Freely Speaking

My therapist once told me that how we view our earthly father is how we view God. That philosophy lit up the dark recesses of my mind where tender feelings of inadequacies were stored.

My dad, deaf since infancy, became a Christian in his early twenties and launched a deaf ministry that slowly stretched across the mid-Atlantic seaboard. I admired and loved him, but so did an entire deaf community. When I wasn’t trying to capture his attention with good behavior and my questionable knowledge of the scriptures, I pretended to be him by flashing the infectious smile I inherited and awkwardly witnessed to my peers.  

But it was a losing battle. Even though I knew he loved me, he was so busy pursuing God’s calling that he didn’t have time to demonstrate it. Outside of joining him in ministry, there wasn’t an impressive achievement to get his attention.
 
Similarly, I knew God loved me, but I was still hardwired to believe I had to earn it. Mercifully, the Bible says otherwise.  Here’s the catch: it doesn’t just fall on your lap. You have to seek it with your whole heart.  What does that look like?  I have three things:

• Pray. Silently or out loud. It doesn’t have to be choreographed.  
• Read your Bible. Search “God’s love” and read every passage. 
• Connect with other Christians. Hey! You’re already doing that out here on Oh So Free Women.

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 ESV. There isn’t a bad childhood experience, a broken relationship, or a sin you’ve committed that can separate you from God’s enduring love. Do you doubt? Drop a comment. A bunch of prayer warriors in this group walking a similar path would love to pray for you.