Tag: christianity

Releasing Ourselves Into God’s Hands

As we are called to let go of former things, let’s embrace God’s hand in the process as He remains faithful through it all.

At the beginning of 2024, my work-in-progress was titled “Don’t Let Go”. And yet the theme of my life in 2024 was “it’s time to let go”.

While my novel’s title was inspired by a scene where my main character dangled on the edge of a cliff before accepting the helping hand that saved her life–and God certainly wasn’t telling me to jump off a cliff or refuse support–I can’t help but laugh at the irony in God’s plan for my growth over the last twelve months.

Letting go of unhealthy relationships, underutilized belongings, and even unrealistic dreams and expectations has always been particularly challenging for me. It’s heartbreaking to admit that it’s time to let go of someone who was once a dear friend or of a dream that isn’t part of God’s plan for this season of life.

Yet we must release what God calls us to release in order to be open handed, ready to embrace what God has in store for us.

You may be finding yourself in a season of needing to let go. Letting go is painful. It’s a loss, after all, and it comes with its own grieving process.

But there is hope. We have someone we must never let go of, our helping hand when we find ourselves dangling at the edge of (hopefully a metaphorical) cliff. That Someone is Jesus.

Sometimes, it’s difficult to trust that Jesus will always be there to save us when we’ve experienced disappointment from others.

But those experiences often remind us to turn to Jesus for our fulfillment. One time, I experienced deep healing after a conversation with a close friend. But in a following interaction, I was reminded of her humanness and felt discouraged, wondering why God would allow me to experience both rich blessing and slivers of pain from the same person.

That’s when the Spirit gently reminded me that it was out of God’s grace that I had experienced healing from this friend. As amazing as she is, it wasn’t her personality or words or even love that blessed me. It was God working through her, showing His love for me.

Though it still hurts when loved ones act insensitively or don’t follow through, perhaps those moments are opportunities to praise God for being the one who loves us perfectly. He does everything with intention and always remains faithful. We will never be asked to let go of Him.

In fact, as I imagine worldly things disappearing from my fingers into the air like dust, I find my hands waiting, palms up, for someone to fill them. And sure enough, God’s great big fatherly hands embrace mine in an instant. He is everything I need. He is everything you need.

As we step into 2025, join with me in God’s call to release what doesn’t belong to us anymore in order to hold tightly to His goodness, grace, and love.

Who knows? When you let go of what isn’t meant for you, God may very well surprise you with wonderful things you didn’t even imagine were possible.

“Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

How Do You Want to Be Loved?

When you understand how you want to be loved, you will no longer find yourself drawn to inauthentic relationships.

To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”

-Timothy Keller

We speak a lot about love in this world. In society, we are taught that self-love is most important. At church, we are taught that no one can love perfectly except God, but that true love takes sacrifice, a dying to our flesh. These ideas intermingle in our minds, but often feel unclear.

We are born with the desire to be loved. Why else would we be in community? Why else would we have friends or romantic partners and partake in ceremonies that celebrate undying love, like weddings?

There is something so beautiful and so incomprehensible about love. As humans, we want to explain what love is. We want to put borders around love. We like to say that love means acceptance or second chances or blind trust.

But we cannot explain love because God is love and God cannot be fully explained, at least to our humble minds. And God’s abilities are limitless.

However, it’s not wrong to explore what love means to you. Perhaps it can even help you grow in your understanding of God, too.

Even those who have never known or heard of God crave His unconditional love. This is the love spoken of in the quote by Timothy Keller. A love that knows, chooses, liberates, challenges, and ultimately betters us for the kingdom of God.

This love is so rare in the world. We cannot love perfectly, but we can still try. And when we fail, we can turn to the one who loves us perfectly and ask for His help.

When you understand how you want to be loved through a godly lens, you will no longer find yourself drawn to relationships that aren’t built on authentic love. You will recognize who in your life only “loves” you for what you do for them or who they think you are, even if you are someone completely different. You will no longer gravitate toward superficial love, but pursue deep, soulful love.

There might be times when there aren’t people in your life who can love you this way. Those times are lonely and painful, but they are also times when, if you allow yourself, you will experience God’s love in the deepest way possible. He will meet you in these moments. God is not afraid of the darkness because He is the light.

And these times of loneliness will not last forever.

But how do you know what kind of love God offers and what kind of love we should extend upon others?

Spend time with God and ask Him. Search His word. Study Jesus’ interactions in the New Testament. Listen to God’s promises in the Old Testament.

God promises to heal us (Isaiah 57:18), provide us hope (Romans 15:13), sanctify us (John 17:17), prepare a place for us believers in Heaven (John 14:3), and love us for all eternity, going so far as to sacrifice His own Son for a relationship with us (John 3:16).

The fruits of the Spirit are born out of the love God has for us, and He offers us these fruits when we choose to follow Him:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance [patience], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

-Galatians 5:22-23

Once we accept the love God has for us, we are equipped to love those around us. Imperfectly, yes, but through God’s grace and power, they may still experience God’s perfect love through us.

Now the question is, how are you being called to love others today?

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

-1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Fixing What is Broken is Hard — and It’s Worth It

We all have once choice: healing or remaining in our brokenness. Which will you choose today?

When we notice our cracks, our emptiness, and our voids, we have one choice. Will we choose healing or will we choose to remain in our brokenness?

Healing seems like the obvious answer. The word itself brings to mind waves lapping against smooth sand and the rushing sound of water washing us clean. Healing sounds peaceful, and there is a glorious aspect of peace in healing.

But healing is also hard work. It requires us to be honest with ourselves about our brokenness. We often have apologies and reparations to make. And healing isn’t a linear process.

The latter has been the hardest for me to grasp recently. My healing journey began five years ago when I made the decision to surrender my brokenness to Jesus and beg for His help. He listened to me, as He always does, and has helped me grow and let go and discover more of Him since.

There have been fleeting moments of such strong peace that tempt me to wonder if my healing journey is over. Perhaps I am finally the person I have wanted to become.

And then an incident occurs or an unhealthy emotion rises up, and I find myself once again at the mercy of Jesus on account of my deep brokenness.

The hardest part about returning to that place is the sense of failure that accompanies this vulnerable posture. Sitting there in the darkness, I fight doubts over whether or not I’ll ever heal.

And the truth is, we aren’t able to experience complete healing on this side of Heaven because we live in a broken world. We may fully repair one crack just to have a dent appear.

Does that mean healing isn’t worth it?

Absolutely not. Healing is a vital part of sanctification, which is the process we undergo on earth where God helps us become more holy as we grow closer to Him.

While healing isn’t easy, the process itself allows us to trust God on a deeper level and let go of our pride and self-sufficiency. This can deepen our relationships with others because we recognize our need for them, too.

When we arrive at the feet of Jesus in humble submission, He doesn’t shame us. He welcomes us with loving arms. It is a courageous act — not an act of failure — to return to Jesus and ask for His healing. We are often rewarded with His comfort and peace, even if our external (or internal) circumstances are still quite messy.

Another aspect of healing that makes it difficult is the hope it requires. We must believe that we are worth the work it takes to heal. You may not feel worth it right now, and that’s okay.

There is someone who believes you are worth it: Jesus. He was willing to die and rise again to allow you the opportunity not only to experience healing on earth, but to heal fully in Heaven.

I also believe you are worth it. There are others in your life, even if you don’t realize it now, who love you and want you to embrace your God-given identity as a beloved child of the Most High King. None of the lies you believe about yourself, or that have been inflicted upon you by others, are strong enough to remove your identity in Christ.

Call out to God and trust that He hears you. Ask Him who in your life can support you during this time. Then reach out to them and keep your heart open to healing.

You will always be loved. You do not have to embark on this healing journey alone.

When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

Luke 9:10-11

And a little bonus Marvel advice 😉 I hope this little scene encourages you as it did me last night:

Loki Season 2 Clip

Let Your Will Be Done

Do you long to surrender your life to God, but you aren’t sure where to start?

If you’ve been a follower of Christ for a while, you’ve likely wondered what decisions God wants you to make. Certain decisions are quite clear in the Bible: do not steal, do not murder, do not commit adultery. But other decisions, the specific ones that may lead to two good outcomes, are difficult to determine.

I’m not sure where you are on your journey. Perhaps you are just entering the job market or anticipating retirement. Maybe you have been single your whole life or you are in a serious relationship. You could be figuring out where to move or when to have kids or who to stay close with as you enter a new season of life.

As for me, I’m wrapping up my second-to-last quarter of college and trying to figure out where God wants me next. Does He want me to find a full-time job related to my major? Would He rather have me pursue another degree? Should I try exploring a different career path entirely?

A piece of advice I received related to this conundrum has stuck with me:

Acknowledge your desires, then surrender them to God.

While this advice felt solid and biblical, I wasn’t quite sure how to surrender to God. I was left with a list of all the things I wanted and a burning feeling of guilt for holding onto them.

If you are in a similar place, I assure you that you shouldn’t feel guilty for wanting things, especially things that God desires for you, such as joy, purpose, community, and love. I assumed that the surrendering process would be significant and perhaps even physical, and while it is significant and can lead to physical actions over time, the surrendering process may actually feel quite gradual.

The best person to learn from in any situation is Jesus. When crucifixion loomed overhead, He drew near to God in prayer.

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Matthew 26: 36-39

Jesus didn’t deny what He wanted, but He surrendered His will to God through prayer. Sometimes, we can feel distant from God because we are afraid of telling Him what we want. We are ashamed that we have desires that haven’t been met yet. Perhaps it even seems symbolic of a lack of faith.

The pendulum can swing the other way, too. We fall into the temptation of treating God as Santa Claus, demanding what we want and feeling utterly disappointed and hopeless when He doesn’t deliver in the way we wanted.

Jesus’ model is the perfect approach to take to prevent distance and disappointment. Come to God honestly with all of your feelings and hopes and dreams. This reveals great faith and vulnerability. Admit what you long for and what weighs heavily on your heart. Then ask for God’s will to be done no matter what and pray for peace in any outcome.

You may not see instant results the first time you pray (though I hope you are filled with peace). But if you continue this practice day after day, you may find yourself shedding your old perspective and embracing one of hope and anticipation for all the amazing things God has in store for you.

If you find yourself desiring things that don’t align with God’s will, ask Him for help in this process. Slowly, but certainly, you will find yourself eager for what God has planned for you. And when you face fear, sadness, or chaos, you will always know to whom you can turn. Your loving Creator, the one who knows you best.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Ephesians 1:4-10

The Incredible Reality of Unconditional Love

How does embracing God’s unconditional love for us change the trajectory of our lives forever?

Evangelical churches are often characterized in the media for stirring souls toward salvation with sermons about damnation and fiery flames. Even in small group discipling conversations, the emphasis is often on gaining eternal life rather than the earthly benefits of following Jesus. While eternal life certainly lasts longer than our time on Earth, it isn’t the only – or perhaps even most important – aspect of a relationship with God. 

When we love Jesus, we will obey – or at least do our best to obey – His teachings (John 14:15). And what is Jesus’ number one command? 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Luke 10:37

You know how spending time with someone, even someone completely different from you, can cause you to pick up their mannerisms and understand their perspective? The same is true of a relationship with Jesus. If you spend the rest of your life with Him, even when your growth feels slow, you are becoming more like Him. Your heart softens as it fills with His love and pours out on those around you.

You will find yourself naturally seeking out the interests of others above your own. You will crave honest and authentic relationships. You will pause before making major decisions and seek godly counsel. Even if your life looks more difficult and your faith causes you to make sacrificial choices, you will be filled with joy and the strength to keep going. And on the rough days, when you feel alone or defeated, you won’t stay stuck in those emotions because you have someone who loves you unconditionally to whom you can call. 

When you approach someone without faith and explain that they should submit their life to Christ in order to be more kind and selfless, you may unintentionally come off as selfish. It’s like saying, “I just want you to be saved so that you treat me better.” In truth, they are the one who suffers the most from not having a relationship with Jesus. 

The longer they try to do life without unconditional love, the harder their hearts will become. They turn inward for assurance and comfort and love, but they won’t find it there, no matter how desperately they search. Empty and defeated, they will invest in outward sources, whether it be relationships, wealth, physical health, or even humanitarian work.

While those sources may provide immediate comfort, they won’t sustainably meet their deeper needs. People come and go. The economy collapses. Illness hits. Causes and campaigns, even the most noble of them, fade out of relevance eventually. Or enthusiasm for them does when they try to take on the burdens of the world without God’s strength and comfort.

Naturally, when all else fails, they turn back to themselves, realizing they are all they have left. The world encourages us to pump ourselves up with motivational mantras: “You are special”, “You are worthy”, “You are loved”. But when these phrases come from ourselves, they don’t mean anything. We have been designed to need validation from an outside source. Sadly, we often turn to people who don’t have the capacity to love us fully 100% of the time.

But here is where God reenters the picture, though He’s been waiting there the whole time. He wants to take us by the hand and say, “My child, I have always loved you. I know you better than you know yourself. Give up the lie that anything other than my love will sustain you. Come, follow me.”

This path won’t be easy, but it will be lined with grace. All of these things that you’ve craved for your whole life, whether it be purpose or love or hope, can be found in a relationship with God. 

How is God calling you today? If you close your eyes and reflect, how can you see Him working in your life to help you grow in love and selflessness? 

Because of His love and redemption, you are special, worthy, and loved. Even as believers, we can struggle to remember this when our thoughts tell us otherwise. Today, are you ready to accept this incredible reality?

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:8

But whoever loves God is known by God.

1 Corinthians 8:3

Love Shatters Everything

Are you willing to embrace radical change through Jesus’ love?

My dad always used to begin his day drinking hot tea in a glass mug. Sometimes, I’d tiptoe downstairs and watch him sort through paper ads, snipping and trimming deals, calmly sipping. Then one morning – CRASH. He had chosen to drink cold soda in his glass, hot out of the dishwasher. I flew down the stairs. Bits of glass sprayed across the kitchen. 

A few years later, long after the mug had been thrown away, I learned that certain artists comb the beach in search of sea glass. Sea glass originates as a useless shard of trash, but through years of physical and chemical weathering from salt water, it can become a lovely piece of frosted glass utilized by artists.

Chaos ensues whenever glass breaks. There’s usually screaming: “Be careful! How did this happen? Watch out! Bare toes!”. It’s impossible to break glass without anyone within earshot noticing. It cannot be done in a pretty or gentle way. But it can turn out beautiful.

Change is a lot like this. We often say we want to change – though grow or develop are favorable euphemisms. But change causes chaos. We must ask ourselves, “Are we willing to embrace chaos if it means we can become more like Christ?”.

Change isn’t comfy-cozy. It’s disruptive and provocative. It requires us to shed a layer of skin, becoming vulnerable and authentic. As we change, people will notice. Some like it; others don’t. 

Take boundaries, for instance. Boundaries allow us to refrain from enabling others, live restful and balanced lives, and prioritize authenticity over pleasing people and avoiding conflict. However, the recipient of our boundaries may be surprised and disappointed when we aren’t so accommodating anymore.

Setting boundaries is actually an excellent test of whether the other person in the relationship is in it for their personal gain or because they truly care. If they suddenly don’t want to be in contact anymore, you may have to ask yourself whether they were a real friend or not. Boundaries give us the freedom to invest in healthy relationships and release the toxic ones.

Of course, we must do everything out of love, including how we set boundaries and interact with difficult people. Love isn’t always, or even often, comfortable. Jesus is love and love is radical. If it can change a man from being a killer of Christians into a renowned teacher of God’s truth and love even thousands of years after his death (ahem, Paul), then love can truly redeem the hardest of hearts. But it requires sacrifice. 

You will face hard choices and be nudged out of your comfort zone when you choose to love as Jesus loves. But love is what changes everything. It reminds us of our desperate need for a Savior and it binds us together by grace.

If we aren’t willing to embrace change, then what are we even doing here? Think of your walk with Jesus as you would a friendship. When you first become friends with someone, you are strangers and can enjoy a surface-level relationship for a time. But if you only maintain this level of friendship, you’ll never feel satisfied or known, or most of all, loved. 

As we get to know Jesus, His love for us will fill our hearts and overflow out of us. This love can change us no matter how far gone we feel and impact others who are hurting and broken. 

Today, I challenge you to ask God how He wants you to grow. He will give you the strength to embrace positive change when you ask for His help. You aren’t meant to do this alone, and thankfully, you don’t have to. God’s Spirit dwells within you, ready to comfort you and inspire you to become more like Christ.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17