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Delighting in rest- living and loving well.

It’s a good season. Transition is uncertain, but God is steadfast and He is with me. I just got back this week from an amazing conference with ICAP (International Christian Alliance on Prostitution) at the Green Lake Conference Centre in Wisconsin. It was beautiful. Being on a search for beauty I found so much beauty there.

The surroundings were beautiful, but I think the beauty that met me most deeply was the beauty of God’s heart, and the beauty of those who have chosen to connect to His heart.

As I listened to speakers who have lived lives of loving God and people so well, I found myself typing and writing down the wisdom they shared. Some were good reminders, and others were words that expressed loving people in a way I’d never contemplated before, and these words ministered to my heart. So I wanted to reflect on a few of those many nuggets and invite you to read along if you like.

Loving people.

“Jesus never met a prostitute.” I was kind of shocked by the statement, and started wondering if the speaker had even read the Bible. However, I quickly realized that this was a deeper truth being expressed- Jesus never met a prostitute because when He looked at her he didn’t see a prostitute but the woman God created her to be. Profound… I had to chew on that for a while, and even ask myself: what do I see when I meet those who are in prostitution (or any kind of brokenness)? Do I put a label on them because of what they do, or do I see them as people of infinite value and worth? I hope the latter.

“Meet Jesus waiting to be loved in the other.” We all carry an expression of God, and when we love people we are also loving God. There is something to be loved in every person we meet, we just have to look for it.

“Declare to people who they were created to be.” When we know who we are it brings us life. Sometimes people (and we) forget who we are or don’t know it, and so as we declare that to them (and ourselves) it brings life. Words bring life.

“There is a difference between looking at a person and looking into a person.” Another one of those statements that needs a bit of processing to get. But it’s so true. So often we assume and judge and draw conclusions about someone by what we see on the outside. However, a person is so much more than we can see or that they even choose to project to us. If we are seeking to look into a person, really see who he or she is, then I believe we will love them more because we will encounter beauty which is so much deeper.

“Love in a way that reveals who He is.” So profound. And requires a knowing who He is to be able to reveal Him. It requires knowing His love to love as He loves. It requires receiving His love before being able to pour it out… which brings me onto the other theme that really touched my heart this week:

Rest.

Being in this season of rest and processing that last few years, anything that can give me a deeper understanding of rest and taking time to stop catches my attention.

If you want to find God go into the darkness coz that's where He is. But if you spend a long time in the darkness you get parched.” When that was spoken it hit my heart. It put into words the past few years of walking into dark places and situations, where I have found God. Where I have truly been able to see Him at work and see who He is. Where I have seen such a demonstration of the love of God and His power to transform and bring those in darkness out and into the light. But I have also become parched. It is glorious to step into those places because light shines so brightly when it is dark, but it also sucks everything out of you when you are pouring life into those who are merely surviving and barely that.

“If not give out of overflow, then what we give are polluted gifts.” That really says it all. I can’t give what I don’t have, and when I have given all then there really is nothing more. And so I embrace this season of receiving and getting filled up. And even more, seeking to connect to God who always has more then enough.

“Determination to not be hurried.” Everything seems to have to happen so fast these days, and I am here, choosing to slow down. Determined to walk at a slower pace. A pace that brings rest, and a pace that allows me to take in my surrounding and not miss the beauty and treasure that I can find along my path. I hope that as I walk into the next that I can continue to not be hurried but always walk at God’s pace and not the pace society demands.

“Rest is a weapon. Warriors know how to rest.” I love this statement. It seems so contradictory to have fighting and resting together, but I believe that rest is the key to victory because it strengthens us and also helps us discern what battles we are really meant to fight.

“‘And Jesus went away by Himself’. If it's good enough practise for Jesus, it is good enough for us.” And so I take these nuggets and many more and “go away by myself”. Longing to encounter that rest that He promises, not just for my own good (although that is totally enough) but also longing to bring that rest and peace to those I encounter on my way, whatever place in life they might find themselves.

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