What do you believe?

There's been this little word war going on in my head today. How is it that you can confess your sins as a confessor in a confessional, but you can't be a professional professor who professes their faith? And yeah, I get that that's a funny question, and an even funnier thing to be floating around in my head, but there it is. I think of random, funny and odd things sometimes. But in the midst of my word war, something occurred to me. Our culture is so focused on the "what do you do?" question, we never ask the "what do you believe?" question. When you first meet someone, after introductions are made, what is the first thing usually asked in the getting-to-know-you stage? "What do you do?" Have you ever asked that question, "what do you believe?"?

How would I answer that question? I would say that I believe in One True God, Father, Spirit, and Son. I believe that God knew we were so broken, we couldn't stop sinning on our own, so He sent Jesus down to be FULLY man and FULLY God to save us. He led Him to the cross, where in a powerful, epic battle of good vs evil, good won. We were saved, we are saved, by the One who created us and this wonderful broken world we live in. He didn't do it because we asked Him to, or because He owed it to us, but for no other reason than He LOVES us. Can you imagine that kind of Love? We aren't talking about love, as in of a spouse, friend, or family. We are talking about the Love of a Father, Friend, Husband, Savior... something so powerful and beautiful that even in the midst of our worst days, even when we are so unbelievably selfish as to deny anything to do with a Heavenly Father, He STILL loves us.

 And what do we do in return? Well, sadly some of us get so focused on ourselves and our selfish wants and needs and gotta haves, we turn completely away from His love and plan for us. Others think they are seeking Him, only to find out in the end that they were looking at things wrong. Others will search for that Love He is offering us, willing to do whatever or go wherever He asks in order to "earn" that Love, but will miss the point of that freely given Love. Still others will find that Love, and understand that there is NOTHING we can do to "earn" it, that it is freely given from a passionate, righteous God who loves us enough to help us. They pray and seek His guidance in everything that they do or say. They welcome His Holy Spirit within and allow Him to guide them throughout the rest of their lives. Wanna know a secret? That's a long time, the rest of their lives.

You see, I also believe in heaven, and life after death. Eternal life, spent walking and talking with Our Father, the way it was in the Garden. Eternity spent learning from Him, worshiping Him, and loving Him. Close your eyes and imagine it. Heaven.... none of us know what it looks like, but we will all know as soon as we get there. I imagine it is the most beautiful, most stunning sight we will know, until the moment we lay eyes on Papa. We will see our Father with eyes that couldn't see Him before, because we weren't ready. We will sit with Him, listen to Him, know Him face to face... We will receive the full spectrum of His beauty and grace instead of a muted rendition as the world would have us believe. Well for that matter, the world doesn't want us to believe in Him, period. The world would have us believe we are all our own gods, makers of our way, winners and losers because we didn't do enough or make enough or have enough.

It's simply not true... He loves us, even in our mess. He loves us, even when we turn away. He loves us, even when we hurt Him. And we do hurt Him, every day. We seek things instead of Him. We seek people instead of Him. We seek money instead of Him. We try to find the satisfaction and love that He is offering us, everywhere but the One place to receive it. He is the ONLY way. And He designed it this way, for us. He knew we could never get there on our own, and He did it anyway. He knew we would continue to sin, and He did it anyway. He knows every step we take, either towards Him or away, and He did it anyway.

So I ask you.... What do you believe? If you don't know what to believe, it's time to ask Him. Sit with your Bible and pen and paper, and pray. Open up your Bible and ask Him to show you what to believe, and write down what He shows you. Seek His will for your life. When you allow Him to lead your life, it's a beautiful thing, and you will be so glad you did. Find that beautiful relationship He wants to have with you, and you will be blessed beyond your imagination. If you need help, speak to a friend or pastor who has that relationship, and they will encourage you and help you..  When you have a relationship with Papa, you want others to have one too. They will be glad you asked!!

* I did not post any scriptures this time, but there are so many awesome ones to help you find what you are looking for. I found Psalm 78 again, which is a great "rundown" of what Papa has done. Check it out!