INDEPENDENCE DAY

You know, I'm not the type that gets all excited over the 4th of July. I'm never the girl planning the barbecue or showing up at the cookout decked out in red, white and blue. In fact, this weekend, I didn't really have any plans at all. But, sometimes things turn out best when you just don't make any plans. This weekend was definitely one of those times.

I'm so thankful I got to spend time with family this weekend. And I even got to meet some really cool new people, too. But, the real blessing was the Lord allowing me to see all of these people thru his eyes. As I sat and listened to the conversations around me, I noticed that everyone had one thing in common. We all just want to be heard.

Whether we're reminiscing about old high school days, talking about how passionate we are about painting, beaming and bragging about our kids, or just talking about the rooftop view, we all want to be heard. We want to be heard and we want to relate and connect with other people. And, how nice it is to hear your thoughts come out of someone else's mouth. You ever notice how excited people get when someone puts into words what they've been thinking all along?

So, I got to see such beautiful people this weekend. An amazing artist with a condo seemingly decorated with bits of her very soul. It was beautiful. People dancing to salsa with their eyes closed just tuning out their worries and turning up the music. A woman finally realizing that she can cry, that it's okay, and long overdue. A grandfather speaking of his wife who passed and in the same breath glorifying the Lord. A little girl standing on her daddy's feet blowing bubbles in the back yard. Masses of people flocking to the riverfront to be dazzled by the fireworks and looking up at the sky in awe.

God sees us for who we really are. He knows our hearts. He knows what we struggle with every day. He looks past our sin to the very core of our being. He knows us because He created each and every one of us. He formed us in the womb. He knows who we are and what He created us to be. Sometimes we get so hung up on the things that we've done wrong that we try to hide from Him, or even worse, blame Him. I got to see some of God's children this weekend, for who they really are. I got to see the parts of them that sometimes get covered with anger and resentment. But, the gifts that God has given to you never go away. We might bury them under bitterness, and regret, and shame. But, all that God created us to be is still there.

How do we find out what's deep down inside of every one of us? We go straight to the One who made us. Bypass other people, stereotypes, outside circumstances, and even the church.

GO STRAIGHT TO GOD.

You want to be heard? He wants to hear you. He never gets tired of listening. He loves you with a love that's bigger than you could ever imagine. If you have children, I think you might have a little glimpse of what He feels toward every single one of us. Nothing can ever get in the way of that. Nothing!

Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Here's to pursuing what's deep down inside, not the temporary stuff that you can buy. Sometimes it's easier to see the value of others, and not yourself. But, who are we to say what God can do and with whom? I mean, HELLO, HE'S GOD! He is the ALL-mighty, not the 'strong enough for some people and not others'. He is the ALL-powerful, not the 'only able to heal some and not others'. YOU ARE NOT THE EXCEPTION. Believe that! The Lord is who He is and always has been. We need to run to Him. He's been waiting for us all along.