Activity on the playground quieted.
It was time to pick teams. Two girls surveyed the class, sizing up each classmate's value. I yearned to be chosen, preferably not last. Nonetheless, all other names were called, and one captain resignedly took me. See, I will drop a ball, miss a spike, swing too late, or duck (rather than catch) with the best of them. Children go through clumsy stages, but I felt like the only one who knew that privileged information.
Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.This familiar Scripture caused me to pause. We live in a place where all is conditional, including love. Things must be earned and kept or else risk being lost. High above the sky or in the deepest ocean reference location, but one day, they resonated on another level.
I enjoy sitting on a mountaintop, gleaning the most beautiful perspective, and enjoying a closeness with the Lord. In this spot, hope is renewed, and a fresh vision brings a new level of courage and peace to my soul.
Yet at some moments I feel as if I'm drowning, floundering in the deepest ocean. My faith feels so small and my fear looms large. The unfamiliarity of these surroundings seems unnavigable. These moments bring seasons of growth and personal wrestling to rest.
This I know: I'm held secure in God’s inseparable and unconditional love. Neither place nor attitude will separate me from that. I don't have to earn an audience or demonstrate prowess and perfection. I've been chosen, hand-picked, and loved. Immeasurably. The cross of Christ Jesus, Lord of my life, paved a way for me to know and to journey forward with this truth.
Unconditional love invites us to climb, persevere, and stand on our tiptoes for a better vantage point. Conditional love bows our head, not our knee, and entices us to believe we'll be passed over.
In your walk of ups and downs, do you see God straining to look beyond you to find another who has more to offer? Or do you believe His love will never fail? He who began this work in you is actively bringing it to His envisioned completion.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Danine Gruber is the mother of five adult children, a writer, and, most of all, a lover of Jesus. She loves all things nature: the outdoors, sunsets, waterfalls, and early morning walks on the beach. Although she lives in Florida, parts of her heart are in the jungles of Peru and the mountains of North Carolina. The thing that makes her heart beat is encouraging women (and others) to remember that there is a bigger, more magnificent picture and to encourage others to pause a moment and see the beauty before them. She believes God is always at work and that the stuff He does behind the scenes is jaw-dropping.