Where the Lord is
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
A couple of months ago, I was driving into town with my girls. My oldest toddler was sitting in the back seat quietly singing to herself. “Oh-oh, My God is always with me wherever I go.” She has a raspy, child’s voice and it was sweet to hear her singing that in the dark of night in a quiet car. I prayed she would know that, believe that, and experience that for her whole life. Her God is with her wherever she goes.
It was a crazy season. We had sold our house, sold nearly everything we owned, moved in with my in-laws, and accepted positions to serve as missionaries abroad. We were just two months shy of the big move and there was a ton of… feelings and emotions. My daughter would ask to please go drive by our old house, already redecorated and looking familiar yet foreign to us.
We were, and still are in many ways, living lives with no strings attached. Hymns reiterating that my worth is not in what I own continually play through my mind. The feeling that home is only where Jesus is, that my treasure is in heaven and that I consider the rest of this life nothing compared to knowing Jesus… that feeling is more than a feeling or belief now. This is reality and it is freedom.
It is hard to look people you love in the face and believe that you love them so much but you still choose Jesus first. It does not make sense to the world. It is hard, in my humanity, to look at the quilts you hand made for your babies, box them up, and know that these are precious but they are nothing compared to Jesus. It is odd to love something, someone, somewhere so much and find it so… easy to walk away. How can something be hard and easy at the same time?
We have been in Ireland for a couple of weeks, getting to know places and people. Things haven’t gone exactly as planned but God has shown up in every step in just the right time. I sat down the first day I was alert enough to read my bible and intentionally pray to God. I asked Him why I wasn’t afraid. Why am I not scared or losing my mind or ready to run back home when things don’t go exactly the way we hoped they would?
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
I found it easy to walk away, into the unknown but certain, because we were not walking away from something. We are walking toward something. We are walking toward the Lord. We are walking to Him and, where His Spirit is, there is freedom.
Can I be even more honest?
As I sat there in prayer, overwhelmed in the beauty of this freedom, and I became reverently afraid of the Lord. His Greatness is beyond my understanding. His Glory beyond all compare. He, with all power and all authority leads me, leads us. Now I know that I can follow Him, even in the unknown certainty of obedience. He could take us anywhere and do anything. I pray we would always be obedient.
Now, we keep taking steps in faith. We keep walking towards the Lord, toward Jesus. He is Home. We are free.
In the love of Christ from Ireland,
Hannah
A couple of months ago, I was driving into town with my girls. My oldest toddler was sitting in the back seat quietly singing to herself. “Oh-oh, My God is always with me wherever I go.” She has a raspy, child’s voice and it was sweet to hear her singing that in the dark of night in a quiet car. I prayed she would know that, believe that, and experience that for her whole life. Her God is with her wherever she goes.
It was a crazy season. We had sold our house, sold nearly everything we owned, moved in with my in-laws, and accepted positions to serve as missionaries abroad. We were just two months shy of the big move and there was a ton of… feelings and emotions. My daughter would ask to please go drive by our old house, already redecorated and looking familiar yet foreign to us.
We were, and still are in many ways, living lives with no strings attached. Hymns reiterating that my worth is not in what I own continually play through my mind. The feeling that home is only where Jesus is, that my treasure is in heaven and that I consider the rest of this life nothing compared to knowing Jesus… that feeling is more than a feeling or belief now. This is reality and it is freedom.
It is hard to look people you love in the face and believe that you love them so much but you still choose Jesus first. It does not make sense to the world. It is hard, in my humanity, to look at the quilts you hand made for your babies, box them up, and know that these are precious but they are nothing compared to Jesus. It is odd to love something, someone, somewhere so much and find it so… easy to walk away. How can something be hard and easy at the same time?
We have been in Ireland for a couple of weeks, getting to know places and people. Things haven’t gone exactly as planned but God has shown up in every step in just the right time. I sat down the first day I was alert enough to read my bible and intentionally pray to God. I asked Him why I wasn’t afraid. Why am I not scared or losing my mind or ready to run back home when things don’t go exactly the way we hoped they would?
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
I found it easy to walk away, into the unknown but certain, because we were not walking away from something. We are walking toward something. We are walking toward the Lord. We are walking to Him and, where His Spirit is, there is freedom.
Can I be even more honest?
As I sat there in prayer, overwhelmed in the beauty of this freedom, and I became reverently afraid of the Lord. His Greatness is beyond my understanding. His Glory beyond all compare. He, with all power and all authority leads me, leads us. Now I know that I can follow Him, even in the unknown certainty of obedience. He could take us anywhere and do anything. I pray we would always be obedient.
Now, we keep taking steps in faith. We keep walking towards the Lord, toward Jesus. He is Home. We are free.
In the love of Christ from Ireland,
Hannah
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