Things God Told Me Recently

“I am not all you need…to be happy always. I am not all you need to feel happy. But that’s not my goal, and that’s not who I am. I AM all you need to be alive – really alive – and to be sustained in that life. My Spirit is the source and spring and root of every good and perfect gift and you are sustained in it. If your body went without water it would die, but you would not. And that is the difference. I provide the things you think you need for survival, but when I remove them, your deep life is never in danger. Because you are mine, and no one in my presence is capable of truly perishing.

“Suffering is different, and you are capable of that. Actually, expect it. Get comfortable with it because it’s where you learn the most important lessons and grow in the best ways. ‘Just because it burns doesn’t mean you’re gonna die.’ Suffering is different than perishing.

“When you are hit with hard situations, it pleases me most when you respond in an act of worship. You can choose to love unlovable people and that’s worship. You can choose to be gracious and grant people the space to grow and that’s worship. But do it with a spirit of worship, because the action without the intention means you miss out on the deepest part of communion with me. You miss out on the work it does inside you. It’s not about you, but you’re caught up in a grand story. You might as well let the story transform you.

“You can’t stop me from loving you. I love like the white rapids of a river. It can be scary sometimes, and overwhelming, and you feel like you don’t stand a chance in that river so you try to climb out onto the bank. But don’t do it. If you stay in the rapids and let yourself go I promise it’s gonna be better than you know. Fighting the inevitable will only make you tired and scared. And I’m going to love you anyway.

“So what if you are hurt by other people? If you lived your whole life that way, so what? You will cry and scream and not be happy, you will wake up in the middle of the night, you will sometimes forget to breathe, but you will still have deep joy and life and abundant possibility because you still have me. And I am all you need for the really important things. I don’t promise happiness. I don’t promise a full belly or a healthy body or a war-free world. I don't promise perfect relationships on earth. I just promise that no matter if you have these things or not, you are sustained. Be fulfilled in me and see what happens. Let go, reconcile with your imperfect circumstances, forgive reality for being what it is, and see what happens.

“Besides, I'm a God who is well acquainted with suffering. And if that feeling can exist in a perfect Almighty God, it is not taking away from your deep life. So feel it, as long as it’s there. It won’t be the end of you, so don’t be afraid of it.

“Lift up your eyes and look to the hills. Where does your help come from? I’m right here. We can get through this. Eternity is a long haul. There’s a lot more down the road, good and bad. I’m gonna help you through every bit of it. Let’s go.”