Love that is pure

I recently watched the latest season of Bridgerton, and I have to admit I truly enjoy the beautiful dresses and sets. After finishing watching it I thought about the happy ending and noticed that everything we consider as a happy ending is something that comes from God. For example: There were lies, lust (I skipped the scenes), twisted truths, egoistic behavior, broken relationships and therefore a lot of shame, guilt and hostile actions.
In the end, the happy ending, lies were uncovered, truth was spoken, reconciliation and forgiveness happened in the friendships and relationships, and people got married and had children. Is it not interesting that our hearts yearn for that?

I believe that God has put this yearning for love, peace, truth, kindness and purity into our hearts. Because we are made in his image and our “godly fingerprint” yearns for that. And certainty, purity, serenity, peace, sanity and integrity paint a perfect picture of who Jesus is (adaption from Rick Warren’s spiritual warfare sermons).
But because we are humans we mess up, sin, lie, hold grudges, are being proud and put ourselves in the center, and often behave differently than we wanted, intended to. Also, the way we have dealt with disappointments, losses or hurt can leave visible marks in our hearts and even turn our sadness, or guilt and shame into bitterness, sarcasm, or constant anger issues.
And our hearts may have also become impure not only to what happened to us, but also due to our own actions. In Mark 7, starting from verse 20 Jesus tells us that “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”
I can imagine we all have parts in our hearts that defile us. I know I had. And I tried to fix myself, but it was not possible. The bible tells us in Job 14,4: “Who can bring purity out of an impure person? No one!"
But God has provided a solution out of love. He sent Jesus. And he wants us to give him our hearts just as it is.
He wants us to surrender ourselves completely and hold nothing back. Joel 2 verse 12 reminds us: That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.”
Come as you are and surrender everything to Jesus. Acknowledge that he is Lord and greater than your defiled heart. Thank him for what he has done for you at the cross!
In 1 Corinthians 1, verse 30 Paul writes: “God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.”
It is the blood of Jesus that washes us clean and makes us pure and holy. His sacrifice. And he did that out of love.
And it is just simple faith, as we cannot earn or buy our way into God’s kingdom.
In Romans 10 verse 9-10 it says: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved."
And I did that, I openly declared that Jesus is Lord when I got baptized and God has washed me clean. But in the years after that I still messed up. But it is now that I immediately ask God for forgiveness and repent. And I know God’s mercy is anew every morning, so each day is a chance for me to do better and refocus on him. He has transformed my heart, so that I am able to fix my attention on him.

In Matthew 5 verse 8 Jesus tells us: “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.”

What an incredible promise! We are to be so close to God, we are to see him. Maybe you ask yourself how pure do I need to be, to be able to see the Lord? The book I am currently reading has a great thought, which I would like to share with you: If Jesus was speaking of purity as a key to seeing God, then it is attainable. He illustrates this by giving the example of gold: when gold is purified, all other elements are being removed and this is a process. And we should do that with our hearts. Remove all the distractions and the dross of life, so we can focus on God. He says the verse is clearer if we read it this way: Happy are those who focus their heart on God, for they will actually see God.

And I agree fully. The more I focus on God, the more I experience with him. And the more I experience with him, the more I want. And this love for him purifies automatically my heart, because I started to filter what I read, watch and hear.
And this truly was a process. To learn what helps focusing on God and to get rid of things in my life that distract me. This is sometimes easy and sometimes harder, because so many things want our attention. But who or what do I prioritize with the resources that I have? With my time, money, energy? What or who is my focus?

In Psalm 86 verse 11 David says: “Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.” David knew that life can be hard sometimes and distract us from God, but he also knew he can rely on his Heavenly Father to provide him strength and courage to focus on him and to be obedient.
Psalm 119, verse 9 reads: “How can a young perston stay pure? By obeying your word.” So obeying God’s word helps us to focus on him.
I love how Paul reminds us in Philippians 4, verses 6-8 that we can ask God for help and strength to do so. And he also gives us practical tips how we should phrase our prayers: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers ans sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

And that is the reason why I skipped the sex scences in Bridgerton, because I did not want to consume something that might make my thoughts linger on something that might create thoughts which are not honorable, right and pure.

It is because of God’s love for us, and our salvation through Jesus’s death and resurrection that we can experience a love that is not only pure, but a love that purifies us and enables us to see more of God and his goodness in our lives.

Love that forgives

I haven’t written some article lately and did not know what to write about. So I asked God and he told me to write about forgiveness. That is something I have some experience with and I pray that if this is the topic for your heart right now, that the Holy Spirit touches your heart and fills it with his love.
Because maybe you have been hurt or betrayed by someone at some point in your life?
I imagine yes, because we are humans and humans make mistakes. Sometimes I offend someone or cause pain to someone and sometimes I am being hurt.
We know that we should forgive people who hurt us, but sometimes it feels like we just cannot. The damage and the disappointment has been too far-reaching and so we cover up the ache.
And the closer the person is to us, the more we suffer. Sometimes the pain can be excruciating, when you have been betrayed by a deeply loved person, for example a partner or someone from your family.
I experienced this kind of pain when my former boyfriend started a relationship parallel to ours, while living abroad for six months. When I found out my world collapsed, I have never felt this kind of hurt before. If you can relate, you know what I am talking about.
The agony was too much to endure by myself and I did not want it to turn into bitterness, revenge or hate. In Proverbs 10, verse 12 it says: Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses.
So I turned to God, because I knew, that he can fully and truly comfort me. Talking to God started the healing process. And in and through the healing process I was able to forgive.
In my opinion forgiveness is receiving and giving, and it is nothing that we can do out of our own strength. We need God to work through us. From my experience we are able to forgive others, when we have experienced forgiveness for our own shortcomings. And because I experienced God’s forgiveness in my life, see my testimony Jesus - getting to know him better (youtube.com), I was able to forgive my former boyfriend with God’s help.
In Ephesians 4, verse 31-32 it says: Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
And why should we do that? Because God loves us and wants peace for us. He wants us to live with love and have love and compassion and mercy for other people around us.
God is not compelled to forgive us, he chooses to forgive us because he loves us.
And we all mess up. We all have hurt someone, disappointed someone, lied to someone, said something that crushed someone. We are humans, we are all in need of forgiveness. And the more we mess up, the more we appreciate God’s love and forgiveness.
In Luke 7 verse 41-42 it says: Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”
God is so merciful, he cancels our debts, he throws our sins into the depths of the oceans, not to be brought up again, he even erases our transgressions from his memory.
And this is the truth. And because God is love he choses to forgive. He wants us close to him.

Another example of how God shows love, compassion, and mercy is with his relationship with David. He chose to forgive him, the one who commited adultery and then indirectly killed the innocent husband of Bathsheba.
David came clean about his sins, we learn this in Psalm 32,5: Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
God forgave David and gave his heart peace and rest. And David’s love for God increased massively because he was forgiven so much. He writes in Psalm 103: He forgives all my sins and heals all my deseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
Does this not sound like joy, peace, gratitute and love?
And that is exactly what God intends us to have. To have a heart full of love for him and gratitute for what he has done in our lives.

When we come clean and confess our transgressions from the bottom of our hearts, just as I have done and what David has done, God forgives us and heals us. And this love motivates us to forgive others as well.

Lastly, in Matthew 6, verse 14-15 Jesus says: If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Again, God loves us and he wants to heal our hurt, so we can be free through him and love and truly forgive those who have deeply hurt us.
I pray that God’s love touches your heart, and helps you overcome your disappointments, hurt and hatred, so that your heart and mind can encounter the healing power of God’s forgiveness.

In Proverbs 17, vers 9 it says: Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.

Because of his healing power I was able to keep a tender heart, get rid of jealousy and was able to build trust again. In our case a reconciliation was possible and we were able to rebuild our friendship and start new.

Love that corrects

Now that our baby has turned into a wild toddler we are constantly correcting him. Stop spitting, stop throwing food, stop hitting the dog. We tell him, that when he hits the dog, the dog is hurt and she does not like that, but she likes to be petted. So we are trying to bring him back on the right tracks, by showing and explaining his behavior and its consequences.
Why do we do that? I think you know the answer. Because we love him.

And God does the same when it comes to us, out of his perfect love for us. Just recently it became clear to me that God corrected my behavior big time twice in my life. And I haven’t really noticed it until now, but now that God has unveiled this to me I feel so relieved, because both incidents were something that bothered me. Sure they bothered me, because it was uncomfortable to reallign my focus and to give up my treasures.

Jesus says in Matthew 6, verse 19-21: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

And so God showed me where my heart was. Twice. Because obviously we have a patient and kind and loving God and a stubborn and thick-witted Franzi who needed a reminder.

The first treasure of mine was clothing. Over the years I collected items that were dear to my heart and kept them as little treasures. To not destroy them I barely wore them. Especially one pink hoodie I got from my cousin from California, I just really loved it.

When I started my studies in a different town, my stuff was moved by my family because I was still abroad for an internship. When I came back and sorted my things I had a feeling that something was off. And so after some time it became clear my roommate stole a whole lot of my clothes. And yes, the hoodie was gone and so was she.

The second time God corrected my treasures was some time later when I did an internship at a french luxury company. The pay was ok-ish, but I received a lot of products for free, which I considered as my earned pay and horded them as another treasure.

One day I came back home and found several products destroyed by the two kids who visited my parents (they were unattented for a short time). It felt like someone rampaged through my belongings, my treasure AGAIN!!! And it honestly kind of hurt.

God was showing me again where my heart was. It was connected to stuff. To worldy things that got destroyed and stolen.
Over the years I learned that everything is from God. All things belong to him, It was him in the first place who gave me that internship. Everything that I have is granted and given by God, because he is merciful and kind and he provides for my needs in abundance (Matthew 6, verse 26).

The bible says in Proverbs 3, 11-12: My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Looking back I am very grateful God corrected my behavior. Because he passionately loves me and he is jealous for me. He does not want to be second, he wants to be first and he wants us to fully and wholeheartedly trust him. Maybe it is uncomfortable in that moment, but I am sure God has only good for us in mind, for he is trustworthy and faithful and his mercy never ends.

So when you notice that God is continuously telling you to not put your trust into clothes, money, houses or anything else apart from him, then ask him for courage and faith so you will be able to fully trust him and putting him first with the help of the Holy Spirit. For me it was a process, and obviously I needed a reminder. But it was worth it. Because putting my trust in him brings God glory and honor and he delights in me. And I want him to. He is the source of my joy and peace for my heart. Since I stopped worrying about my stuff and “treasures” my heart is so much lighter. I know from experience that my God loves me and cares for me. His blessings are in abundance, he is the reliable and faithful. He is worth to be trusted.

Love that transforms

This morning I read Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5, 13: “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.”

When I was a kid I never really understood it. What did it mean to be the salt of the earth? And how can we lose our flavor?

Jesus teaches us just before that how we should differ from the world in the beatitudes (Matthew 5, 1-12). They are instructions of how our actions are making a difference. I noticed that these are often quiet actions, mostly seen at a second glance.
I think it reflects God’s character. Jesus is humble and gentle at heart (Matthew 11,29), humility in person. His gentleness, patience and kindness are visible characteristics of his love. He sat down with people, and had compassion with them and showed them mercy. Treated even the worst sinners with respect and poured out God’s unfailing love and grace out over them (i.e. story of Zacchaeus Luke 19, 1-9). And that is the example he sets for us.
When you ask yourself, like I did, how am I “salty”? And how can I differ from people around me? Look at Jesus and look how he acted. And follow his example: “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” (Philippians 2,5) And this mindset, attitude is humility. The Cambridge Dictionary defines humility as the quality of not being proud or not thinking that you are better than other people. In a nutshell: Think less about yourself and more about others.
What are your thoughts made of?
If you think alot about yourself, for example your looks, your career, your money, your whatever comes to your mind, then I encourage you to go into a quiet place and tell God all about it. But first, think about who gives life and thank God for it. Thank him also, that he provides us with all the things we need and also blesses us in so many unseen ways. Can we gift ourselves with health? I don’t think so. Many things are out of our control. Anf if you worry about that, then trade it for faith, encouragement and peace of mind (Matthew 11, 28-30).
Who can think of others if one’s brain capacity is full of thoughts about oneself?
It is God who can help us and transform our thoughts and actions.

Maybe you start very small: For example by active listening to someone else with empathy and grace instead of secretly judging. Or you do something for someone without expecting anything in return. Those humble actions are maybe not immediately visible, but people notice eventually.

I did an internship at a French Luxury company and what stuck with me was the following: detail is key. We even learnt how to make the perfect bow, so it is easy for customers to unwrap their product. So luxury is found in the detail, in the small parts, the ones not visible at first sight. But make a difference when handled.

This is how I started and what I do for others:
Firstly I pray for people. Who is praying for my neighbors, coworkers, friends and family if not me?
Also I started to serve at church, it is a great place to serve and to show hospitality to others without expecting anything in return, just done out of love.
In my daily life I’ll try to encounter and see people as Jesus sees them. God helps me to forgive people that may have done me wrong. Thus I am able not to hold a grudge, and show mercy.
The holy spirit also makes me have compassion on others. For me this means very practical supporting less fortunate children financially. Did you notice that all these actions are mostly not visible at first sight? But they make a difference in that person’s life. In the life of the kids that I support and hopefully also in the life of the people around me. I am trying to be a peacemaker, with God’s help.
The key to transformation for me was to give all my thoughts, worries and secret wishes to God and traded it for space and peace of mind. With this newly won energy and brain capacity I can do his good work for his glory.
Nearly daily I give him my anger, frustration or resentment and let myself be equiped with love and patience by him. Even though this transformation is not visible, the fruit is, the outcome is. And that is how we are salty. That is how the light of Jesus shines through us to be looked upon for orientation. It is God who equipes us, the gentlemen he is. Knowing that detail is key. So let us focus on him and let the love of God transform us and give us ideas what little actions can make a giant difference in the lifes of people around us.

Love that brings peace

Having a small child that screams a lot can be nerve-wrecking. I never really thought about that before becoming a parent. Plus, other kids might have acted crazy at home, where I was not present. Or I just did not have a filter for this before and ignored screaming kids in my environment. Now I have one myself. I remember it annoyed me when there where screaming kids in a train or bus near me.
I never knew how helpless, frustrated, irritated and most of all desperate parents can feel when their child screams and they have no clue why.
But now I am facing these emotions. And honestly sometimes nearly on a daily basis. To spice things a little up hormones add to this and I have a hefty cocktail of emotions that wants to be downed. If my husband does not do exactly as I have told him in these situations feelings of hate want to crawl up, and I want to throw stuff at him.
I feel ashamed and weak that I am not able to control my emotions in that moment. My patience has come to an end. No more strength and self-control available. The perfect playground for arguments that are anticipated to fail and create vaults of mistrust, anger and frustration. Which might lead to the fact that one withdraws more and more and resigns. This is definately not helping a marriage.

The last time I found myself in this situation I was full of anger, frustration and hints of hate. I told God all my feelings. How I am ashamed about it. How I want to love my husband and not want to throw things at him. I told God everything. All the details, all the shame.
I remembered his promise that when I am weak, he is strong (2 Corinthians 12,9). So I asked him to take over. Dumped all emotions in front of the cross and reminded Jesus that he also died for that. And asked for his strength. For his Holy Spirit. Because the fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5,22-23). And I needed all of that. I thanked God for meeting me and refilling my empty cup.
After my prayer I felt uplifted, I traded hate for love. Shame for forgiveness. Weakness for strength and frustration for gentleness and self-control.
Family is in my eyes the core of society, it is where we teach our children what is right and what is good. It is where they learn compassion, how to make wise choices and most of all how to love. If we ourselves are not able to do that. What are we teaching our children?

I made the experience that I need God in everything. I need him in big situations, but a whole lot also in small situations, in daily life. I need his strength, because his is an unexhausted source of power. I need his love, because love is much stronger than hate. And his love for me is endless. I need his peace and wisdom.
After that prayer I felt filled up again. I was able to act in a normal way again, think logically again. Love my husband again and have mercy and forgiveness for him.
I noticed that it is the love of God that has transformed my situation and brought peace back to our household that evening.

So whatever our situation, we can ask him for his love and forgiveness. So we are able to love and forgive the person who has done us wrong. And his love is the bridge-builder, the one thing that brings peace into our lives and relationships.

Love that gives identity

In the last months I applied for new jobs and did some interviews with other companies, because I was unhappy with my tasks before my parental leave. For one particular firm I had to do a personality test during the application process. The HR lady was surprised that my score for “identification” was unusully low. I explained to her that I do not identifiy with jobs or companies anymore, because you can easily be replaced or if costs need to be cut, laid off. Which has just happened for some of my colleagues when I was on parental leave. Some of the colleagues that had been terminated due to the restructuring program had been working for over 30 years in that company and even started their professional training there. I can imagine that one is influenced by the company, when working for such a long time at the same place.
I recently saw a picture of a former colleague who has worked for some time in a French enterprise I did an internship at. Even though she is German, she dressed very French and wore its products. From the picture it looked like she very much identifies with the company and its style. I wondered about all these people. I guess depending on the degree of identification many feelings occur when losing or changing a job. And that is why I decided to not identify with companies, because one can so easily be replaced.

But with what can we identify that does not change and is purposeful?
I personally found my answer in the bible. My relationship with Jesus gives me a purpose that goes far beyond my worklife. It is not only a matter of daily life, but most of all eternal life.

So what does identification look like? The Cambridge dictionary defines the word identity as ”a person’s name and other facts about who they are”.
How do I identify with Jesus’ name and facts about who he is?
The bible says God is love. And his love for us makes us being loved (Jeremiah 31,3). The bible also says we are forgiven (Romans 4,5), chosen (John 15,16) and precious (Isaiah 43,4) in his eyes through Jesus Christ.
In Jeremiah 29 verse 11 we read: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

So his plans for my life are good plans. And honestly I truly believe this and trust him in that. God has led me through my various jobs and at some he closed doors and at other companies he opened some. I know from experience that his plans for me are good, because he is faithful and trustworthy and shown me his favor and love in the past.
Because of this I am able to focus my eyes on him and trust him whereever he leads me, because he means well for me. This knowledge and belief changes my thoughts and actions. It gives me peace and rest and hope. Hope, that one day I will be standing in his presence and share eternity with him. And this is the greatest wonder ever: that Jesus has died for me so I am able to come into God’s presence and he has given me a home in heaven, a heavenly citizenship that I am looking forward to.

As for my current situation: God closed all doors when I applied for jobs at other companies and I had the feeling that he wants me to stay where I am currently at. So when I received one negative reply after another I was less sad and down that I would have been if I did not make this positive experience about God’s faithfulness a couple of years ago.
But if we find ourselves in a situation, where emotions overflow us and shake up our lives and make us maybe question ourselves. We have the opportunity to find a quiet place, pour out our heart in front of the Lord and tell him how we feel. After that we have the option to be quiet in front of him and let ourselves be reminded of who he is: The Lord of Heaven’s armies, the creator of heaven and earth. The one who calls himself the beginning and end. The eternal God of all, who loves us so dearly that he did not even spare his own son. His holy spirit gives us rest and peace and lets us know, that it is out of God’s love for us that we are alive. And let us ask him to pour out his holy sprit upon us, so we will be able to become more like Christ, so the people around us are able to see God’s love for them through us. And this is my identity in him.

Love as purpose

Somehow I continue to struggle with my purpose. It pops up every now and then. I actively think and search about it when I am unbalanced. And when I am unbalanced I am impatient, easy to get ticked off and generally not in the best mood and worst of all, unthankful. It is shameful to admit this because I have so many reasons to be thankful for. And I live such a priviledged life having a job, a nice apartment, a handsome husband and a healthy son. Why is it, that this unthankfulnes keeps creeping up on me and brings out the worst side of me? When it gets really bad and I do not notice it my husband lets me know that I should do some sport. Yes, working out helps, but it does not hit the core of it.
I guess the main reason for that is because of a lacking purpose in my life. Shortly before Corona we moved to the south of Germany and I was not able to go to church and to serve. And I also had no continuous ministry. So the question that kept on popping up was: what am I supposed to do here and what is my purpose?

My husband and I got married and we had a son within the last two years. Those are giant moments in life, but when daily routines came back the longing for a purpose also came back. So I started to write little notes for my neighbors for christmas and easter, to show and spread some love and joy during that dull Corona time. And I noticed that when I put Jesus’ command to love my neighbor into action I found joy and purpose in this work.

But God gave me so much love that I have much more to give and to share, so that is why I started this blog. My parental leave is coming to an end, and I am not very excited about going back to my old job, that is why I applied for other jobs. I asked God during my quite time where he wants me and what I should do in regards of my job situation. Where should I put my focus? We thought of starting a video channel, in addition to this blog, so more people could be reached. After that prayer I opened the bible and the first words that I saw were “Lord’s follower”. So I knew. And I got the confirmation again. It is not about me. It is not about the old job or a new job, it is about him and his kingdom. So my laser focus should be on him and reaching more people, so there will be more followers of Jesus. Because he has loved me first, provides me with the love that I need, and equipes me with what I need to fulfil his work, I find purpose in him.

Love hurts

Have you ever loved someone? I think so, and I hope so. That you received love and that you gave love while growing up. Looking back I found that I loved our guinea pig a lot. The albino one with the many names (Flocky, Billy, Rolly, Fasty auf Kleinfuss zu Niedergesaess). He was so patient and kind towards us children and towards the other guinea pigs. He was just special. And when he died I was very sad. But as a kid I was somehow not hurt by the pain of loss. Not that I could remember. Nowadays it is different. When my Chihuahua suddenly and completely unexpectedly died last year I felt overwhelmed and shocked. I did not know how to deal with the pain. I loved this little crazy funny dog and losing her hurt. I found it too burdensome to handle the pain alone so I prayed to God: Lord, I thank you for Tami, I praise your holy name and I thank you for creating such a wonderful creature. But I am so overwhelmed with my feelings of her sudden and early death, that I do not know how to handle it. I feel paralyzed, please help me in this current situation and meet me in my pain.

After praying and praising the Lord I felt much better. And the following thought was given to me by the spirit: It does not matter how much time you have with the one you love, it will never be enough.

I felt God saying to me: That is why I created eternity, because I love you so much that eternity is just about enough time for the love that I have for you.

This comforted me a lot. I might have given a couple more years, but it would still not be enough time with her. And God only knows why she had to die so sudden. Maybe she was spared some illness or so, I don't know.

But what I do know is that God is good. And that I find myself trusting him. He took me serious in my pain and loss for my dog. I guess some people would have laughed at me, but God did not. He was there and he comforted me. And I know that he means well for me. For that I am thankful. And also for the time that was given to me with my little dog.

For all of you who also ask yourselves whether you will see your pets again in heaven or not: I believe so. The Bible says in Romans 8:19-21
”For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.”

Isn't that amazing?

God created eternity so we will finally have enough time together, and he also has a plan for his creation. Because Jesus has overcome death that is why illness and decay will be no more, once we are in his presence.

Love your neighbor

In the new testament Jesus is asked by an expert in religious law what he needs to do to inherit eternal life (Luke 10, 25). Jesus asks him back about what the law says, the person answers correctly: You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. The man then asks who his neighbor is and Jesus answers with the story of the Good Samaritan.

In my opinion this question is still accurate today. We live in such an ego-focused world with loose morals and over-the-top self optimization, that people seem not to have room to think about something else, but themselves. How do I look? What do they think about me? Do they like what I do? Etc. I get the impression that only around Christmas people acknowledge that there is a world outside where people are hungry, cold and in need of housing. Even in our own country. I asked myself why that is. And one answer I came by was: We live in a world where people sin. Sin pushes you away from God and cools your love for him. Also it makes you focus on yourself and less sensitive for the needs of others.

I would like to encourage you to open your eyes and heart for the needs of someone else. Maybe you know someone who needs comfort or a prayer? Or someone needs food and you can pack a care package?

In Matthew 25, starting verse 31 Jesus tells us about the final judgement. He says to the obedient followers: Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.

Let's use this verse as our motivation! Because with the help of the Lord we can overcome our prejudice toward other people, as well as fear that might hinder us. Do trust the Lord for he is good and he will guide you in doing what is right. And he will also give you ideas in how you could help others, for we have the most creative God in the universe!

Loving Father

I recently became a mom. I have always wanted to have children and the desire to have a child became stronger and stronger once I passed 30. I found it marvelous that during pregnancy we are able to love someone so tiny, whom we haven't even met yet.

Once I was able to meet him I was delighted with joy. And now he is my most precious. No diamond, no money, no house, nothing in this world can compare how much he means to me. I miss my baby as soon as I am away to run some errands.

This parental love is very new for me and I started to think about God's love for us again. In 1 John 4, Vers 10 the Bible says “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

We were created in the image of God and we have the capability for such strong love toward our children. Imgaine how much more must God love us, than we would ever be able to, that he has sent his only son, to die for us and by this redeeming us from evil?! We cannot understand the depth of God's love for his son, but he did not spare him. And Jesus willingly layed down his life for you and for me. This shows that God's love toward us is not a theoretical concept. Jesus died for us. The ultimate act of love. Imagine how strong God's longing for you is, that he has sent his only son to redeem you. So he can be in a relationship with you.

One more thought: God created us as human beings, not human doings. So we are able just to be ourselves around him.
I must say seeing my boy laughing with joy and cuddling with me, when he needs comfort or how he fully trusts me is astounding and brings me great joy. He recently started to dance and sing. It is the cutest thing how he is just happy being himself and exploring the world.

Imagine if we would act like that toward God. Completely trusting him in all areas in our lives, and involving him. Sharing with him our thoughts and seeking him out first when we are for example in a decision making process. And just being ourselves around him, laughing, singing, exploring the world, and doing whatever we enjoy doing and giving him the glory. For he has equipped you with a drawing talent, for he is the one that gave you the talent for sports, or whatever you are naturally good at. And what do you think will happen when you are yourself around God? When you open up all the hidden doors in your heart and let his healing love inside?

When I started to do that I experienced a deep sense of peace, comfort, joy and lightness. As well as a deep sense of being home. I pray that you do too!

Love lasts forever

Love lasts forever. Why did I choose this as the name of the blog? It is a reminder that there are many things in this world, that do not last. What is regularily on your mind? Maybe your money that you invested in stocks? Maybe the house that you bought that needs maintenance? Or maybe you worry about your health and think about the sickness you have. Next question: will it last forever?
Probably not. The bible tells us that there are three things that last forever, which are faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love
(1 Corinthians 13:13). You probably have noticed this as well: all of the three are not visible, but yet exist.
We know people with and without faith. We know how hopeful people react in a situation and we know how hopelessness looks like.
And love. The author of the letter to the Corinthians reminds us that we should refocus to what is important: “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

And as love is the greatest of the three mentioned it makes sense to have a closer look at it and learn more about it. Let’s do it!