Desert Journey – Day 7
The desert is starting to grow on me. The tranquility is soothing. I thank Jesus for being with me. He smiles with a sense of delight and I feel love. Love is a funny thing; it is something we experience, feel and know. Ask anyone about love and you are likely to get as many different answers as people you asked. Maybe it is because we each experience love in a unique way. I’m just wondering…
Jesus says, “let’s go for a walk.” We climb off the rock and head further into the desert.
Cherish is a word I have been pondering as of late. To cherish means to be protected and cared for lovingly; to hold someone dear; to keep in one’s mind. Being cherished is a desire of my heart, maybe of every human heart. Lord, how can I experience being cherished, to the fullness that you intended?
My spirit stirs. Love requires vulnerability. To be vulnerable requires action. The action of letting down my guard, removing barriers of protection I may have erected around my heart. My mind wanders to Adam and Eve. Before the fall they stood naked and exposed. They must have felt protected and cared for, held dear and cherished, by their Creator. When sin and shame entered, they covered themselves, no longer vulnerable, and they hid behind what they could find. Perhaps, hiding is inherited, an innate characteristic passed on.
This is not to question God’s infinite love. His love is constant and unconditional. I ask myself, if this is the case, that God’s love is as described, or as I intellectualize, do I feel, believe and ultimately live as if it is true? I can only look inward and examine my own heart and take note of where it might be hiding.
Jesus shows me burrows in the desert floor where animals hide. In the desert, the elements are harsh and an environment of hiding and seeking shelter are encouraged, similar to our world. And yet the One who loves and cherishes is drawing me out.
I am reminded of a song by Steffany Gretzinger of Bethel Music, “Come out of Hiding”
Come out of hiding, you’re safe here with me
There’s no need to cover what I already see
You’ve got your reasons, but I hold your peace
You’ve been on lockdown and I hold the key
Cause I loved before you knew what was love
And I saw it all, still I chose the cross
And you were the one that I was thinking of
When I rose from the grave
“And yet the one who loves and cherished. draws me out”Thank you for sharing your word and Songwriter’s words in her song. Touched me deeply. I have added to my daily notes of inspiration. Thank you for sharing what is in your heart.
Love does require vulnerability! I am becoming more and more surrendered to Jesus everyday! I cherish Him. And I know He cherishes me! ❤
God’s love takes away the need to hide, deny or be anything other than real. I love knowing that He knows and loves anyway. Thank you for sharing your Desert Journey.
Vulnerability has definitely helped me connect to others. I wonder if we are meant to turn it into strength, or leave it as a foundation of submission? A check to pride and self sufficiency? Something I will have to ponder.