Sunday, May 01, 2011

a love story



Illustration by JAGO from "The Jesus Storybook Bible" by sally Lloyd-Jones
 "Because the Fairytale really does come true." - SLJ

A good, {aka: moving, stirring, heart-throbbing, hope/wish infusing} love story makes my heart ache.

Is it because we were made for more than we often experience in our after-Eden curse-impacted world?

That eternity, God, true love is set in our hearts, and we ache when we see a whisper of it.  When the prince rescues the distressed damsel and carries her off for to his castle, capturing her heart.....or some version of it.

I read something this week, part of a book, sitting in the parking lot and wept.   A love story, rescue story....adventure story, a true to life fairytale.  I have not finished this book, it is one of those that you never want to be done, so I am going slow and savoring it.  But the two little chapters I did read?.....sweet.

See, I have a performance/judging challenge.  Somewhere along the journey of my life I have picked up, gathered and carried all these stones that weigh me down.   That love is conditional, and my performance or lack of performance is the main issue, and that the rules or laws are what it is about...and obedience is what is needed and since I don't do that well, that I am unloveable...and consequently unloving at times.     I am trying to learn to drop those rocks.  To recognize first what could be a lie and what is the truth and replace the lie with the truth.  

A storybook was recommended to me.  One which has subtext that reads: "Every story whispers his name." SLJ
It is the Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally-Lloyd Jones, Illustrated by Jago. 

Yes it is written for chldren, but it is written for me too.   The little girl in me that needs so much her heavenly Father's love and approval and needs to understand that his love is not conditional, not based on what I do or don't do.     So a couple days ago, I read the first couple chapters of this book, and saw a glimpse of how God sees me (and you). 

Today, I found myself confused and unsettled about something I could not pinpoint and cound not "solve" and my settling thought on it was to go back to this book, pick it up again, and see how God loves and trust Him.  So I am.

I really urge you to read this book...and also read it to your children.....even older ones who might think it too childish...the love/rescue story inside is timeless for all ages.

God's creation story of making what He sees as good, what He delighted in making even knowing in advance what choices would be made and the consequences of those choices.

God seeing each of us like a new daddy sees his brand new baby, "you look like me, you're the most beautiful thing I've ever made." 

God's enemy (and ours) who still today tells us the lie that makes us doubt.  The lie that God is holding out on us.  That He doesn't love me.

That everything is about relationship.  Not rules.  That a broken rule is not the issue, it is the broken heart of God, since He knows the natural consequence of choices, his sadness over our broken relationship with Him.

And since that day, in the garden, when the first man and woman, made that choice, our world is broken....yet, even so, God still gently cares for us....the consequence of that choice which broke the world, is NOT the end of the story.   God loves us too much to let the story end there.

In spite of everything..God loves me. (and you).

a true love story. ....  it is helping me come to terms with why sad things happen in this world, why we live with consequences of the choices we have made or others have made, or even the natural disasters of a broken world and how God is still loving inspite of the sad and bad in our broken world.   Why every prayer is not answered the way WE WOULD WANT and even in that, God is still loving.  That His ways are higher than our ways...

Romans 11: 33

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out.

"You see, no matter what, in spite of everything, God would love his children--with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love." (SLJ)

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