aka Just Let Him Love You!
Guess who we FINALLY got to meet this week? Yep... Lil' Miss!
She was OH SO WORTH THE WAIT, y'all!
But I digress. Here we go: This is a Five Minute Friday post, which simply means I set a timer and free write for five minutes flat on the one word prompt of: ACCEPT
{GO}
I know... I promise you I will try to pace myself with all things Baby but you've got to know that she is at the forefront of --well, everything, right now!
When I saw the prompt this week, my instant flashback was of course of this precious newbie, snuggled safely in arms... softly kissed as she is drawn near, simply accepting the warmth and security and love being poured out and prayed in to her --all while she was blissfully at rest!
My next thought was of this phrase that I can't seem to let go of! I pray it on Sunday mornings over our congregation, and I say it in texts and emails as I encourage friends and family who are going through all kinds of hard... it is this:
Just Let Him Love You!
(As if you could stop Him!)
It can't be done!
There is nothing --no thing-- you have done, you can do, or will ever think of doing in the future that will change, lessen, (strengthen!), or shift His great love for you!
No. There is no shadow of turning!
So you may as well give in a little and sit back and stop all the striving to earn or to control.
You may as well just let Him love you and accept His all consuming fiery, romantic, in-hot-pursuit, I-will-win-your-heart love that He is aiming directly at you!
Just say yes.
Accept the gift of grace... of life... of hope
that He is holding out for you!
I know life doesn't always feel like grace or a gift.
Trust me, sweet reader... I have had my share of hard.
Not just this summer --but most recently, a lot of summer days were met with hard and heavy. And yet - no matter what the struggle... He so constantly reminds me of this powerful Truth:
He has never lost a battle.
Never.
Not once.
And He battled and won.
He paid the price and captured my heart long, long ago and during amazing times (read: grand baby!) or difficult, I-can't-breathe-and-don't-want-this-to-be-real-life times too, all He is ever, ever asking of us is this:
"Accept the Gift of Me.
Accept the Gift of Love and Life
and Hope and Healing...
Accept the Gift of Grace and Good,
and Rest and Refreshing.
Accept that I, even more than you, know exactly what you need, when you need it,
and I am working things out for your good...
I can be trusted.
I promise you that."
So He invites you to lean back deep into His arms of Love,
and Let Him Love You!
{STOP}
I wish everything was immediate. Well, I think I do. So many things take way more time than I think they should --and yet, He is God and I am not and His timing (He assures me over and over again) is perfect. He IS at work... and He is working it out for our good!
I think so often when we are in the midst of a battle --we forget that it has already been won for us... and all we are being asked to do is to trust Him and accept His love, and enter in to His Rest (even if the storm is still raging!)
There is nothing --no thing-- you have done, you can do, or will ever think of doing in the future that will change, lessen, (strengthen!), or shift His great love for you!
No. There is no shadow of turning!
So you may as well give in a little and sit back and stop all the striving to earn or to control.
You may as well just let Him love you and accept His all consuming fiery, romantic, in-hot-pursuit, I-will-win-your-heart love that He is aiming directly at you!
Just say yes.
Accept the gift of grace... of life... of hope
that He is holding out for you!
I know life doesn't always feel like grace or a gift.
Trust me, sweet reader... I have had my share of hard.
Not just this summer --but most recently, a lot of summer days were met with hard and heavy. And yet - no matter what the struggle... He so constantly reminds me of this powerful Truth:
He has never lost a battle.
Never.
Not once.
And He battled and won.
He paid the price and captured my heart long, long ago and during amazing times (read: grand baby!) or difficult, I-can't-breathe-and-don't-want-this-to-be-real-life times too, all He is ever, ever asking of us is this:
"Accept the Gift of Me.
Accept the Gift of Love and Life
and Hope and Healing...
Accept the Gift of Grace and Good,
and Rest and Refreshing.
Accept that I, even more than you, know exactly what you need, when you need it,
and I am working things out for your good...
I can be trusted.
I promise you that."
So He invites you to lean back deep into His arms of Love,
and Let Him Love You!
{STOP}
I think so often when we are in the midst of a battle --we forget that it has already been won for us... and all we are being asked to do is to trust Him and accept His love, and enter in to His Rest (even if the storm is still raging!)
Linking up with Kate Motaung and the #fmfparty Community today. Five Minute Fridays gives us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click HERE to read what others have to say about: "ACCEPT"
The FMF lowdown: The gathering happens on Twitter on Thursday nights & then we write our hearts out & hit publish all over the interwebs on Thursday & Friday (& sometimes on Tuesdays!) It's where we encourage & uplift... where we share prayer requests & praise reports... where we talk food & friends & we find support & kindred hearts. It's where we are reminded that life is good & God is good & we're not alone... & then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts & our fingers do the talking tapping & we hit publish before we can second guess it all away. We'd love to have you join us!
Despite trying to pray my way out of it, the Lord has put two series on my heart for Fall/Winter. One will be a bit lighter and fun --so that is the one I will be diving in to for the month of October as I join in with 1000's of other writers for the #Write31Days challenge. Stay tuned for more info --but rest assured, it WILL involve Baby Adorableness -of course!
The other will happen later this year, possibly in to the next. But it will stem from a previous Five Minute Friday post: If They're Gonna Know Us By Our Love... We Have Work To Do.
I hope you will join me for both! (If you are not yet a Subscriber, you can enter your email address in the 'Subscribe Here' space at the top right of this blog. I send out one email per week, with links to every post. So you won't be overwhelmed, but you are sure not to miss anything, too!)
I'm also linking up with the lovely writer communities linked below:
Oh, yes, I hear Him speak these words to me! "You may as well just let Him love you and accept His all consuming fiery, romantic, in-hot-pursuit, I-will-win-your-heart love that He is aiming directly at you!" Why do we resist, when He has so much more love for us? Thank you for sharing this today! Hugs and Blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteI don't know WHY we do this... but I'm pretty sure that we all do!
DeleteHugs and Blessings right back to you, Bettie!
What a great word about accepting God's great love for us -- just the way that sweet new baby simply accepts and trusts in the love and security that surround her. May we all have that deep trust in the Father.
ReplyDeleteJeannie (#54 in FMF - and right below you in the Facebook linkup post!)
Right? She doesn't fight us - or try to earn our love. She rests in knowing that there is more love for her than she could ever possible consume! Thanks so much for stopping by, Jeannie!
DeleteI immediately thought of you and sweet Evelyn Rose when I saw the word prompt last night. Leaning in with you and letting God love all of us. It's such a beautiful incredible gift. And is being poured over that sweet granddaughter now too. Love you friend!
ReplyDeleteLove you too, sweet friend! Lil Miss is most definitely, undeniably, extravagantly loved! (As are we!)
DeleteBeautiful post, Karrilee. Yes, He has never lost a battle and we can trust Him wholeheartedly knowing that He will do what is best.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you! xo
Right? I know sometimes I forget this... but that doesn't make it any less True! Blessings right back to you, Gayl! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThank you so much for this reminder Karrilee! It is so hard for me to slow down, stop, and accept His love for me. I need to find rest in His love and stop trying to bandaid myself up with temporary fixes that don't work, and then I wonder why I am all snappy and grumpy with my kids. Thank you for this reminder that resting with God needs to happen so that I can be the wife and mama, my husband and kids need me to be.
ReplyDeleteOye - those bandaid fixes are always so very temporary and lacking, aren't they? We all do it... but His Love is forever and there is no lack in Him! Self Care. Self Care. Self Care. (especially when it involves soul care and spending time with Him!) xoxo
DeleteCongrats on the arrival of Little Miss! Oh such truth in your words here. He keeps pursuing us back into His arms, doesn't He? So thankful for His all-consuming love and that He never, ever stops pursuing us. Enjoy that precious grandbaby.
ReplyDeleteOh I am so thankful, too! Thanks so much, Anna! We are pretty smitten with her already!
DeleteJesus is like a Navy corpsman working with God's Finest, the United States marines.
ReplyDeleteEven if you're an enemy, He'll give you the same care He would give any Marine...if you'll just accept his gentle care.
#1 at FMF this week.
https://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2017/09/your-dying-spouse-365-i-live-impossible.html
Such a powerful picture, Andrew! So thankful that all we have to do is accept. (Sometimes, however, if I am being honest --I still try to earn it!)
DeleteAlways blessed to have you stop by, brother!
Praying for you!
OH...CONGRATULATIONS on Little Miss! In finding the time to write even five minutes with a new baby is one giant step, but to write such a special post reminding me of the loving arms of our God. He does wrap us up in His love. Accepting this also reminds me of the ways I do not accept compliments from others very well, very gracefully. They want to know that I accept what they say, so I must accept with grace, cherishing the kind words, the love, the tender care that comes my way.
ReplyDeleteCaring through Christ, ~ linda
Thanks, Linda! I should clarify... I didn't have the Lil Miss... my girlie did, making me a Mimi!
DeleteOh so good! I am learning to let go too friend. It is a freeing thing.
ReplyDeleteYes and Amen... it's for freedom that we've been set free!
Deletexoxo
Thanks, Stephanie! I think we can ALL use that reminder from time to time, right? And thanks for the feedback about the series... The 31Days series will be lighter but we will dig in to the other series later this year!
ReplyDelete