Have you ever stood totally blown away by someone’s overwhelming, unexpected kindness and goodness? My mind drifts back to a dreaded weekend right in the middle of May 2009. I had been invited to a three-day spiritual retreat, which I begrudgingly accepted. I was going to have to leave behind my family (and cell phone), be around people I didn’t know, let go of keeping up with the time, and give up a full weekend!! Talk about fear, pride, and selfishness! I was full of myself!! By the end of the weekend, I was totally taken back by the enormous love and generosity of the 130 people who graciously served me along with 39 others who were in the same frame of mind (so I thought). Finding out later, these servants had been preparing for this three-day event almost every weekend for a full year was mind-boggling to my narrow-mindedness and egotistical thinking. How could this be? How could they give up such precious time to love and pour out their heart and soul to people they didn’t even know? I had much to learn!
What was lovingly demonstrated to me over that short span of time began the transformation of my life’s journey of coming to “know” God and His unconditional love for me. Throughout the years of my mediocre Christian life, I only “knew of” God. I merely went through the motion of checking the boxes: going to church, reading my Bible (hmm?), taking food to the sick, and reluctantly playing the part of a Christian because I thought that’s what was expected. Why this shallow thinking? Because God was not the priority in my life. Ouch! When I got back home, I began to get into the Word, hungry to get to know this Jesus! Being shown this kind of love as I’d never appreciated before, I realized there was a huge void in my life that needed to be filled. Getting to know Jesus on a deep, personal level was my highest priority.
To develop deep relationships, quality time together, undivided attention, and trust is a must, so I was on a mission. I began to jump out of bed early in the morning with great anticipation of getting into the Word, studying the life of Jesus, and talking with Him. Because God had gotten the leftovers during my half-hearted attempts earlier in my life, there was much catching up to do!
During this time, the Spirit gently led me to recognize that my striving to earn His love could never cause Him to love me more. And no matter my faults, God would never love me any less. I didn’t have to be perfect before coming into His presence. I came to know that to fear God didn’t mean He was an angry judge trying to find a reason to disown me. I began to grasp the concept that to fear God was recognizing His attributes as being holy, almighty, righteous, pure, all-knowing, all-powerful, loving, and gracious, and I was sinful, weak, frail, needy and selfish. I concluded life was not about me, and I couldn’t, nor do I want to do, life without Him!
Through this process of deepening this intimate (into-me-see) relationship, I have come to realize He already knows everything about me (good or not-so-good), and He still loves me. How about you? Do you know there is no greater love we could possibly know than the love of a Father who would send His only spotless, blameless Son to die for the sins of such unworthy and prideful people? I am reminded of a song that speaks of God’s amazing love:
“I’m forgiven because You were forsaken
I’m accepted, You were condemned
I’m alive and well
Your Spirit is within me
Because You died and rose again
Amazing love how can it be?
That my King would die for me
Amazing love I know it’s true
It’s my joy to honor You
In all I do
I honor You”
(Amazing Love -See below and turn the volume up!)
Because of the blood of Jesus and His selfless sacrifice to show us what real love is, then “Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.” 1 John 4:11 This real love brightly sparkled through the lives of those precious folks triggering me to want what they had. I finally was able to grasp the love they spread so freely and abundantly. When you KNOW you are loved, then you understand ‘how it can be’ and you “want” to share His love! As His child, do you truly KNOW you are fully, overwhelmingly, and passionately loved by our God? Go forth and be blown away by His amazing love!
“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10
Kim King
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#kimkingblogs
“Amazing Love” by Newsboys
