Renewed and Redeemed

"Sometimes God has to redeem you from the things that He saved you through."

Talking with a close friend, she spoke this revelation to me. It's weight hit me like a ton of bricks. The very things that I had wanted to cling to because they were comfortable and familiar, I've had to let the Lord redeem me from. And though He has had to redeem me from them, these same things, He used to draw me to His side. I've asked the Lord so many times why He allowed me to go through certain things or even experience good things He would eventually take away from me...I've never had an answer such as this one.

When we are in a place of desperation and hurt, sometimes the Lord's love is too much for us to receive, so He'll use whatever means He can to keep us alive, all the while pursuing us, drawing us to His side. If we won't receive His love then He uses whatever He can to give us a glimpse of Him, while knowing that eventually He'll take that from us when we are ready to receive His love. Because, ultimately, that thing or experience we held onto was not the final plan. The ultimate plan was for us to be drawn into the Father's arms. You see, He can make beauty from ashes. He can take what seemed to be bad and use it for good. That's because we have a God who is all loving and all good all of the time! That's the nature and character of God.

A soft sigh, a deep breath of revelation...The Kingdom of God is always moving forward. We have to let go and take hold of the new things set before us. This is the journey the Lord has taken me on the last 5 years that I have known Him. There have been times that He has had to pry my fingers from these things, but He always puts His hand in mine to replace what I previously clung to.

There is nothing that is permanent in this life save the love of God. This we must grasp and internalize.

I sit here while raindrops gently blanket the afternoon, and I see that the Lord renews all things in time. This process of renewal is beautiful and alive. Receive it with joy!