"Love Letter Exchange with God - Freedom to Thrive"
Good Evening,
I copied below my "love letter" exchange with God. You can find this one and others at mollieaxtell.com
I hope they encourage you!
Bless you,
Mollie
"Freedom to Thrive"
“You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
Obey:
Free:
My child,
Sometimes you feel obedience is merely about duty in the absence of love. That is not my heart for you. I want you to be compelled by my love to do what you do. You will be driven to do what is good and right, when your heart is motivated by my love. Obeying my teachings means you will be acting in accordance with the desires of my heart.
Your culture finds obedience to me oppressive and narrow. Many of those I created believe they are the creators of truth.
Reality is this: I am the only one who can flawlessly determine what is true and what is false. My take on right and wrong is timeless. It doesn’t migrate as the years march by.
Think about the part of the definition of “obey” that states, "behave in accordance with a natural law." My dazzling sun would not serve a greater purpose if it ceased to shine in the way I designed it to. My magnificent planet Earth would not be better off if it rotated its own way. My spirited ocean waves would not be more powerful if they changed their direction. These forces are intense but behave in accordance with my laws. If they did not, it would be a quick path to chaos and destruction.
The difference is I have given you choice. With choice, you have the option to behave well or poorly. I don't force you to adhere to my laws. Unlike the sun, Earth and waves, you can rebel against my directions.
You can decide you would be more fulfilled if you refused to shine for me. You can determine you would be better off if you rotated your own way, or more powerful if you changed your direction. But following my design for you is where true freedom is found. Knowing my truth and obeying it will set you free.
Throw off the yoke of slavery to what is false. I didn’t create you to wear that. You can enjoy the glorious liberty of my divine path for you. Follow me today and thrive.
I love you,
Abba
My Abba,
When I think about obedience, I don't immediately jump to the idea of freedom. If I am honest, sometimes complying with commands and submitting to authority can sound more like captivity to me, especially when my feral will is clamoring for control.
What just came to mind is our youngest son when he was a toddler. His lack of desire to submit to our authority and his big brown eyes earned him his apt nickname, “Chocolate Mischief.” A couple of scenes come to mind.
I remember the time Clifton pried-off childproof plug covers so that his 18-month-old self could use bobby pins to experiment with electricity. He thought I was ruining all his fun when I thwarted his research.
I remember before he turned two, Clifton thought the best use of naptime was to pile up books against the front door so he could reach the deadbolt and stage his great escape into traffic. Thank you for keeping him alive!
Many times, his ingenious little mind believed he had a better plan than I had. By his calculations, obedience to mom did not equal freedom. It didn’t occur to him that I did everything out of my love for him, rules included, to give him safety, tools for living, and the freedom to thrive.
Remembering these two escapades and countless others convicts me. Like my young son did, I can formulate what seem like obviously superior plans to yours with my misappropriated bobby pins and ill-advised schemes for great escapes. You make your rules for life clear, and still, I often decide my childish paths make more sense.
I know you did not arbitrarily force your laws on us to make life hard because you were in a bad mood. Please help me understand your commandments are life-giving boundaries birthed by your love, providing security, joy and an opportunity to live for your glory. Please give me your power to thrive in obedient freedom.
I love you,
Mollie
photo: lynettej
NLT
I copied below my "love letter" exchange with God. You can find this one and others at mollieaxtell.com
I hope they encourage you!
Bless you,
Mollie
"Freedom to Thrive"
“You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
Obey:
- comply with the command, direction, or request of, submit to the authority of
- behave in accordance with (a general principle, natural law, etc.)
Free:
- not or no longer confined or imprisoned, not a slave
- able or permitted to take a specified action
My child,
Sometimes you feel obedience is merely about duty in the absence of love. That is not my heart for you. I want you to be compelled by my love to do what you do. You will be driven to do what is good and right, when your heart is motivated by my love. Obeying my teachings means you will be acting in accordance with the desires of my heart.
Your culture finds obedience to me oppressive and narrow. Many of those I created believe they are the creators of truth.
Reality is this: I am the only one who can flawlessly determine what is true and what is false. My take on right and wrong is timeless. It doesn’t migrate as the years march by.
Think about the part of the definition of “obey” that states, "behave in accordance with a natural law." My dazzling sun would not serve a greater purpose if it ceased to shine in the way I designed it to. My magnificent planet Earth would not be better off if it rotated its own way. My spirited ocean waves would not be more powerful if they changed their direction. These forces are intense but behave in accordance with my laws. If they did not, it would be a quick path to chaos and destruction.
The difference is I have given you choice. With choice, you have the option to behave well or poorly. I don't force you to adhere to my laws. Unlike the sun, Earth and waves, you can rebel against my directions.
You can decide you would be more fulfilled if you refused to shine for me. You can determine you would be better off if you rotated your own way, or more powerful if you changed your direction. But following my design for you is where true freedom is found. Knowing my truth and obeying it will set you free.
Throw off the yoke of slavery to what is false. I didn’t create you to wear that. You can enjoy the glorious liberty of my divine path for you. Follow me today and thrive.
I love you,
Abba
My Abba,
When I think about obedience, I don't immediately jump to the idea of freedom. If I am honest, sometimes complying with commands and submitting to authority can sound more like captivity to me, especially when my feral will is clamoring for control.
What just came to mind is our youngest son when he was a toddler. His lack of desire to submit to our authority and his big brown eyes earned him his apt nickname, “Chocolate Mischief.” A couple of scenes come to mind.
I remember the time Clifton pried-off childproof plug covers so that his 18-month-old self could use bobby pins to experiment with electricity. He thought I was ruining all his fun when I thwarted his research.
I remember before he turned two, Clifton thought the best use of naptime was to pile up books against the front door so he could reach the deadbolt and stage his great escape into traffic. Thank you for keeping him alive!
Many times, his ingenious little mind believed he had a better plan than I had. By his calculations, obedience to mom did not equal freedom. It didn’t occur to him that I did everything out of my love for him, rules included, to give him safety, tools for living, and the freedom to thrive.
Remembering these two escapades and countless others convicts me. Like my young son did, I can formulate what seem like obviously superior plans to yours with my misappropriated bobby pins and ill-advised schemes for great escapes. You make your rules for life clear, and still, I often decide my childish paths make more sense.
I know you did not arbitrarily force your laws on us to make life hard because you were in a bad mood. Please help me understand your commandments are life-giving boundaries birthed by your love, providing security, joy and an opportunity to live for your glory. Please give me your power to thrive in obedient freedom.
I love you,
Mollie
photo: lynettej
NLT
Posted in Celebrate Recovery
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