I don't have many relics saved from my childhood. I'm not a hoarder of things, and often like to purge and clean out my drawers and cabinets. In the span of fifty years, plenty has been thrown away- but not my Winnie-the-Pooh. I'll never forget a childhood trip to Disney World. In the eyes of a little girl, is there any place more magical? We rode rides, ate lots of food, waited in lines, and watched parades. And while it wasn't as commercialized then as it is today, it still held a pretty big thrill in the heart of my little girl world. I took away memories that would follow me through life, but I also took away a little Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed animal as a souvenir to remember my trip.
It was a typical hot Florida day and on the way home from the park we stopped for dinner. As much as I wished to take Pooh inside with me, my parents told me he had to stay in our van. And so I tucked him in the floorboard of the van, and headed in for dinner. When I came back to the van later, I scooped him up, only to see that one of my blue crayons had melted all over his leg and lower body. My eyes filled with tears, and there was no way I could return him to a pre-blue state. He was stained forever.
Maybe it's the fact that I always seem to root for the underdog. Maybe it's the fact that my heart hurts for the hurting. Maybe it's because I feel sadness for the outcast. Or maybe, I loved that Pooh extra, because I saw myself in him. I connected with him, because I often felt unpopular and insecure, as a small child. No stuffed animal ever rivaled the love I had for that blue-stained bear. His flaws made him more special to me. He was always placed closest to me in bed, and always came along for adventures. In him, I could see the broken loved and accepted. That blue stain didn't disqualify him from my love- it made me love him more.
Maybe that Pooh was preparing me for loving broken people, I'm not really sure. But maybe he also showed me a little picture of how God loves us. Stained. Broken. Messy. Different. Yet all of those things are the very reason we desperately need Jesus. Because in the heart of every human being is the intense craving to feel wanted, accepted and loved. People can only fulfill that craving to a degree, but only God can fill it perfectly. I'm just like that blue-stained Pooh, looking for love and acceptance, and only through the blood of Jesus do my stains wash away. And only through the cross can I be made clean again. Through His great gift of salvation, I can be accepted into God's family- secure in His love, and free from the sin that once stained me.
What blue stains do you carry around? Is it abuse? Betrayal? Are you dirty with sexual sin? Do you carry around guilt from your past? Whatever your "blue" is, it doesn't have to stay with you. You can be free. Not only unbelievers are carrying around stains- we often do, too. One of the most beautiful things in life is to see the broken made whole through the blood of Jesus. I'll forever be grateful for His love that removed my sin stains, and gave me exactly what I needed - His perfect love. If there's something you carry around with you still- something that eats at your soul, take it to the Cross. Jesus has great compassion for the hurting and the broken. And like I loved that crazy, blue Pooh, He loves us infinitely more. My little bear was stained forever, but thank God our sins can be forever wiped clean!
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 (ESV)
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 (ESV)
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 7:1 (ESV)
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for washing away our stains and giving us freedom from the guilt of our sins. No one loves us like You- and in Your love, we find acceptance, joy, hope, peace and life. Thank You, Father, for loving us and for offering Your Son as a way to make us clean and whole. In Your name we pray, Amen!
I am a beach girl at heart, and a few weeks ago, we were blessed to enjoy a week along the breathtaking beaches of Florida's gulf coast. Vacation gives you some extra thinking time, which I love, and time, in general, to slow down, connect, and relax. While wading through the beautiful crystal waters of Panama City Beach (highly recommended beach to put on your bucket list), I was talking to my daughter and my niece about the pursuit of God. All of us had the enormous blessing of being raised in a family that taught us all about Him since our earliest memories, so we didn't have to look long and hard to find Him. But an amazing truth that stood out to me, is that even if I hadn't been raised this way, He would have pursued me- just like He pursues each one of us.
One of the most precious promises I have personally witnessed Him keep, is that He pursues His wandering children. In times of my rebellion, He chased after me. And when my husband wandered away from Him, and into a relationship with another woman, He pursued him as well. As Christians, this promise gets us through those painful times of life, when we feel the sting of separation between us and God, or a loved one who is away from not only us- but God as well. We know that He is a God that pursues those who have fallen away, and need rescued, because we have witnessed it in our own lives.
All of us will, at some point, allow a separation between us and our Heavenly Father. Whether it is intentional or not, it happens. It can seem as harmless as being too busy to make Him our priority. It can result from allowing other plans to crowd out our call to "remember Him", neglecting to collectively gather in our places of worship. And it can even be as simple as allowing people we love, to take a place before Him. Alcohol, drugs, materialism, and sex can take His place. We allow so many things to replace Him. And yet- He will come after us, just as He promises (Deuteronomy 31:6).
While I personally dislike the feeling of another person chasing me, His pursuit is a comfort. As a kid, I hated the feeling of one of my siblings chasing me down the stairs. Never did my feet move faster than having one of them chase me on that staircase. But when God chases us, it isn't to scare us, it's to rescue us. He is chasing me for my benefit, while my siblings chased me for their fun. It often stings, and feels painful as He convicts us to turn back to Him, but we know that in His presence there is peace and safety, and no reason for fear.
When we are caught by our Pursuer, we wonder why we ever left. There is nothing like the comfort found in the presence of our Father. As little children, we craved the presence of our earthly parents, and the security they offered us. God is the only perfect Parent, and in His presence, we don't only feel secure, we are secure. If you're a child of God, and you've wandered, know that He will pursue you. My brother specifically prayed that God would relentlessly pursue my husband. We have power in praying the same for any we love that have strayed from the Father, and from us. Don't ever doubt His ability to pursue and restore. Just as scripture paints the picture of Him as our Shepherd, seeking the lost, He also seeks those who have lost their way. While we often want to do the pursuing ourselves, why not leave it to the Master? "Father, exercise our faith in You, by showing Your power in bringing the wanderers back to the fold!"
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! Psalm 139:7-8 ESV
The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17 ESV
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 ESV
Heavenly Father, we thank You for pursuing us, time and time again. Your faithfulness to us is humbling, and we are so thankful You never give up on us. For those we love who may be wandering, we pray Your convicting Spirit will lead them back. In the name of Jesus, we pray, Amen!
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