These are a ton of thoughts melded together... so bear with me. A lot of realization and such happens in the lines following!
I just had the overwhelming urge to laugh. For me, this is no surprise. I am constantly laughing, constantly finding even the simplest of things to be hilarious. But tonight, it's for a different reason... I had a realization. A re-realization, I suppose, since it's nothing new, just a thought that is deciding to revisit my brain again.
I have been called a new name by God! He gave me a new name (a few, actually) when He took my shame and pain and chains away from me, and I am just now realizing how incredibly FREE that makes me! (Yeah, I've talked about this before. But hang tight. Freedom isn't something that gets old. If anything, it gets better.)
He has called me JOY! I am free to laugh, free to burst into a new spasm of giggles whenever I want, because in Him I have gained the freedom to be joyful in every circumstance, the freedom to laugh like a fool, because I don't care if I am one. I absolutely love that I can be a fool for Him and still know that He loves me. He isn't embarrassed to be seen with me.
I see in my mind's eye a picture of a woman standing in the rain, jumping in puddles and laughing, her face tilted upwards as the raindrops pour over her creamy skin, washing away her makeup and her masks and every single bit of self-consciousness and insecurity. She is wearing a purple jacket, the color of royalty.
Jesus absolutely loves to dance in the rain with us. He absolutely loves the joy that seeps through my smile during those times that I sit with my friends and I just can't seem to contain my laughter, my grin breaks through and I can't help but giggle, while everyone shoots me glances that label me as crazy or weird.
He has called me Precious! Even on those nights where I curl up in my bed and cry, full of pain from past hurts. He sets people in my path daily that affirm that name, and no matter what, I can't get rid of them. He shows me my worth through His nature and His book. I'm His baby girl. And He hold me close as such.
He has called me Pure! My past doesn't matter! Whatever insecurities I had about myself and the things that I have experienced/done, those don't matter any more. They're gone. Left. Washed away by those tiny raindrops of grace that seem to constantly fall from His hands that are stretched out over me.
He has called me Wild! No matter what, my heart will not be tamed, and He adores that. He loves that I am His to hold and to carry wherever His wind will take me. I may be afraid to follow Him at times, but He knows that my spirit is strong and my passion for Him only stokes with time. He is the one who calls out the passion and strength in me, He alone is the reason for these things. His love for me is wild... as is mine for Him.
These are a few names He has given me... and they are precious to me. I want for His love and His glory to be evident through these characters in me. I want His passion to be stoked in me. He is worthy. And He has given me hope.
I have been called a new name by God! He gave me a new name (a few, actually) when He took my shame and pain and chains away from me, and I am just now realizing how incredibly FREE that makes me! (Yeah, I've talked about this before. But hang tight. Freedom isn't something that gets old. If anything, it gets better.)
He has called me JOY! I am free to laugh, free to burst into a new spasm of giggles whenever I want, because in Him I have gained the freedom to be joyful in every circumstance, the freedom to laugh like a fool, because I don't care if I am one. I absolutely love that I can be a fool for Him and still know that He loves me. He isn't embarrassed to be seen with me.
I see in my mind's eye a picture of a woman standing in the rain, jumping in puddles and laughing, her face tilted upwards as the raindrops pour over her creamy skin, washing away her makeup and her masks and every single bit of self-consciousness and insecurity. She is wearing a purple jacket, the color of royalty.
Jesus absolutely loves to dance in the rain with us. He absolutely loves the joy that seeps through my smile during those times that I sit with my friends and I just can't seem to contain my laughter, my grin breaks through and I can't help but giggle, while everyone shoots me glances that label me as crazy or weird.
He has called me Precious! Even on those nights where I curl up in my bed and cry, full of pain from past hurts. He sets people in my path daily that affirm that name, and no matter what, I can't get rid of them. He shows me my worth through His nature and His book. I'm His baby girl. And He hold me close as such.
He has called me Pure! My past doesn't matter! Whatever insecurities I had about myself and the things that I have experienced/done, those don't matter any more. They're gone. Left. Washed away by those tiny raindrops of grace that seem to constantly fall from His hands that are stretched out over me.
He has called me Wild! No matter what, my heart will not be tamed, and He adores that. He loves that I am His to hold and to carry wherever His wind will take me. I may be afraid to follow Him at times, but He knows that my spirit is strong and my passion for Him only stokes with time. He is the one who calls out the passion and strength in me, He alone is the reason for these things. His love for me is wild... as is mine for Him.
These are a few names He has given me... and they are precious to me. I want for His love and His glory to be evident through these characters in me. I want His passion to be stoked in me. He is worthy. And He has given me hope.
