Crazy Love Thinking

Today starts my posts about our small group and my personal reflections on Crazy Love. I have mentioned it a couple times in the past and how our group is reading it for this semester's study. This week we looked at chapter 3, aptly named "Crazy Love". (Yes, I realize that I am starting to talk about the book on chapter 3.)

Chan talks about taking a spiritual retreat where he is alone for 4 days. Before hand, he has a friend pray over him about what to study and think about during this time apart. And his friend says something like, "I know that you have wanted this time with Francis..." Chan talks about how at the time he wanted to shy away from that. But if you heard some one say that to you, would you react the same way? I would. For most of my life, my thoughts were, "yeah, God loves me, but that's because I am His creation". I wouldn't think about how His love is a deep desire for me. That just floors me to think of. I am amazed that the God, who created everything, wants not my empty attempts to be holy, but for me to allow Him to create something holy in me. I am constantly in awe of God's love for us.

I love the way that Chan phrases our place, "His being is utterly complete and perfect, apart from humanity. He doesn't need me or you." He doesn't need us, but he wants us. How do we not respond with an outpouring of love toward Him?

The question that Chan poises to the small groups in the video is what moments have you been fully aware and just "got it". Got God's love, and felt it so real. As I watched that, the one thought that came to my mind was a time that I will talk about more in my testimony when I am talking about my college years, but it was on a mission trip to Boston. That time is one of the few times that I can say that my desire for study didn't come out of a sense of obligation, it was genuine hunger. My desire for helping others, wasn't because I thought I should, but because I could. My life wasn't about pleasing myself, it was about what I could do for some one else. I was secure and knew that the only way that God's love for me made sense was so that I could share it.

What about your life? Have you had moments when you got God's love for you? If you want to join in these thoughts, check out Chan's Crazy Love. And no, I don't get any royalties for plugs. But I think its a great source for refocusing our lives. Next week, chapter 4, and some hard truths.