“He loves me, he loves me not.” I plucked the white daisy petals, deciding the outcome of my childhood crush. A hope in love.

Years later during a Sunday church service, daisies on my dress stirred those memories as I waited for my pastor-husband Mike to call me to the platform. He had asked me to share the long journey of praying for my father to come to Christ. First we watched the Billy Graham video “Hope for America—a Message of the Cross.”

Hope in Love

As I waited for my cue, the white-and-yellow daisies on a background of black seemed to blossom on my dress. The Lord put in my heart an image of plucking flower petals and suggested the daisies that represented a young girl’s hope—hope for love—still covey a message of hope…hope found in the kind of love that goes to the cross.

As a young girl, I longed for love—especially from a father.

Starting in childhood we form beliefs about love. Beliefs about God often shape what we think about love. In The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer writes, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. ~ A.W. Tozer @karenfriday #rechargewednesday
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There may be unbelief in God’s existence. We may believe there is a God but form wrong thoughts about Him.

• God is a cosmic cop watching our every move, ready to bust us for every wrong turn and slap us with justice.
• God is a disciplinary father-figure punishing us for poor choices with stern consequences.
• God is like our earthly father who abandoned us physically or emotionally—perhaps both. We cannot count on him.

You see, abandonment confused my notions on love. And I wasn’t sure what I thought about God. When my dad came back, I spent every other weekend with him. A self-proclaimed atheist, he often said, “People think there is a God, but there isn’t.”

But my mother introduced me to truths about God, and we attended a small-town church in Virginia. At sixteen, when I came to Christ, I started praying for my father to not only believe in God but to accept Christ as Lord.

Though I prayed fervently, I still found it hard to visualize my father coming to Christ. He seemed so hard-hearted…so unreachable.

God So Loved

Sill, I knew Scripture confirmed “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13 NLT). And I knew “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV).

But, when I prayed, inserting my father’s full name into these Scriptures, they became promises. Believable promises opening my faith eyes. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).

Finally, sixteen years later, my father accepted the message of the cross. He realized God existed—a God who loved him and wanted him.

Hope in God’s Love

My father passed away five days before Christmas. The holidays that year were bittersweet. My family would not be going to his home for our traditional Christmas night Mexican feast.

A lover of spicy food, he started the tradition knowing that by Christmas night, his kids and grandchildren were ready for a change from the usual holiday foods. Now, my father celebrated with a his own feast in heaven. A sweet image.

God is not the earthly pictures we paint. But, there is a God. He is love. Love originated with Him and from Him. He loves us.

God is not the earthly pictures we paint. But, there is a God. He is love. Love originated with Him and from Him. He loves us. @KarenFriday #rechargewednesday
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And His love is not based on some whimsical hope of the last flower petal landing on “He loves me.”

Instead, there’s a message forever ingrained on my heart. The hope of true love is found in the cross.

Plucking petals from a flower, we can never say about God, “He loves me not.” It is always, “He loves me, He loves me. Jesus loves me, God, You love me, You love me, You love me, You love me!”

And He loves you!

Also see, A Grand Valentine Invitation.

LINKUP PARTY opens on February 8 at 6 am!

Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:

1. Add your Link.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry on Twitter and Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page

Join @FridayKaren to discuss how our beliefs about God and love are connected. God is not the earthly pictures we paint. He is love. And the hope of true love is found in the cross. Share your blog! #blog #love
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The post Daisy-Petal Hope {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

Furthermore, we tell others to “Get over it!” And we say it about someone or something, “I’m over it!”

Get Over It

Like in these get-over-it scenarios:

• We upset our spouse.
• A co-worker desired to complete a task in a different way than us.
• A parent puts unreachable expectations on us.

And in these I-am-over-it examples:

• Someone in our life is a repeat offender.
• We try for a promotion at work multiple times.
• A family member creates drama time and time again.

Sure, we eventually get over people injuring us and drama and not getting a promotion. But somethings and someOne was never meant to get over.

You see, during my husband’s sermon one Easter, he made a statement that really stuck with me. Sometimes we just get over being saved. Yet, how is it possible to get over being rescued by Jesus Christ?

True Rescued People

Whether one day, one week, or one month passes after celebrating the resurrection, are we already over the power of the Easter story?

Or, on December 26, are we over the true meaning of Christmas and why Jesus came to earth?

Because folks, every day and all year long is about Jesus!

Still, the world and its pleasures cause us to downplay the awe of salvation and the person of Jesus Christ. Also, we think more about this life than the next life. And we are complacent about godly things.

Maybe we’re miracle-chasers. We only need Jesus when we need a miracle.

But at the center of the Christian life is Jesus. Him alone. Not just His miracles and His stuff. Because lost is lost is lost. And saved is saved is saved. True rescued people never get over it.

Lost is lost is lost. And saved is saved is saved. True rescued people never get over it. @FridayKaren #jesussaves
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3 Ways to Never Get Over Jesus Christ

(1.) Insert your name in John 3:16 (read it out loud).

For God so loved ____________, that He gave his only Son, that if I believe in him, I will not perish but have eternal life.

(2.) Remember all of the Lord’s benefits and bless Him (Psalm 103:1-5).

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all my iniquity, who heals all my diseases, who redeems my life from the pit, who crowns me with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies me with good so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (ESV, Emphasis mine.)

Bless the Lord for all his benefits. He forgives all my iniquity, heals all my diseases, and satisfies me with good. Psalm 103:1-5 @FridayKaren #jesusislife
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(3.) Proclaim your redemption story.

My name is ____________ and this is my redemption story.

I was lost, now I’m found. I was blind, but now I see.

Jesus rescued me from myself, other gods, sin, spiritual death, and the enemy.

The blood of Christ covers me. God saved me. I’ve been redeemed.

The heavenly Father gave me eternal and everlasting life.

I’m a new creation.

I walk in freedom and victory over the power of darkness.

Abundant life is mine. Jesus is mine. The Holy Spirit lives in me.

There’s an empty tomb and a risen Savior center stage in my story.

Because God is alive and well, it is well with my soul!

And I never want to get over it! Ever! 

There are many get-over-it scenarios or I'm-over-it examples in life. But somethings and someOne was never meant to get over. Join @FridayKaren for 3 ways to never get over the Savior. Link up is open. Share your blog.
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The post 3 Ways to Never Get Over Jesus {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

He loves me. He loves me not. 

I plucked the white daisy petals, deciding the outcome of my childhood crush.

Years later during a Sunday church service, daisies on my dress stirred those memories as I waited for my pastor-husband Mike to call me to the platform. He’d asked me to share the long journey of praying for my father to come to Christ. First we watched the Billy Graham video, Hope for America—a Message of the Cross.

While I waited for my cue, the white-and-yellow daisies on a background of black seemed to blossom on my dress. The Lord put an image in my heart of plucking flower petals, representing a young girl’s hope for love. 

The image conveyed a message. Hope comes from the kind of love that went to the cross. 

Hope comes from the kind of love that went to the cross. @FridayKaren #hope #love
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He Loves Me Not

As a young girl, I longed for love—especially from a father. For a few years in childhood, my father was absent from my life, his love absent from my heart.

Starting in childhood we form beliefs about love. Beliefs about God often shape what we think about love. There may be unbelief in God’s existence. Or we may believe there’s a God but form wrong thoughts about His character and love.

God is...

• watching our every move, ready to bust us for every wrong turn and slap us with condemnation.
• like our earthly father who abandoned us physically or emotionally—perhaps both.
• a God who does not love us…a God we cannot count on.

God’s Love

You see, abandonment confused my notions on love. And I wasn’t sure what I thought about God. 

When my dad came back, I spent every other weekend with him. A self-proclaimed atheist, he often said, “People think there’s a God, but there isn’t.”

Yet, my mother introduced me and my twin sister to truths about God by taking us to a small-town church in Virginia. At sixteen, when I became a Christ-follower, I found the kind of love missing from my life. I became a daughter of the Most High God…my heavenly Father.

So, I started praying for my earthly father to not only believe in God, but to also accept Christ as Lord. Though I prayed fervently, I found it hard to visualize my father coming to Christ. He seemed unreachable with God’s love.

Sill, I knew Scripture confirmed, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13 NLT) 

And I knew, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV)

When I prayed, inserting my father’s full name into these Scriptures, they became promises of hope. Believable promises opening my faith eyes. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)

Finally, sixteen years later, my father accepted the message of the cross. A message of hope. He realized God existed—a God who loved him.

He Loves Me

Eight years ago my father passed away five days before Christmas. The holidays that year were bittersweet. My family would not be going to his home for our traditional Christmas night Mexican feast.

A lover of spicy food, he started the tradition knowing that by Christmas night, his kids and grandchildren were ready for a change from the usual holiday foods.

Yet, my father now celebrated with a his own feast in heaven. A sweet image.

God is not the earthly pictures we so often paint. But, there is a God. He is love. Love originated with Him and from Him. He loves us. God’s love is not conditional on anything we do or don’t do.

God's love is not conditional on anything we do or don't do. @FridayKaren #unconditional #love
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And His love is not based on some whimsical hope of the last flower petal landing on “He loves me.”

Instead, there’s a message forever ingrained on my heart. The hope of true love is found in the cross.

Plucking petals from a flower, we can never say about God, “He loves me not.”

It is always, “He loves me, He loves me. He loves me. He love me.”

He loves you!

LINKUP PARTY opens at 6 am EST!

Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:

1. Add your Link.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry on Twitter and Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page

Link up is open! @FridayKaren shares memories of plucking daisy petals hoping to find true love. Discover a love not based on the last flower petal landing on 'He loves me.' JOIN us & share your blog.
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The post He Loves Me…He Loves Me Not {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.