The Long Arms of God's Love

She sends me a text message every morning.

Friends for decades before we took a road trip to Florida together, that experience solidified our relationship, bringing it from the past to the present, and sealing it in laughter and love. Every day since we took that trip we’ve texted each other first thing in the morning. Usually nothing lengthy, our communication is normally just a quick word to let the other know that she is on our mind and in our heart, sent with prayers for a good day ahead filled with joy, love, and multiple cups of coffee.

Usually Mary reaches out to me first, a “ping” on my phone during my devotional time alerting me to the fact that her message has come in, and a smile hits my lips before I even check to see what she has to say. There is often a picture with the text, one that almost always includes a shot of a cup of coffee. She knows me well! We rarely (if ever!) miss a day.

But she’s not the only Best Friend who faithfully greets me at the start of each day.

This morning when I awoke I took my dog out to do her business first thing, and there, already waiting for me was God, extending His Love out to me in long arms of sunlight stretching through the trees to the ground, and putting a smile on my face and joy in my heart, without His even saying a word. The knowledge that He was already waiting in anticipation of our upcoming time together delighted me, and I hurried back in to get that first cup of coffee and drink deeply of His love as I looked into His Word, longing to hear His thoughts on the day ahead.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

(Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)

Celebrating Freedom in June... ahead of July

Juneteenth was not a holiday that was commonly celebrated in the California culture I knew as a kid. It wasn’t until I moved to Texas in the early 1980’s that I ever heard anything about it, and that only because I saw people celebrating in force all around me there, and wondered what was going on. It’s interesting that it was only in the year before I moved there that Texas became the first state to declare the date a paid state holiday.

It is a celebration of the freedom of slaves, celebrated early on with prayer meetings and church-centered activities. Nowadays, family gatherings, community festivals and educational events mark the date. I especially loved reading that it was common to wear new clothes on that date, as a way to celebrate new-found freedom! How fun!

When I lived in Texas, it seemed that the holiday was celebrated primarily by Black Americans. Today that is not the case, as Americans of every race and color join in the festivities that honor the righting of a terrible wrong. And that is as it should be, because regardless of our cultural history, spiritually we have all been freed from slavery to sin by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Every day, then, should be a spiritual “Juneteenth” celebration as we shake off our shackles and don the new clothes of the fruits of the Spirit, that we might walk in the newness of life for the rest of our days.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

(Photo credit: Unsplash/VitaliiAbakumov)