Jonah is an encourager at heart. He has a ridiculous way with words (literally read what he wrote, like dang), and a ridiculous talent for making anyone he is with feel like they matter and they are valuable. Jonah remembers people, he constantly yearns to understand people’s hearts, and he is an example of Christ to many! Jonah seeks people out – he is bold and passionate in faith.
Honestly, the journey that I’ve been walking through during this season of life has been filled with the Lord teaching me a whole bunch of things, more than I deserve or even know how to handle all at once most of the time! I’ve gained and gotten to pursue literally a countless number of opportunities and people, experienced a lot of loss, pain, and no’s, gone through probably my greatest moments, memories, and triumphs thus far, and yet I have also traversed every imaginable thing in between. One of the greatest blessings during this whirlwind of a time, especially for me as someone who is incredibly extroverted and people oriented, has been the sturdy, constant, and life giving community of people I have been privileged to walk alongside! However, maybe surprisingly, this is not what I’m gonna be diving into and sharing about; altogether though, reflecting on the combination of all these things has allowed the Lord to show me a whole new thing, which I think is super cool!
All of the aspects of my life that I’ve mentioned up to this point are, in a way, closely connected to what the Lord’s been not only reminding me of, but speaking over and constantly teaching me in the past few months, and that is this: He, and He alone, is so much more than anything I could ever possibly need, want, or imagine beyond my wildest dreams. You could take it all away, tear away every relationship, break down every earthly thing, and God in His never-ending glory would still go beyond the greatest desires of my heart. In a time where it feels as though a lot of us are being stripped away from our roles, built up identities, and every other aspect of our structured lives, the Lord is leaning in so closely and whispering that He and His love are more than enough, overpowering the loud yet meaningless chaos that the world tries to capture our affection with. Not only does He desire to be close each of us, but His love and grace is constant to a degree that we, in our ever-changing nature and lives cannot even truly fathom; basically, all the wonderful facets of the Lord are not going to leave us or forsake anytime soon, or ever for that matter.
It sounds so repetitive and simple, but it’s so easy to forget but even more so critical to live in the truth and freedom of the Lord’s sufficiency in every aspect of our lives. Looking at why God is greater than anyone whom I or anybody could encounter, it really boils down to a singular cornerstone that the Lord has revealed more to me about in recent weeks: His love. Yeah, it can be really easy to forget to live loved in the manner we’re called when we live in the wings of a God who we can’t necessarily physically see, and who we don’t always perceive when we allow ourselves to be blinded by the world vying for our undivided attention. There are many moments when we look at ourselves as people, at our actions and thoughts, our mistakes and failures, and we see someone in the mirror who’s unworthy of love. Even when these things reign true in our lives, the craziest part is something I briefly mentioned just a bit ago: God’s love for us never changes!
How then, can our relationship and intimacy with the Lord feel like such an ebb and flow of unpredictability? Well, I’ve realized in my own life that a lot of the time, it comes down to the fact that I don’t allow myself to lean back into God’s loving arms, and I even try to resist His steadfast love that casts out every fear. It’s as if the Lord is with all His infinite warmth and embrace giving me a hug that is simply filled with life: but a hug, weirdly enough, is a two way street. It can be the best hug I’ve ever been given, but if I make the conscious choice to go rigid, stiffen up, refuse to reciprocate the embrace, then all the warmth and joy from this wonderful interaction between two close knit hearts goes completely cold. Whether by accident or fear, or some other reason, I am choosing to cut off the fountain of love that the Lord is lavishly pouring out on me, reducing my own capacity and willingness to allow myself to be loved.
Clearly, this is not what it was or is supposed to look like, right? Right. With all that said, loosen up, fall into His embrace, don’t let go, experience freedom, and find refuge in the best hug imaginable (it’s also everlasting). Yes, life will still happen, pain and trial will come your way (probably sooner than later), rejection will try to spit in your face, and the world will try to convince you that you’re only worth the icy existence of being unloved and alone. Just remember every single step of the way that, no matter the mistakes you make or who you once were or even are now, the Lord’s embrace is so much more than enough. So! Go out there, whether it be in this present moment of weird circumstances, on campus whenever next time is, with your family, in your commitments and passions, in every single day of your awesome and purposeful life, and allow yourself to be fully loved by, because in Jesus you are so worthy of every bit of it!
Stuff With K-Huff 