Let Me Count The Ways!

“How do I love thee?  I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight for the ends of Being and ideal Grace.”  Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I have always been moved by that poem, Lord.  One lover’s attempt to capture in words the impossibility of capturing her love in words.

You are the Giver of every good gift, Lord.  So I have no doubt that You inspired these words, in a moment, so that Elizabeth could express her timeless love to her husband.

From her heart to his.

I didn’t realize until today that these words could have come from Your lips to our hearts. They not only could have… they do!

I was blessed to sit with a dear sister-in-Christ today who is only just beginning to discover this Truth.

The enemy has lied to her for a very long time.  About everything.  She has believed these lies for so long, it seemed they had become part of her.  Part of her “Reality.”  Her Hopeless, Lifeless, Pointless “Reality.”

Until now.

“If you hold to My teaching… Then you will know The Truth, and The Truth will set you free.”  (John 8:31-32)

The many factors and forces You brought together for this Turning Point in her life are too numerous to list… or even to know.  I see glimpses.  I know the small role You invited me to play.  I see the significant roles You engaged others to play.

Knowing all the while our roles were nothing compared to Yours.

“If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5)

This Turning Point is a “kairos moment” in her life… isn’t it, Lord?  An opportune moment, when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action.  What action?

Her spiritual FREEDOM!

You paved the way for this in a recent two-day “encounter” experience.  At the “end” of it — not the “end” at all, but a new beginning! — she prayed:  “Lord, please show Yourself to me — relate to me — in some very personal way.”

A way she had never experienced before.  A way she had never believed was even possible.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”  (Isaiah 43:18-19)

What have You shown her in the last 48 hours, Lord?

“How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways…”

You reconnected her with a dear friend she hadn’t seen in 15 years.  A friend who lives 3,000 miles away and didn’t know she was coming.  Her friend was inexplicably given the day off by her boss, which made their reunion possible.

Of course she was.   🙂

You led her to a beach to feel the sand in her toes.  A profoundly peaceful and beautiful place.  On a “sixty-something” Florida day.  Unusually cool weather, yet perfect weather for someone who cannot tolerate the Florida heat.

Of course it was.   🙂

A steady, refreshing breeze was blowing through her hair… even as she “saw” it blowing her spiritual “fog” away.  It reminded her of Your Holy Spirit.

Of course it did.   🙂

Or maybe it was the sun that had burned the fog away, even as it had burned her skin? The sun?  It reminded her of… guess Who?

Of course it did.   🙂

While at the beach, she saw a group of porpoises — her very favorite!  Then, another group! Then, yet another group!  A friend exclaiming, “This just doesn’t happen!”  Not one group or two… but three.  They reminded her of… guess Who?

Of course they did.   🙂

Someone offered her a slice of watermelon.  Something she doesn’t usually eat, except every summer on Independence Day. Today is not July 4, but she immediately saw Your hand in it, Lord.  Because this is her independence… isn’t it?!

This dear sister spent an hour today writing down these gifts — and so many more — so she would not forget them.  Personal gifts You had given her in just the last 48 hours.  She wrote non-stop for a solid hour, writing about Your goodness to her!

I couldn’t help but remind her:  “What was it you prayed for two days ago?”   The light bulb went on in her mind.  Because You had wasted no time in doing exactly what she had asked You to do:  Showing Yourself to her — relating to her — in very personal ways.

“How do I love thee, [My Daughter]?  Let me [show you] the ways…”

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”  (Ephesians 3:18-19)

Spiritual freedom is so beautiful, Lord!  Freedom from lies and bondage.  Freedom for Truth and True Love.  Your love!

Now… it’s about going forward.  Embracing the New Life she has only tasted… the feast You have prepared for her.  Walking in the New Freedom You have gained for her.  To a place she has never been before.  The place of abundance You have promised her.

“For we live by faith, not by sight.”  (2 Corinthians 5:7)

I am mostly a witness to what You are doing for this beloved sister, Lord.

So how is it that my “cup” is so full to overflowing???

Gratefully, on so many levels… !!!

Abba’s Girl

 

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