DeLIGHTfully Yours

I am a doer. A go-until-I-drop, overachieving perfectionist.

I am an external processor. A say-before-I-think foot-in-my-mouth ask-for-forgiveness fool of a human.

I have a relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God who bought my sins for a price and died in my place.

Thus I understand that grace has taken my place and nothing in my life, not one thing I do nor say, can earn this kind of love. It is a free gift, received by me, and chosen daily. Jesus pursued me and loved me when I was at my worst. As humans, we look at each other's outer appearance but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

This world and everything in it will one day fade away. If we have not yet established what we are living for, how will we know our reason to wake up each day? For in His Word, God establishes that, "He has made everything beautiful in its time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). These "things" that are beautiful, that God establishes in time are set in the human heart so that no man may "fathom what God has done from beginning to end"(Ecclesiastes 3:11).

God goes before, establishes our paths for righteousness and justifies us to faith through salvation by His Son. It is the principle of grace alone that ties the bow to this package and makes this idea come to light.

Jesus refers to Himself as light in the book of John (John 1:4-5, 9; 3:19-21). Imagine sitting in the darkest room you've ever seen. Now imagine someone handing you a flashlight. Would not the first action you take be to turn on that flashlight? That flashlight without hesitation will shine into that space, encompassing the room in its entirety. This is exactly what Christ does when we give Him room to reign in our hearts. However, when we take bits and pieces from the Lord, and attempt foolish contempt of our personal lives without our Heavenly Father's consent, we are asking God to put a dimmer setting on that light. Foolishly, we are asking for bits back because we feel we can shine brighter than God.

Often times, I find myself in this very pattern of living. What God has been the most faithful in showing me is highlighting my weaknesses by giving them to me in someone else's strengths. It is critical as relational beings to be open to where the Lord is leading you in the area of relationships.

As an external processor, I am dating an internal processor. Are there moments I would prefer Jordan to think faster, to respond more quickly, to speak out loud? Yes. Am I thankful when he doesn't? Yes. In my heart and through the wisdom given me by the Holy Spirit, it is best when I remove myself emotionally from the situation and allow room for God to work. What is He teaching me here? How can I respond versus react? Where do I see room for growth in our relationship now?

God gives us conflict as an opportunity for resolution. What we do with these moments matters. Small conversations lead to big conversations and eventually bigger moments in a building relationship. Opportunities to resolve conflict are critical to follow the steps in this pattern. Figuring out how to deal with conflict means the difference between working it out and growing stagnant.

As I reflect on areas of my life that still need more work, I recognize that I am not perfect. I heed spiritual truth in Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and as such, the only way to the Father (John 14:6). While Jordan keeps me grounded, and continues to teach me many things in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, he is not my Lord. In the spirit of intimate relationships, this is a truth I cling to: keep God as Your center so your life reflects your primary relationship is Christ in you. That way, people will see more of Christ and less of you, for "He must become greater; I must become less" (John 3:30).