Oh heart of mine:

Oh heart of mine, why must you stray?

From one so fair you run away

And one more time you have to pay

The heaviness of needless shame

Oh heart of mine, come back home

You've been too long out on your own

And He's been there all along

Watching for you down the road

So come home running

His arms are open wide

His name is JesusHe understands

He is the answerYou are looking for

So come home running

Just as you are

Oh child of God so dearly loved

And ransomed by the Savior's blood

And called by name, daughter and son

Wrapped in the robe of righteousness

So come home running

His arms are open wide

His name is JesusHe understands

He is the answer

You are looking for

So come home running

Just as you are

Chris Tomlin wrote this song, and it has been running (no pun intended!) through my mind all this week. Let's see: it was a week of Valentine's Day celebrations, lots of joy between friends who have, or who will be, attending the Great Banquet...just lots of things that made me think about love. Also, the fact that I'm wrestling over that very emotion right now.

Loving someone is such a challenge...amen? Especially when you aren't free to express that love or are scared (dare I say frightened and anxious? :-) that it won't be returned in-kind. The heart is a fickle thing, and you can't help who you fall in love with, of this I'm convinced. However, (big HOWEVER with a big, big breath!) you can help how you handle that feeling.

I've had to STOP trying to "figure it out"; to deny it; squelch it; embrace it...or whatever else one tries to do to get some relief! (yep, loving someone can be a struggle and more!)...what I've started to do (and it took way to long!) is to just keep laying this at the feet of Jesus. Asking him to protect my heart and to let him do what he does best: ACT. That means letting him acting in his time and in his way, and believing him for the best through out the process. Yikes, the TRUST thing is so hard, but boy has it helped me so much, since I finally decided to do it HIS way, versus mine...

SO, heart of mine, keep running to Jesus: not only does he understand, but HE is the answer I'm looking for me...and for that, I GIVE THANKS!

A Heart that needs to learn how to marathon, but so wants to sprint!

Sher

The body of Christ:

-starts washing dishes for a week-end retreat, when the dishwasher breaks down
-prays for struggling souls who are being pounded on by the enemy
-gets up at the crack of dawn to serve breakfast to people they have never met, but who are
on the same spiritual journey
-gets blankets for those who are cold
-cries with those who cry
-laughs when lightness is needed
-cleans toilets and showers
-runs out for needed supplies at the last minute
-brings home-baked goodies to show that "extra touch of love"
-lights a thousand candles to enhance a time of worship'

....the list could go on an on. The one thing I know is that I see the body of Christ at work when these week-end retreats occur. Oh what a difference we would make in the lives of each other and the lives of those who are skeptical about Jesus if we would love like this all the time. I guarantee that the "church" would not be seen as irrelevant or as a scary political movement. It would be seen as the place where people can be real, can experience mercy, grace, and love, and where true love through service is demonstrated, and the path up is really the path down (ie the way we grow closer to the almighty is when we acknowledge and act in our weakness...

God help us to take divine moments like these and let you turn them into something more...to be the community and family you meant for us to be...to your glory!