The Proposal :)

Valentine's Day is coming up in a few days, so I thought that now would be a great time for this! I'm sure you've heard of some amazing, lovey-dovey proposals that were beyond adorable and were definitely the product of some hardcore planning. Maybe the guy pulled a sneak attack, went behind enemy lines, and rummaged all throughout Pinterest to find some radically dreamy ideas that would make his sweetheart melt to the floor and scream "yes!" at the top of her lungs. Or maybe he kept it simple and just got down on one knee in their favorite and most memorable place. Whatever the case is, I can absolutely tell you without a doubt that they completely fail in comparison to what you're about to read. I'm really excited, so I'll go ahead and tell you that the answer was "YES!!!" Enjoy, my friend!

To set the stage, the proposal involved love to the highest extent. It was filled and fueled by agape love, otherwise known as the highest form of love in existence. Agape (pronounced uh-gah-pay) love has nothing to do with erotic love or brotherly love. It is in fact the only type of love that goes beyond conditions and is completely selfless in nature. Agape love is an unconditional, undestroyable, passionate pursuit. It even holds firm when that same love isn't always returned because it cannot be earned. There are no bounds holding it back or bondage restraining its power. It is relentless and can oftentimes be reckless in its desire to love no matter the blemishes presented to it. Agape love, in short, is unmatched and unquestionably pure. The proposal was in no way lacking these characteristics. Who could say "no" to this?!?

However, the proposal didn't go down as I would have expected. The route that was decided on was typical, yet totally unimaginable. It involved the bending of knees, the full dedication of a heart, a forgiving love, and the promise of marriage. It somehow managed to be both the most beautiful and most atrocious event in all of eternity. Friend, the proposal I've been speaking about isn't what you may have been thinking. This proposal was made by Jesus Christ to us during His crucifixion. He bent His knees under the burden of 39 lashes across His back, as well as the cross He was forced to carry. His heart beat not for Himself, but for us. He prayed in His final breaths that God might forgive us of our inhumanities. He promised to come back for His bride, the church, so that He could spend eternity with her. His love was pure and His motives were calculated, costing Him His life. Wow.

The Bible speaks of Christ's proposal to us: "For God so loved (agape) the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). "But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8). "Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us." (Romans 8:34).

I want to point out that Jesus did not wait for us to attempt to make ourselves presentable in order to die for us. Instead, He gave Himself up for us, asking for our hand and heart in marriage even in our torn and tattered condition. He did not look past the drug and alcohol addictions, physical and emotional abuse, and all the times we've slept in someone else's bed. No, He stared our innumerable sins directly in the eyes and asked us to join Him for eternity. No conditions. No alterior motives. Nothing but agape love. Even after we've cursed His name and denounced his power, He still pleads for our love because He wants to make us beautiful and perfect. He is jealous for our hearts.

One last thing: Christ is "interceding" for us. Let the weight of that statement rest on your mind for a moment. Imagine Christ literally sticking up for you, declaring to God that YOU are both perfect and worthy of being in the presence and glory of God for all of eternity. He's "forgotten" your sinful past now because He has made you worthy to be His eternal bride, as the church. His proposal was the beginning of the intercession for your soul. All He asks is that you say "yes."  The question is: have you?

With love.

"God, I think You're running a bit late..."

If I didn't know better, I would think that God was a woman because He loves to make us wait so much. Sorry, ladies! :) Joking aside, God's timing just doesn't seem to fit our timing very often. We're so ready to go, do, build, create, develop, expand, multiply, improve, magnify, strengthen or escalate whatever project we seem to find ourselves in as quickly as possible because we've got our own big plans, but that's not always what God has in mind. I think this is especially true in our current generation. We're all about instantaneousness: instant messaging, instant cash, instant emails, instant coffee, instant noodles, blah blah blah. God, on the other hand, likes to take His time because, after all, it is His. But why is He so engrossed in making us wait?

Well, I remember back to when I was a young, little tyke that absolutely loved Legos. Honestly, I could spend hours upon hours with those bite-sized blocks (don't ask me how I know this), creating whatever my imagination would allow me. My favorite sets by far, however, were always the Star Wars kits. One time in particular, I really, absolutely, positively, with all my heart wanted the Millenium Falcon kit so I could fly around like Han Solo. After much ranting, pleading, annoyance, and whatever other forms of persuasion my young self was capable of at the time my parents ordered it for me! They told me it would be six to eight weeks before the package arrived at our house. Worst news ever. Nonetheless, every single day as soon as my mom took me home from school, I checked to see if there was any sign of a package at our doorstep. My mind was fixated on the thought of building my own Millenium Falcon and getting to destroy the evil Sith empire with it. My heart hoped with every sinew of its being that it would arrive early. Six to eight weeks later, what I had so desperately longed for found its way to my house. I'm relatively sure that no means of separation could have pried my new toy from my chubby, little hands for the next few days, maybe even weeks. Satisfaction.

I tell that story to better explain this: God so often makes us wait because He loves to see our giddy, childlike reactions when He blows our minds with something even better than what we expected after such a long, hopeful period of waiting on Him. Just as I was vigilant, attentive, and focused only on what my heart was set for, an ADHD-satisfying Millenium Falcon, He wants and expects that same eager watchfulness from us when following His plan for our lives. What He has in store for us is so much better than a few plastic blocks. Our faith as we wait on our Creator binds us ever-closer to Him, keeping our hearts and minds set on Him and the ultimate goal of conforming ourselves to that of Christ. You gotta know He loves that. "Checking our doorstep" constantly with hopeful expectation and trust in our Lord's provision under any and all circumstances is a sign of the childlike faith God loves to see in us, even when our package doesn't arrive as quickly as desired.

But there's more. God makes us wait in order to refine us and make us stronger, so that we might realize our desperate need for Him and ultimately glorify Himself in the process. Psalm 27:14 emphasizes this point - "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" A blacksmith heats iron with fire so that he can bend and mold it to the form that he wishes, then he hardens it by "quenching" it through immersion in water. God works in much the same way. He allows bad things to happen in our lives like sickness, cancer, car wrecks, rape, and abuse in order to mold us. It is in these darkest moments that we realize our infinite and eternal need for something more than what this world has to offer. We might prefer something kinder than the hell-on-earth He would have us go through, but the juxtaposition of such fiery events against the eternal hope that is in Jesus Christ offers an even sweeter victory in Him and in the cross. For some the fire burns more intensely than for others, but He offers the same triumphant conclusion for all: He "quenches" us. He baptizes us in the Spirit of Life and of Love, hardening us into the tools He ultimately created us to be. God is glorified because we are tools used for holy purposes, instead of the worldly ways our former flesh might pursue. The quenching of our former selves is evidence of God's perfect, unexplainable grace. We don't deserve it, but we've been offered it.

How have you answered? It's by no accident that you're reading this post. Since the beginning of time, God has planned for you to read these words and for them to affect your heart in some way or another. You didn't know it, but your entire life you've been waiting to see this message. Maybe your life has mostly been spent in the "fire." People have rejected, neglected, and affected you in ways that only make you hurt. You've heard of "love," but you've never felt it. My friend, God has not forgotten or forsaken you. He's brought you here because He wants you to see and understand that He loves you infinitely more than you'll ever deserve. The foremost way He has shown that is through Jesus Christ dying on the cross to pay for our debts, which we couldn't ever pay back on our own. You've waited long enough to reply. Right now He's giving you a chance to say "yes!" He's offered to quench you and make you strong amidst a world that tries to tear you apart. Friend, immerse yourself in the water. John 4:14 says, "...the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life." Don't wait any longer to take up the offer! God has not run late in your life, so I beg of you to not let your answer run late either.

With love.