“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.”
If you’re anything like me, you sang that in your head while you read it 🙂 In all seriousness though, I love this song, and I think it speaks so much to who God is and what our response to Him should be. This post is something the Lord put on my heart quite a few months ago while I was back in Omaha and my family and I were at church, and I’ve been kinda sitting on it for a while. I actually started typing this in October I think, but never felt like it was the right time to finish it. But now (10 months later) here I am sharing it with you.
It started off as a very normal day. We went to church and sang “Reckless Love” during worship, and then the pastor got up and asked one simple question: “Do you remember where you were when He found you?”
Maaannnnnn that hit me like a B R I C K. Because I sure remember! I was but God saw me, found me, and used the loving words of a friend to meet me right where I was at in that moment. I realized that His amazing grace completely covered me and that He loved me even when I didn’t love Him back.
In Luke 15, Jesus told the Pharisees a story about a shepherd who has a hundred sheep, but has lost one. He says the shepherd leaves the 99 sheep in the open land and goes off to find the one that is lost, and when he finds it, he carries it home on his shoulders and rejoices over it with his friends. Then listen to what Jesus says in Luke 15:7–“Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
Long story short, it is absolutely so important to God that he finds us, and if I’m reading Luke 15 right, he will do whatever it takes. Just think about it for a second–how often do we ignore him, yet he still reaches out to us? How often do we refuse to love him, yet he keeps on loving us? He cares about us so much. Not only is he caring, but he is so intentional. He knows every detail about us, the depths of our hearts, and the number of hairs on our head. He knows exactly what we need even before we need it. Can you think of a time when God used a simple Bible verse at the exact moment you needed it, or used a friend’s words to comfort you when you were hurting?
Maybe you’re reading this and you’re worried that God hasn’t “found” you yet–don’t worry! He has not forgotten. In fact, you’re the first thing on his mind! Know that he is reaching for you at every second of every day–He just needs you to go out on that limb, have a moment of trust, and reach back. But if you have been “found,” it’s easy to get comfortable. But I believe that God’s will for us who know him is to give others the same kind of love that we have received–a love that’s persistent and intentional.
The Bible says that the greatest commandment is to love God, and the next greatest commandment is to love others. So our response to God’s caring and intentional love is to be just as caring and intentional to the people around us. So now the question is…where do we start? Lucky for us, we don’t have to go far! We can look at the people around us! Who is in your inner circle that could use some comforting? And who is maybe not in your inner circle, but is still placed around you? Are there people that you have recently met who God may have brought into your life?
Another step to loving others like God loves us is being intentional–caring for them in ways that will resonate with them personally. For me, this means that when I’m grabbing a coffee on my way to work, I might grab one for my coworker because I know she’d appreciate it. It might mean going out of your own comfort zone and asking someone to grab lunch. Maybe it’s just being a listening ear.
God’s love is crazy awesome, but one of the most awesome things about it is that it can actually flow through us and reach others. And it’s contagious! I believe that if we still reach out when we’re ignored and when we take a leap of faith and love when we aren’t loved back, God will use us! Maybe the words YOU say will introduce someone to God’s amazing grace! And who knows, maybe God can “find” someone else through you!
With love,
Sarah
