Day 11: With Open Arms

Today someone sent me a message asking how I maintained hope in God during a specific, hard season of my life they knew I had gone through. It was such a raw, beautiful question that I always love being asked yet there is never a way to fully put into words what God did for me in that time of my life and so many times before.

Over a year ago I was engaged to be married and God stepped me out of that step of engagement into singleness again. I didn't understand why, and honestly, I didn't even have the energy to ask Him why. All I could do was weep. All I could do was lay there in what felt like my tiny, helpless human-ness and weep. And the only place I knew to run, the only place I knew I had found healing in the heartbreak before was in the arms of God. Though I had put this engagement so high on a pedestal, making it affect every decision I made and giving it the greatest portion of my focus and energy, though I had let this earthly thing consume me and take first place in my life and had not fully laid it at the feet of my Creator, He was still there when I came running back home with His arms wide open...

That's what unconditional love is. The love that doesn't turn away even when they've given all and you've ignored them and only paid attention when there was something in it for you. Love that doesn't fade or fail even when you've run time and time again. Love that says, "It doesn't matter how far you've run, child... just come back home". That's the love of Abba, our Heavenly Father.

We always have hope in the love of God. Even when we feel hopeless, there is still hope. When we feel faithless, He can and will give us faith, if we will only ask the One who gives so joyfully.

For the days you feel you've gone too far, there is forgiveness for that. For the days when you can't see in front of you and don't understand why you are going through what you're going through, there is faith for that. For the days that you want to give up, the days when you lie on the floor weeping with heartbreak... Trust me, brothers and sisters, there is definitely, exceedingly more hope for that than you could ever ask or imagine. No matter your condition, God's love remains unconditional. It doesn't matter where you are at or not at, there is always a place for you to come running for love... and if you listen closely to His heart, you can hear the Father calling you home... and, as always, with open arms.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29

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CG