A Word of Refuge

Author - Keyshawn Parkman
 
More times than not I find myself in situations and ways of thinking that cause me to stop and realize how grateful I am for the season that God has me in currently. We live here on a beautiful property with plenty of trees, and a few amenities that I’ve never had the privilege of having. Sometimes I find myself taking a walk around our property to clear my head and I realize I’ve never been in an environment as peaceful and quiet as ours. As I walk around our property it helps me clear my head and shift my mindset to the bigger picture of what God is currently doing in my life, and how he’s growing me.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned here experientially is the difference between "agape" love and worldly love. I’m learning that Gods meaning for relationships isn’t always to benefit us, but for him to gain all the glory. There have been times where I’ve had to come to the realization that I can’t love the way God wants me to love without being filled with his Word, and truly being filled with his love. There has been a scripture throughout my time here that has encouraged me tremendously, and has taught me more about unconditional love and what it means for us to receive it experientially. It’s Romans 8:38-39 which says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
     
This verse encourages me that Gods love is accessible, and that I can never stray far away from it. It’s important to me especially when trying to make sense of his love in comparison to an earthly or conditional love. When I think of Gods love I imagine a spiritual spring of water that gives nourishment to my soul. The more I continue to walk with Jesus I realize it’s more important than anything. The biggest takeaway from this verse for me is the fact that it claims that this love is in Jesus who is our Lord. I believe this means that unless we make Jesus lord of our lives we might never be able to experience his true unconditional love. I can say confidently that while I’ve been here in this program God has taken us through situations that have revealed to us the deeper unconditional love of God. By making Jesus lord of my life things haven’t gotten easier, but what I’ve gained, which has been far more valuable, is knowing God and his love more intimately.
   
I’ve been grateful for Gods sovereignty over my life. This has also been my biggest realization while being here in this program. God has all control over my situations so that each and every moment that passes by is an opportunity to grow in his love and show his glory. I’ve come to the realization that I’ll never be able to give the love of Christ if I’m not experiencing it. I watched a video a few weeks ago where this lady spoke practically about how we are the body of Christ literally! When people see us and our emotions they should be Christ’s emotions. As we serve people we should be his hands serving his children. Our feet should be Jesus' feet carrying the Glory of God from place to place everywhere we go. While I knew the this scripture, how we are the body of Christ gave me a fresh revelation that we’ll never be able to experience this and give off his glory if we aren’t experiencing his love, and we’ll never be able to experience his love if he isn’t lord of our life. It’s been an amazing verse that I meditate on as I walk around the property and talk with him, and I hope it can encourage you reading this today!