His love is solid

Upon finally gathering my thoughts and at least attempting to put the main points of Puerto Rico into words, I can finally move on with the more specific, in-depth lessons that the Father graciously engraved into my mind and heart.  I hope you all faithful readers have been sitting in the same position as when I last left you, constantly refreshing the page in hopes of a promised update.

Yeah, right........

Oh, this post might blow your mind.  Because what I am about to explain blew my mind.  But hey, that's how God works.  Just a warning.

I talked a little about the spiritual warfare that I experienced in Puerto Rico throughout the week and how, by Saturday, I could clearly see that God was triumphant and that He fought on my behalf to demolish any seeds of doubt that the devil tried to plant in my mind.  Why did God fight for me?  He loves me.

No, really.  He loves you, too.  And I have proof.  Well, I always have proof and so do you, but this is really humorous and funny and just down right awesome proof.  And it's proof of how cool God is.  Let me just explain.

Our camp was stationed right on the beach.  We could literally walk about 30 seconds down to the beach, which made for great hammocking and relaxation and even greater quiet times with God.

On Saturday, after a long week of work and war, I went out to spend some time writing in my journal and reading my bible and just praying and listening and other still and reverent things that were hard to do throughout the week (and are hard to do in the busyness of life, if you want to draw a correlation) before we headed off to the Puerto Rican rain forest.  I really needed this time, I mean, I really needed it.  My mind had been so chaotic and the week had been so busy yet wonderful, but it was so refreshing to sit out by the beach and just pour out my heart to God.  And so I did just that.

As I look back and read what I had written that morning, a lot of it is screaming things like, "I want more!" and "My heart yearns for You!" and "Do not stop!" and the like.  I remember feeling so overwhelmed at the strength that God had provided me that week and everything that He had done and the conversations He led me to have with people that I was dumbfounded at the fact that I could even sit in that place and look at the beautiful waves and have a one-on-one, intimate conversation with the Creator of all things and just to be given that--Wow, talk about undeserving.  He had given me enough already!

I was pounded with the realization of blessings in that one instant and it overwhelmed me.  Sometimes I feel like I use the word overwhelmed too much, but then I realize that "overwhelmed" usually means to the point beyond words so that explains that.

Wow, my stream of consciousness is in high gear today!  I am overwhelmed...

Getting to the point, I finished up my quiet time with a refreshed heart and eager emotions to go jump off of cliffs with God (literally), to go on adventures with Him, and to continue throughout the day what God had started in me that morning.  I decided I probably needed to wind down before I hit the public scene and started conversing with others because I was still a bit filled at that point and would have probably been a blubbering mess if I would have went straight to human interaction.  Well, that was unavoidable.

I started to take a stroll down the beach to attempt to gather myself and at least tone down the goofy grin on my face and, I KID YOU NOT, the first thing I saw was this rock.  Oh, but it was not just any rock.  This rock is shaped EXACTLY like a heart--no dispute.

Immediately, I picked that rock up and I honestly and sincerely and obliviously looked around--up, down, left, right--because I was certain that God had to be somewhere around there.  He had to be.  And He was.

Needless to say, I was a mess.

My emotions are not word-worthy.  I was overwhelmed.  I couldn't use words and I couldn't stop smiling and I couldn't stop thinking about how much God loved me.  And I still can't.

I showed that rock off that day--I showed off God's love!  Isn't that what we are supposed to do?  And how can we not, with all that He has given us?

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  -1 John 3:1

I know what you're thinking, I definitely look like a child in that picture.

I take that rock with me everywhere.  I mean, it is straight from the Lord.  There were a ton of rocks on that beach; it is no coincidence that I stumbled upon that one.  He gave it to me, he carved it out in that shape with His own two hands.  Why?  Because He loves me.  All the time, when I fail, when I mess up, when I don't love Him back, when I am disobedient, when I feel near to Him, when I heed His call, when I bear fruit, when I ignore Him, when I deserve it least.  His love is solid.

I didn't even get to the cliff diving part, or the K-mart part, or the glowing bay part.  Oh well.  God pretty much redirected this post.  But He has rights to do so.

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; 

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 

2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving

  and extol him with music and song. 

3 For the LORD is the great God,  

 the great King above all gods. 

4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,  

 and the mountain peaks belong to him. 

5 The sea is his, for he made it,  

 and his hands formed the dry land. 

6 Come, let us bow down in worship,  

 let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; 

7 for he is our God  and we are the people 

of his pasture, the flock under his care.

-Psalm 95:1-7