"And I pray that you (plural), having been permanently rooted and firmly established in love, together with all the saints my be able to take into yourselves how wide and long and high and deep, and know by experience the love of Christ, which is beyond ever fully experiencing, so that you (plural) may be overflowingly filled with all of the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:17b-19, my paraphrase).
Papa has had me returning of late to an exploration of His love for me. Not that He ever really has me leave it, of course, but whenever He know that I really need a refreshing dose of His love, He invites me to dive more deeply into the endless depths of His love.
Part of the journey into the depths this time has been a re-reading of Brennan Manning's Abba's Child, and I came across some remarkably thought-provoking and heart-piercing quotes as I read this remarkable book. I share just a couple of them here.
"While the impostor draws his identity from past achievements and the adulation of others, the true self claims its identity in its belovedness."
"Being the beloved is our identity, the core of our existence. It is not merely a lofty thought, an inspiring idea, one name among many. It is the name by which God knows us and the way He relates to us."
"When I allow God to liberate myself from unhealthy dependence upon people, I listen more attentively, love more unselfishly, and am more compassionate and playful. I take myself less seriously, become aware that the breath of the Father is on my face and that my countenance is bright with laughter in the midst of an adventure I thoroughly enjoy."
Wonderful thoughts, eh? I was especially captured this time by the notion of thinking of myself and other believers as "the beloved." Do I really think of myself, me, Tom Wymore, as God's beloved? In theory I do, and to some extent and in some ways at some times, I actually "get it" just a little. But if I am honest, I will be the first to admit that "Papa's beloved" doesn't feel like a good fit all the time. What about you?
And so I press on and press in to Father's love, sitting, soaking, waiting.... Brennan Manning rightly observes, "the indispensable condition for developing and maintaining awareness of our belovedness is time alone with God." And so I wait until my inner self becomes still (Psalm 131:1-2 often comes to mind as I "still my heart."). And because God is far more eager to stubbornly love me, understanding comes and I am undone!
I also choose to spend time with others who "get it" as we seek to become saturated together. Try it, you will like it!
I leave you today with a thought as to why this approach to knowing the love of God is so important. It's because we must begin with the certainty that God is love, that we are indeed the beloved, not with "If God loves me, He will..." Even a quick reading of the lofty description of God's love in Romans 8:35-39 reveals that God's love doesn't mean that we won't suffer in this life! Obviously God reserves the right, as well He should, to define what His love looks like. And define it He has! "God proves His love for us in that while we were sinners Christ died for us." "If God be for us, who can be against us?" "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all--how will He not also, along with Him, give us all things?" (Romans 5:8, 8:31b-32)
And so I will begin and continue with this knowledge: I am endlessly and stubbornly loved! I am one of the many who is "the beloved" of the God of the Universe! My identity, my future, my purpose, everything, begins and continues in this one eternally experienced truth.
Tom, one of Papa's beloved
1 comment:
Thank you again, Tom. The more time I spend "with" you, the more I realize that intimacy with God requires community. Yes, we must be careful that intimacy within our community doesn't replace our intimacy with God, but experiencing God's love in community teaches me more about his amazing love.
When I find myself alone, somehow not in community, God's limitless love is limited by my own understanding. I only know what I know. Yes God can and does at times reveal himself to individuals, but as I read the word it seems that even those times are expected to impact those we live with in community as well.
I love all 3 of my kids, deeply and uniquely. They are special to me and they are unique. As they see, even experience, how I love them differently, their understanding of how I love is expanded. Now consider how they feel when they see some of the public ways I love their mother, my wife- more expansion, deeper understanding of my love.
This of course goes on, as they experience the beginning of new friendships with people we welcome into our home and those relationships begin to grow. Better still when they get to meet friends we've known since before we all had kids.
So, again, thank you Tom letting all who wish to tag along with you as you follow Christ. You are definitely expanding my capacity to experience God's love for me. When we can get a better glimpse of how we're loved, when we can sometimes "get it" even while we see dimly, it fans the flame- oh what a great hope we have to one day know as we are known and experience the immensity of his limitless love.
Learning to stay Lost in his Love,
Tony
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