The Love Connection

Was there ever a time in your life when you suddenly, inexplicably felt connected to someone so strongly that it was almost overwhelming? The love that flowed between you was almost electric. When you were in his/her presence there was so much energy pulsating that you literally glowed. I pray that sometime in your life, you have experienced that kind of love. But more importantly my prayer is that you have felt that way about your relationship with our Lord and are still glowing as a result of it. The indefinable love of God in our lives can indeed be that powerful, that overwhelming, that energizing. However we cannot ever take it for granted.

Romans 8:39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed nothing in all of creation - will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Nothing in all of creation ~ that is a powerful statement. It might lead some people to believe that once they have experienced the love of God, it can never disappear from their lives. The reality is that I know many individuals who love the Lord but feel as if He is not speaking to them, or worse that He is not concerned about their circumstances. If He loved them so much, why are their lives in such chaos? Why does it feel as if nothing will ever be right in their lives? Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt distant from the love of God and felt darkness closing in around you?

Having suffered through depression, I know what it is to be in a deep dark hole and not want to connect with anyone. Personally, I knew God was with me in the hole, but it was still incredibly dark. I did not want to get out; life was just too hard at that moment. I wanted to be with Him in eternity and be done with this earth/life stuff. I was not suicidal; I just had no desire to continue fighting the good fight. So where was this powerful love of God from which no power could separate me?

It was right there. Do you know why I could not embrace the love? Read the last phrase in the scripture above - that is revealed in Christ Jesus, our Lord. If I want to experience the fullness of the love of God, I must look for it in Christ Jesus. I need to understand that it is not just laying out there like the dust that occasionally covers my furniture. :-) No the love of God about which Paul is writing is more like the beautiful wildflowers that grow in the depths of the forest. If you want to enjoy their beauty and their fragrance you must go look for them, then bend down and inhale their scent. We must seek Jesus in our lives and when we encounter Him do everything we can to enjoy the fullness of His presence. We do have a responsibility in this relationship.

There are seasons in all of our lives when our circumstances can be so burdensome that we feel as if we are in the depths of the forest with no sunshine breaking through. As hard as it is during those seasons, we must seek the revelation love of Christ. It is only through His love and His carrying our burden that we can move out of that darkness, that heaviness. More than any other time in our lives we need to pursue Him and believe that His love is powerful, healing and available to us.

It is true, there is no power in the sky above or in the earth below that will ever separate us from the love of God - except us. We can separate ourselves from Him. We can make the decision to turn our backs on what He is offering to us and immerse ourselves in the muck and mire of our lives. You don't have to deny the existence of God to separate yourselves from Him. You simply ignore His outstretched hand and His waiting arms. Were you ever lost as a child and felt that desperation of being totally alone and fearing that your mom or dad will never find you - or you them? As a parent, I have experienced one of my sons wandering away on a crowded boardwalk at the beach when my attention was on his little brother. One moment and he was gone. We searched and searched fear growing in our hearts, then suddenly we saw that red striped shirt and that coal black hair as he meandered towards us. The irony was he was not lost in his eyes; he was just checking things out.

How about you? Are you just checking things out and temporarily wandered away from the love of your Father God and your precious Savior Jesus not forgetting the infinite power of Holy Spirit quietly waiting inside you for recognition again? Or perhaps you are lost in the depths of the forest and don't see the sunshine or the wildflowers. Let me encourage you to turn running back to Him. Let Him embrace you and reassure you of how much He loves you and misses you. He did not leave us; we wandered away from Him. He is there waiting - go and enjoy His love in its fullness!