The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
So it was that I arrived into Orlando, Florida where I would spend the next 10 years of my life. While I drove the truck, my nephew came a day behind with my car, Mom and her cat. A few months later, Ron came to join us as well. My life settled in, as Florida Cardiology became my extended family. I found a church home. God graciously allowed my finances to stabilize. Tithing plus had become a part of my life, as I trusted God with providing all that I needed. (Tithing plus meaning 10% was the minimum I gave, plus whatever additional giving God directed beyond that). Life had its ups and downs; as is always the case with life on earth. It was in Orlando that I found my voice in poetry, speaking in the jail ministry, and writing.
The desire that God bless me with my very own Prince Charming to love me would awaken again. Twice more I would believe I found him and twice more my heart would be crushed. Then, one day; sobbing uncontrollably; I screamed into heaven, “Why God must you always break my heart? Why would you not give me this one thing?” Then, I suddenly realized the truth. It was as a soft, gentle whisper in my mind, “My dear child, don’t you see. It was you who has broken my heart over and over again. Do you not realize that I am enough? My love is greater than anything I could give you on earth.” There it was—God’s truth for me. So, with a somewhat heavy heart; I laid down my dream. Perhaps, I was not yet ready to bury it; but, I did lay it down ever so gently to rest. Oh, yes; there would be moments in which I would mourn the dream itself. It had been a fantasy which had been very much alive in my heart and now it was gone. My focus turned to God alone. That was when I found my voice in poetry, writing and speaking. This blog was born and I began publishing books.
Ronald had moved out, married and my grandson became such a source of joy in my life as he would scream, “Grammy, Grammy you are here!” A season of time to grow in my knowledge of Christ, to become peacefully content in Him and to know the joy of the Lord. He still had a lot to teach me along my journey. The full spectrum of God’s love is so great that it is unfathomable to think that we can learn it all during a lifetime; that will take an eternity to begin to know. There were more lessons to learn; but, that would be another chapter yet to come.
Through my journey to this point I had learned:
1. God’s love is Unconditional for His children. Before I was ever born, God had chosen me. He revealed Himself to me when I was only 5 years old so that I would see His beauty and accept Christ as my Savior. He never let go of me even when I “got it all wrong.” He guided me through my own failures, sins, and unfaithfulness; as, each step of the way He transformed my heart so I could learn of Him. (I am not going to try to explain the difference here between predestination and choice as I firmly believe that both are true. God cannot be confined into a box of mankind’s time/space continuum. This is one of those things I don’t have to fully understand; except it has been His Grace that wooed me, saved me and sustains me.)
2. God’s love provides all that I need from His bountiful riches. In that, it has not always been everything I wanted; but, He has never failed to give me all that I needed. He knows what I need to keep my eyes focused on Him. The moments of financial ruin, the suffering of illness, the broken hearts, the trials that came were all allowed by a Sovereign God who knew what this heart of mine needed to become fully dedicated to Him.
3. God’s love is transforming. He is constantly about the work of perfecting me so that I might one day stand in His presence
4. God’s love is sacrificial. He who gave His only begotten Son to die in my place to redeem me.
5. God’s love is merciful. He gives to me what I haven’t and could never earn—when I deserve His eternal wrath, He gave me eternal life in His presence instead.
6. God’s love is steadfast.
7. God’s love is sufficient.
[tweetthis]When I finally laid down the dream, I found God’s love was all I needed[/tweetthis]
God’s love has been everything to me through all of the years. Do you know His love? There was another aspect of God’s love spectrum, I needed to see and that I will tell you about next time.
The song I chose for you today is Trust in You
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2016
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.