my relentless Lover, intent on a deeply personal and profound relationship with me rather than merely adherence to a set of rules, a message so easily internalized when growing up in the Christian fundamentalist community (Matt.11:28-30). I knew God had more for me in relationship with Him than I had experienced up to that point, but I was still blocked by much from the past. 

The visual of Christ riding out of heaven on a white horse with me and all saints following Him on mounts was one I held fast to my heart (Rev.19:11-16). It smacked of fairy tales come true. My Prince. The Prince, Faithful and True, the Word of God, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Such a majestic, powerful, penetrating, and yes, sobering scene. Of settling the score for all time. Of love. Of adventure. 

The stuff of stories, all of which emanate from the One Grand Love Story.

From God Himself.

Sometime during that period, I read a novel by Robin Jones Gunn which profiled a verse her grandfather had shared with her as a teen—Zephaniah 3:17: “The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing” (NIV). Certainly, a prophetic glimpse in reference to Israel but also a heart reality for the believer in Christ who is resting in the arms of Love. A Love which quiets, comforts, reassures, motivates, exults. A Scripture that placed me deeper into mutual affection with the living God.

 

Still, that intentional awareness came in spurts. But God in His faithful wooing continued working to deepen my appreciation for His love. Out of dark places, the Holy Spirit led me on a scriptural quest to restructure my concept of the Father’s love. This “seeking His face” (Ps.27:8) resulted in further healing.

 

Yet, I was so busy writing and speaking to other women that God’s personal message to me got “packaged” for others but lost under layers of service for Him rather than enjoyed with Him on a regular basis.

Quiet places of contemplation before Him, yes, but perhaps too quickly turned into the next devotional, article, speech, or book. For someone else. 

 

Nevertheless, in all fairness to God’s faithfulness, even the process of writing laid groundwork for God’s deeper work still to come in my heart. Praise Him—He uses all things! Even when we’re not looking. In fact, sometimes it’s only in the looking back that we can see how.

 

This grace gift of Love from the Father of lights deepened further when the Holy Spirit led me to study Song of Solomon with focus not on earthly marriage but on my marriage to Christ, of all things. This rich poetic immersion into marital intimacy was not the place (the book) where I expected to discover so much of Jesus’ profound and intimate love for me as my Bridegroom. But I did. Since then I have returned to that beautiful book often, especially when I sense I’m drifting from His arms, at least in my awareness; for in reality, He is always holding me, even when I am unaware of it.

 

So, you can imagine my joy when another book came on my radar recently which reinforces my love journey with Christ.

 

FREE: Rescued from Shame-based Religion, Released into the Life-giving Love of Jesus by J. Kevin Butcher reaffirms so much of what I’ve been thinking for some time. That the God who is a real Person deeply loves and delights in me and wants to be with me in a mutually satisfying love relationship, not out of duty, shame, and fear, but out of freeing love. This “abiding in His love” (John, chapter 15) forgives, heals, protects, empowers, motivates toward holy living, and frees us to dwell in His life-giving embrace all the way Home and invite others to come along with us. 

While Butcher acknowledges that spiritual disciplines such as Bible reading/study and prayer, to name two, are crucial to Christian growth, he insists that these are meant to flow out of love for Jesus, not obligation nor mere formulaic plan. The Scripture is fleshed out in relationship with Jesus and in the healing community of His Body.

 

A Dallas Theological Seminary grad, former pastor, and now founder and director of Rooted Ministries, Butcher encourages pastors and their families, having emerged from a past of “just do it” Christianity himself.

 

While I disagree with a couple minor doctrinal issues in FREE, I don’t find that these detract from the rich meaty premise of the book. I recommend FREE to any Christ-follower who longs to live in the freedom God’s love provides and model that freedom to others. View on Amazon.

 

 

Message in a Glass

This morning, I sat in the kitchen rocker drinking my carrot juice and gazing out the window at the trees. An undefined restlessness settled over me. One more day on planet earth. Ugh! As I tipped my glass, the foamy residue cleared to form a heart on the bottom. I studied the shape. The more I drank, the larger the heart became. I smiled at the image. God’s tiny wake up call.

Remember my purpose for you today, Eileen. To share Me with others. The more you drink of My love, the more it will spill over into others’ lives. Your family. The boys you teach. The writing I’ve placed on your heart. The people I’ve called you to pray for. Those surprise encounters I bring your way on this brand, new day.

Glass emptied, but heart full, I rose and dashed downstairs to open my Bible to Ephesians 3:14-19.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (NIV).

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, and my mother’s prayer for her family. As a child, I often crept by her bedroom door to find her kneeling, praying to the Father. Her chief desire was that each one of her children be filled with the love of Christ.

As I reflected on the message in the glass, reinforced by Paul’s words in Ephesians and the memory of a mother who prayed those words, I asked the Lord to enlarge my heart. To wean me from the need to be satisfied with anything but Him.

The message in a glass: one more day to share His love. What a calling and what a privilege!  

~~

Eileen Rife, author of Laughing with Lily, speaks to women’s groups, encouraging them to discover who they are in Christ and what part they play in His amazing story. www.eileenrife.com, www.eileen-rife.blogspot.com, www.guardyourmarriage.com.

Together . . . Sharing His Love

I giggled when I saw this picture, because we've had frequent summer showers. The sky's poured rain like sand from a dump truck. In the midst of the weather, Chuck and I celebrate 37 years of marriage this month, starting with massages last night, continuing with a B & B tonight, and ending with horseback riding tomorrow, providing the showers hold off. 

But then, maybe we could don our umbrellas and ride anyway! Perhaps ride together with one heart-shaped umbrella covering us. Might be a bit awkward, but isn't marriage that way at times?

Awkward. Messy. Uncomfortable. 

With this anniversary, we purpose once again to hide ourselves under the umbrella of God's love, committed to working toward a common goal: share His love through our relationship, so that those around us might catch a glimpse of Him, maybe even ask what makes our marriage so special.

With a smile, we'll tell them. 

Christ's power working in and through us keeps us united. Keeps us loving. Keeps us pressing on to know Him and know one another, through the ups and through the downs. 

All the way to the finish line.

Our couple motto: To 50 and beyond!

Will you join with us in celebration of traditional marriage? Turn to your mate and give her/him a smile and a kiss. Determine to work together to advance Christ's cause through your relationship.