Ezekiel 16... reflections

A page erased, slow to save, before this beauty quietly fades...

What a week. Can I tell you guys a story? I have a friend who was in a whirlwind romance gone awry. He was her first; they went fast— and once he got what he wanted, he was gone. It’s a heartbreaking scenario that happens time and time again, but this struck such a chord with me. I have always had the utmost respect for this girl. She’s a knockout, first of all, with a killer sense of humor and an unmatched ear for the liveliest music out there. She’s artsy—never one to follow the crowd— her wardrobe has a personality all its own. She's confident, secure, and people notice. And without a second glance she gave her curious, spirited, trusting heart to a guy who threw it back at her feet in shambles. Now she wonders, what's the point? Where's the purpose in holding out for the kind of guy who's really worth it?

Ladies, we have got to know who we are and have security in that before we look for it anywhere else. (And that is so much easier said than done. I know I have to kind of choke those words down; God knows I’ve fallen short.) So where does security come from? Guys, it comes from prayer. And that’s not praying to your inner self or the universe; it’s opening your heart and really listening to a God who has already defined us.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is thousands of years old. It’s a prophesy, a message God gave to this guy Ezekiel for His beloved people, Jerusalem. In Ezekiel chapter 16, God says, have you so easily forgotten? You are like a baby girl I found all alone in a field, left to drown in your own blood. You were dirty, deserted, unwanted and unloved. I raised you. I delighted in you. I gave you an identity and the finest of clothes; you were so beautiful! And yet… you soon realized that beauty was power. You seized it. You were adored, and you staked your worth in that. You became like a harlot who gives up her body and denies payment. You have sold yourself for nothing… you are shrinking into a shell of the woman I have created you to be. You’re missing out on life! So, I’ll strip it away. I will reveal your nakedness, your disparity. You will weep and you will hate me… but I will not forget the covenant I made with you in the beginning. I will not abandon you. I will bring purpose and fulfillment unlike anything this world can offer… you’ve been trusting in yourself all this time, and it was killing you. Will you trust in love? Will you trust in me?

I want to go deeper with this passage, but I told myself I'd submit this baby at 1 and then do some homework. There's more on my heart here so I'll post a second entry in a few hours or tomorrow sometime. For now let me leave you with this... Talk with God. Listen to His heart. He doesn't want to impose all the time, what He wants is an invitation into your day-to-day stuff. Not because he needs us or pines for us… but because this is how it was always supposed to be. Relationship with God. Seeking His will and seeing how who He has created you to be fits into it all. It’s really beautiful; really breathtaking.