I Corinthians 8:2-3 - "Known"

At 4AM and again when the clock went off at 6:30 these words were going through my mind...

How real, how wide
How rich, how high is Your heart
I cannot find the reasons why
You give me so much

I'm fully known and loved by You
You won't let go no matter what I do
And it's not one or the other
It's hard truth and ridiculous grace
To be known fully known and loved by You
I'm fully known and loved by You

God is so good! When I strayed, He never left me. When I turned my back on Him, He still loved me. When I walked back into His arms, He embraced me. He loves me so much. Last night as the children and I talked about His love, I was blessed with the way many of them spoke of the need for us to stay focused on Him. That is where we will feel His love the greatest because the need to fulfill our own desires is gone. As one walks in obedience to His will they will become more Christ-like. As this happens, our faith will go deeper. I explained to the children last night that when disappointments or tough times come our way God will help us. He may not take them away because He wants us to grow deeper in our faith through tough times. Some of the children are living with Grandma due to the death of both parents. One shared last night that she gets disappointed when her Daddy doesn't come home when he says he will due to be a long-distance truck driver. One shared how there are two children in his class that are mean to him. Disappointments are things we all have to handle. I don't remember being taught at church to lean on Jesus as a child but I want to make sure my Tuesday night children are taught this. My parents lived a life of faith which modeled for me how to live. All of their health issues, my twenty-one year old sister being murdered, the sexual abuse I endured, etc. gave them a lot of experience with drawing deeper in their faith. I believe their relationship with God brought about the gift He gave them with my Daddy's last couple of hours on this earth. Their love story had the most beautiful ending on this earth. It was definitely God orchestrated. I desire to live for Him with such a great faith. I know God loves me and desires for me to give myself fully to Him. The desire of my heart is to fulfill the desire of His heart every day. Each day is a gift He gives us. We can open up the gift with expectancy or we can discard it and open it later. We can take the gift He gives us today and embrace it as we walk in His will or we can open it and put it aside because we don't want to give up what our flesh desires. We all have the choice of allowing Him full control or hanging onto bits and pieces of our fleshly desires. Oh how I pray for more people to surrender today. I pray for more people to surrender their heart to Him. I pray for more people who have surrendered their heart to Him surrender their whole being to Him. That is where the greatest life is found.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the strength You provided yesterday. Thank You for the way You love on me so greatly. Thank You for the peace You gave yesterday as I walked in for my mammogram. I was so grateful to not emotionally fall apart as I waited. This was the first time since the breast cancer I didn't. Thank You for the initial results being good. Thank You for the way You empowered me to be Your witness while I was there. Thank You for the time with the children last night and a good night's sleep. Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of Your love. Go before me today and pave the way for me to share You to all I meet. I pray my Tuesday night children will remember You love them as they face disappointments in life. Thank You for being My Fullness. Amen.