Get your own Steve!

I can be a hard woman to love.  I am moody, temperamental, often emotional, and when I don't get my own way, I can often be bitter, spiteful, and just be a downright hate goat.  Fortunately for me, though, God knew all of this when He created me and knew that I would often need to be treated with kid gloves (ha ha!  I crack myself up when I unintentionally make a pun!).  Therefore, He sent to me a most excellent shepherd to help soothe the savage beast in me.

Case in point:  the other night when we were saying our bedtime prayers, it was my turn.  If you read my blog from yesterday, this will make more sense to you but if you didn't, just refer to the above paragraph.  We've been learning more about the election of God's saints and such, so as I was talking to God, I was thanking Him for loving us and choosing us.  I told God how I could understand Him picking Steve--but I couldn't understand why He would want a wretch like me.  Steve, who was holding my hand, squeezed it fiercely, and admonished me with a firm whisper, saying "God is not happy when you talk like that!"

Wow!  My heart was instantly pricked with amazement.  Sometimes I still get in that age-old mode of thinking that God is up there on His throne, fist clenched, and ready to come down on me for every awful thing I do.  Since there are many wicked thoughts and feelings in this ol' girl, that can cause quite a bit of trepidation in my soul.  However, with one sentence--albeit firmly spoken--I was reminded that God is not this way, that He is not up there recording my every lapse of judgment, keeping a tally of my deeds done in the flesh, nor getting His mighty book of Stef's Wrong Doings ready to add more pages to because of my wayward behavior.  Nope.   Instead, He is looking on me with love, with smiles, and with approval.  For a gal like me who is in constant need of affirmation, this is overwhelming!

In Ephesians 5:25, men are told to do something:  

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it

How blessed I am that God has given me a real-life example of Christ to be by my side, to show me unconditional love, to not let me talk badly about myself, and to be my help meet in every way!  When I forget that God considers me as He does His only Begotten, Steve is there to encourage me and point me back to the Father of Love.  Friends, this is priceless!  I highly suggest you all get your own Steve (as a friend was once told when he was taking up a little too much time with this fine man of mine and this soul was honing in on the other fella's time with him) so that you too may experience God in the flesh and not in the old fable of the mean ol' miser who is waiting to write you off.  There's also a few others that do this in my life.  They are called Gloria, Betty, Virginia, Beth, Lisa, Pam, Audrey, Tammy, and other beautiful names.  But the one that matters most?  His name is Jesus and in Him I find redemption, acceptance, and adoration.  Me!  All I can say to that is "Oh what a Saviour!  Oh hallelujah!  Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch--I mean, a woman--like me!  I once was blind but now I see."

Thank You, Lord God, for opening my eyes to Your real personality.  I apologize for all of the times I didn't see Your softer side, the persona of the One Who runs to His children when they hurt:  the One Whose arms are always open, Whose ears are always listening, and Who never grows weary when His kids continue coming to Him with their demands.  How wonderful and magnificent You are!  May I find my security and my solace in You and when I falter, thank You for the others You send me way to show me You when I need that extra boost.

I love You, Lord.  Thanks for loving me too!  Amen.