I have started an online bible study this week with Proverbs 31 and I had a few topics to choose from for this blogpost. I chose #perfectlove.
1 John 4:17 – 19
“And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first.” NLT One of my personal experiences with God demonstrating his perfectlove to me was back in February of 2008. My son was arrested on Friday the 8th for 2nd degree murder after going out for his 21st birthday. My husband and I were facing a situation that we could not comprehend. Our son, had hardly ever drank before that night and had never been in a fight his whole life. How could this have happened. The news was saying that our son beat a man to death. NO, this can’t be true. We have been in ministry for 17 years before this happened helping abandoned, abused and wayward boys. Our son is not wayward, he is a very responsible young man of God. However, he decided to put God on a shelf one night to go celebrate like the world would for his 21st birthday. On Saturday night, the 9th, I could not sleep again, so I researched the internet all over for encouragement. I looked up a book that somebody had recommended and read a little about it. I was going to order it, but then I thought how in the world will I be able to focus to read right now. So I didn’t order it. The next morning I got in the shower and prayed to God “Lord, I’m going to tackle this today, and I am not going to cry all day. I can do this.” Well, I went out to the kitchen and there on my island was a book with a bow around it. I knew exactly what book it was. God showed me this day that HE was in the middle of this situation. He showed me his perfectlove, when I had so much fear for our son’s future.
I ended up reading the book “When I lay my Isaac Down” by Carol Kent that first week of our situation we found ourselves in. Carol was a far away mentor to me when she didn’t even know it. I thought if she can get through what she was going through with her only son, then I can do this. God showed up that morning by delivering that book to help me through. Was it super easy after that? No, by no means. But I knew that God was in the middle of this situation. He is still in the middle of this situation 5 years later. He continues to show me HIS perfectlove! I’m so thankful that HE is MY #PERFECTLOVE!
As I started reading this Bible Study I realized this study is another one of God’s perfectlove. I’ve been feeling led for a couple years now to share with mom’s or ladies all over that are hurting. However, everytime I start to go forward with it I hear these thoughts of “you aren’t good enough to do that, you can’t do that. It will never work.” Well, guess what I know who the winner is and it isn’t the enemy. He is the one putting these negative thoughts in my head. So I’m very thankful for this study that has come at just the right time. I’m speaking at a ladies soup supper on November 4th to 100 – 150 women. If you think of it pray for me that my perfectlove will give me the courage to share.
How about you? Who is your perfectlove? Are you going to let HIM who LOVES you unconditionally give you hope even if times get hard?
Resting in his #perfectlove and
Jesus, Take my baton! 