Lean in

 This week I traveled to Madison Wisconsin for work.  This gave me time to read my bible and sketch on the plane.  I found myself thinking a-lot about the current state of my walk with Christ.  I am in a good place, but I have not stretched my faith in a while.  I have reached a plateau of sorts.  My desire is to grow deeper in my faith.  As the week went on I continued to ponder the question of just how to ignite a new period of growth.  The answer hit me while I was reading my bible one evening after work.  In James 4:8 it says "Come near to the Lord and he will come near to you".  It is very simple really, if I desire to stretch my faith and grow in my relationship with Christ, I simple need to spend more time with Him.   It is only when I spend time with God that He can guide me into the next adventure.    

 

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding; 

 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

Wisdom of a 7 year old

My 7 year old asked me the other day - "Dad, what is the most important thing in life?"  We were in the kitchen making dinner at the time when he dropped this jewel of a question.  Rather than giving him a canned fast answer, I stopped what I was doing and looked him in the eye.  I said Sevi, what do you think is the most important thing in life?  He said, loving God is most important.  Wow,  my 7 year old understands something that took me well into adulthood to grasp. 
The fact is that God loved us before we even thought to love him back.  He loves us 100% from the start.  He can't love us anymore, or any less.  He loves equally without prejudice. 
Sevi and I had a great conversation about God's love for us.  I used the opportunity to ask many other questions.  The gold nugget of the conversation was when Sevi and I talked about another young boy that he had recently had a conflict with.  I asked him if he thought God loved this boy less, more, or the same.  Sevi thought for a few seconds and then said the same.  He is spot on.
I thought about this conversation as I sketched the above drawing.  My prayer today is that God would continue to teach me just how deep and wide his love actually is. 

Operating in Gods love will take you to places that you never thought you could go.

 Ephesians 3:15-19
For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.