Jill and Tilly

Shortly after I became a Christian, in 1998, the Lord led me to a Bible study with two other ladies from my Sunday school class at church.  It was such a blessing because I really wanted to grow and develop strong Christian friendships.  Due to my past, I didn't feel worthy of Christian friendships and thought anyone in my Sunday school class would surely reject me if they truly knew about my past.

One day at Bible study, my friend, Jill, asked us to pray for a friend of hers who was considering having an abortion.  I said I would pray.  As I began praying, tears began to fall.  Tears turned into sobs to the point where I could hardly even pray.  I apologized and quickly brushed it off as just getting emotional about praying.

That night, the phone rang.  I answered the phone and it was Jill.  She said, "Sue, the Holy Spirit wanted me to call you.  I feel like He wanted me to ask you if you have had an abortion."

Pause.

My heart pounded as I softly answered, "Yes."

Jill was the first Christian friend I had ever told.  She was the first person I had shared openly with about the abortion other than my husband

The response I received from my friend that night was life changing.  I expected that if my Christian friends knew the truth, they would reject me and condemn me.  The enemy had me believing a lie and it was the furthest thing from the truth.  Jill extended so much grace and love to me that night.  My heart began healing that very night, and all because my friend was obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit and made a phone call.

The Lord was at work and the next week, I was listening to the Focus on the Family radio program when the story of Tilly by Frank Peretti came on the air.  Again, my heart softened and began to heal.  The Lord was revealing that He was at work and wanted to heal my heart.  I can't explain it, but to know the Lord loved me so much and was so interested in healing me, overwhelmed me.  I remember sitting there on the floor of my apartment, on my knees, listening to Tilly, tears flowing and wondering how could this be that the Lord would want to heal me.

He does heal.  And not only does He heal, He desires to heal.  He is very involved in your life and interested in your healing.  Healing is most often times a process.  Just like the couple of steps I just shared with you.  There have been many more steps since that first year the Lord began my healing. And although I have had much healing, I know the Lord continues to heal me even now.

I don't believe we will be finished here on earth.  It is an ever-going process with the Lord.  But, the day is coming when we will be complete in Him.  And oh what a glorious day that will be!

"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Phil 1:6

Lord, I thank You for Your promise that You will complete the good work You begin in us.  Lord, I pray for those who maybe feel like they haven't started the process.  Lord, I pray for you to bring them their Jill and Tilly.  I pray for You to lead them and guide them in the next step and in every step towards complete healing in You.  In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

Catching Up and a Little Diving

Hey Friends,

First of all, I want to start today with a letter before my post to apologize for not writing on here for three weeks!  I don't recall ever going that long in the four years I have been writing without posting something on here.  Life has been busy and crazy and I just flat out have not had much time to write.

My dad had surgery a few weeks ago and then had to undergo the same surgery again due to complications.  Much of my emotional energy has gone into what is happening with him.  But I want you to know I haven't forgotten you and I love you all very much.  The Lord continually shows me that I am in His will with writing and to continue no matter the results at this time.  So with all that being said, I am happy to be back with you today and pray for the words the Lord gives me to bless you and encourage you to continually live free in Him.

Love,
Sue

I am currently leading the Bible study, Children of the Day by Beth Moore, and I wanted to share something the Lord showed me the other day.

"We have access to the Holy Spirit welling up in us like a spring. Tapping into Him requires deliberation and cooperation so God can love through us. Like me, you've probably asked Him to love through you, then fizzled out within the hour. Here's the catch: we cannot love when we perceive ourselves as unloved. We cannot offer to others what we don't possess."

Jude 21 says, 'Keep yourselves in the love of God, expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.' That means practicing the mindset of being profusely loved by God. We must invite our souls to plunge into His love like a dolphin romping in the sea. Actively engaging in His unending, extravagant, no strings - attached affection for you is not narcissism.  It's necessary. It can mean our survival when we're faced with loving the loveless." -Beth Moore

I loved this! "We must invite our souls to plunge into His love like a dolphin romping into the sea." 

We must plunge into the depths of His love!

The Lord said to me, "Sue, this is what you must understand, know, and believe...YOU ARE LOVED. You cannot love well unless you know YOU ARE LOVED."

It seems so elementary, but I think here in lies the mystery of why loving is sometimes hard. We forget how loved we are by the very Creator of the Universe!

At times, we may feel rejected, judged, unaccepted, overlooked, hurt or abandoned by others. However, when we are submerged in the depth of His love and know we are loved, it is a protective covering that deflects the darts of unlove.

He will never reject.  He will never hurt. He will never abandon. He only loves.

YOU ARE LOVED.  

Stoop and Look

"But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb." John 20:11

Mary stood outside the empty tomb weeping.  She knew the tomb was empty, but only by stooping down and looking into the tomb did she receive the revelation of glory!  The tomb was empty because Jesus is alive!

Without the belief that Jesus is alive, Mary had no hope.

The word "stoop" is parakypto in Greek and it means "To look at with head bowed forward."

Mary received hope because she stooped or bowed her head forward.  "Stoop" seems to me to be a kneeling position, the position of prayer.  In the position of prayer, her viewpoint eventually changed.

Her understanding came as she knelt down and sought answers, slowly, each step revealing new enlightenment.  She could not see the True Hope was right there in front of her. Hope was literally right there in front of her eyes.  Jesus was standing there...ALIVE!  

"Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus." John 20:14

Friends, I want you to know that Jesus is standing right in front of you.  I know you may feel empty inside, but as long as the tomb is empty, we can be full!

The tomb is empty because Jesus is alive!  Your circumstances may look dismal and bleak.  It may appear that all hope is lost, but Hope is standing right there!

Bow your head and eventually everything will become clear.  You will see Hope standing right in front of you.  

Do you know what I love about Jesus?  No weeping is insignificant.  No tears are misplaced.  He is standing by His beloved even when our vision is fogged or faulty.  Even when we are blinded to His presence right in front of our eyes, He calls. He waits. He answers.

The Living Hope is standing right in front of you today.  We soberly remember Good Friday and the goodness of our Lord and Savior Jesus.  We reflect on the price paid for our freedom and salvation.
And we celebrate His glory and victory over sin and death!  We celebrate the empty tomb!  Jesus is not in the grave.  He is alive and standing right in front of us!

Stoop down and look.

Happy Resurrection Sunday!!!  He is ALIVE!!!