Below is a texting conversation I had a few weeks ago with a dear friend. They said it was ok to tell you about it and I thought it was pretty cool so I wanna share it with you.
I know I might not have had the best answers on the spot, but to see that hope is found when someone's view is altered is an absolute beautiful thing. It's amazing to see someone's life change after more truth is understood.
It excites me deeply.
Here we go:
Friend: Hey you busy?
Seth: I'm at the airport why?
Friend: Oh snap. Where you goin? I have a question.
Seth: I'm picking someone up, whats up?
Friend: So I'm still struggling with my whole church and God thing.
And so, if you screw up, does God work with like: the more you screw up the worse off things get? and the better you are, the better things are gonna be? Like is there some weird form of punishment for screwing up?
Seth: No, thats called karma. God is faithful despite our unfaithfulness. His love for us is not based on reciprocity. Our mistakes are never bigger than His grace. As long as your heart continually seeking Him through your mistakes, He will still let you find Him.
Friend: What if your heart is on and off and confused?
Seth: Read 1st John 3:19-21..let me know what you think of the verse with what your question to me was.
("By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God")
Friend: sorry, I think I'm confused..
Seth: with what?
Friend: God laid down His life for us knowing everything and our hearts and He's greater than our hearts and He's greater than our hearts and He still loves us..Is that what I'm supposed to get?
Seth: Yes
Friend: So He laid down His life which means He loves us knowing we would screw up and be confused and have on and off hearts and not know what we want?
Seth: Yes! And He loves us FULLY despite all those things. He is God, He knows and understands better than us what we are gonna struggle with.
Friend: And how do you just accept this? And know it's true? I realize that may be a dumb question.
Seth: Its not a dumb question. I look at creation and know there is a higher power, I know what i feel in my heart and everything else ive experienced after giving up and admitting my weakness to Him for Him to fill me with His strength. I figure that the One who created me knows how i'm supposed to live in order to best operate. I attribute it all to God, and after reading the book, I know the Bible is God's love letter to this world. And so that verse even means that He's got my back whether I believe or feel that He is even real or not.
Friend: I dont understand love like that. (this line got me..to me this meant that I was communicating the inconceivable love of God in some form of the right way!)
Seth: You never will, your not fully supposed to. But isnt it truly amazing!
Friend: Yeah it is. I'm just confused and everything seems to be a mess.
Seth: Seek to know more and more the amazingness of that love and let yourself be swallowed up in it. Everything else will fail in comparison..
Friend: I dont get it
Seth: I think your relationship with God has everything to do with how you view Him, how you view His nature. Let this new view shape how you talk to Him. How you live.
Friend: And you do this how? Cuz if youre looking for honesty, my relationship with God has gone to complete crap in the past few months.
Seth: Gods faithfulness to you is not based on whether or not youre faithful. He loves you fully now. He always has and always will. Does that not excite you?
Friend: Yeah it does. Its just that every love in my life has been based on an "if" and has been unstable so I dont know.
Seth: Well this love will change your life for forever, but only if you let it. My friend, I beg you to let it. He's the one who created love, He is love, in its truest form..and He is unfailing.
Friend: It's not like i dont want to. I just dont know how.
Seth: Let this little understanding of love like youve never seen fuel you to base your life around it. Let it make you want to love Him back. And when your doing that He will guide you and lead you.
Friend: yeah that makes sense. Thanks seth. Sorry my question turned into crazy ha ha
Seth: your good friend. I'm so glad you can be open with me. I hope that I have been of some help. Know your loved and cared for beyond what you can imagine. And know I'm praying for you
Friend: thanks pal, I miss you.
Seth: Thank you friend. Your awesome.
Friend: actually you are.
Father have mercy on me, grant me grace, and lead me in Your truth as I continue to converse in the future with this friend and others.
For Your glory.
Friend You are loved..
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