Emily Packer
Though I’d like to deny it, I forget about God’s love more often in my life than I remember it. Lucky for me, when I do remember, I’m amazed all over again. It’s kind of like learning to play an instrument in elementary school, having a terrible middle school band teacher, then picking that instrument up again in college. You can talk all you want about how you played an instrument (because we all know music makes us smarter, right?), but bragging about the past is never as satisfying as busting that baby out in worship and showing people you play. Likewise, loving God can become an instrument you claim to play but never practice. It’s even worse when you remember the feeling of playing, and settle for the memory of it. You’ve still got bragging rights though, right??? Of course! But that memory becomes a barrier to the upfront-in-your-face kind of love available to you everyday. In fact, right now.
Sometimes, when I feel God’s love “slipping” from my reach, I’ll think of a time He really came through for me. With this thoughtful plan of mine I construct the perfect way for God’s love to only become real when I want it to. Unfortunately, the hard truth is God’s love is said to be constant and consistent, and so even as I write this post He is proving my plan defective by showing me His love. Will I think back on this moment whenever I feel God’s love waning? Probably not, because my mind will be searching for that one time at beach retreat when we all sang “Oceans” while slowly and figuratively walking into the ocean (not kidding, true story). However, I do have hope that one day, as I sit in my office chair or on an airplane seat or regrettably watching Transformers 5, I will feel the same gratitude for God’s love as I do in the middle of small group on a beach in North Carolina. After all, it’s as simple as ditching my faulty plan and realizing it was unnecessary all along.