One Sided Romance

After doing a 4 year intense study of the Bible, Richard Foster was asked what was the core message of scripture, he answered...

"God is saying: I want to be with you, do you want to be with me?"

We have been at the conference for a few days now, and I have been asking God to reveal things about myself as we embark on this huge transition. I was up feeding the baby then laying in bed praying because sleep eluded my jet-lagged self.  It occurred to me in the stillness of my boys sleeping around me that my life is full. A soon to be two year old, a 1 month old that eats every 3 hours, a husband and around 12 diapers a day, adds up to a wonderfully full life. 

As i was praying i was realizing how easy it would be to completely ignore the giver of life. To let small blessings pass me by, to be unaware of God's love towards me. Could I be inside the most epic one sided romance? Do I overlook the million ways he tries to connect and woo me with that still small voice. Then a the popular book 'One Thousand Gifts' came to mind, the book is written by a mother of 7 kids who was constantly burned out in her faith. The book is about this woman finding  a heart of thanksgiving amidst life. She does this simply by recognizing God in her life, and writes them down, a journal of short praises, turning into a life song of 1000 gifts.

She connects this with the concept of 'Eucharisto" in the new testament. Before every miracle Jesus performed, he first gave thanks to the father.  Through thanksgiving, we are filled with His spirit and power, a supernatural transformation of the heart and supernatural  outflow of the Holy Spirit. The act of thanksgiving is Eucharisto. So in the spirit of that, and in asking God the question, God realistically can i know you in the midst of Life, he simply answers: "notice my love". 

a meager beginning to my own 1000 gifts...

1.  Corn fields in Holland

2. blue puppies on toilette paper

3. Soren's  'I just woke up' face

4. tiny feet

5. Being giddy about God

6. 250 new workers for the harvest

7. hot tea on a cool morning

8. baby lips

9. 45 minuet cuddle sleep with Soren

10. Watching my husband pray

11. Pile of goat poop

12. old hymns

13. "bunnies and goats"

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