Love Lifted Me

In my last blog post Sunrise, Bunnies, and a Jacuzzi, I gave a testimony of God’s ‘romancing’ love.  In this post I’d like to share two experiences that reveal God’s rescuing love as well as His affirming love.

I know many of my posts convey gratitude for God’s love and the various ways He expresses it, but that’s where I’m at in this season of my life, although I hope I never stop telling of His great love.  I have heard people criticize preachers and musicians who focus on a particular topic like God’s love, or His mercy and grace, and while I understand the importance of the need to go deeper, I also understand from experience and observation that the preachers are generally trying to reach people where they’re at, and the musicians are singing lyrics that express their own experiences as they seek to minister to and reach people.

I spent a week away to decompress, seek the Lord, reflect, and rejuvenate.  I am grateful for the opportunity, means, and generosity of others.  Sunday was my last day, and I sought out a church to attend.  The people were so warm and welcoming, and the ministry revealed a heart for God and people.  I was so blessed by their love.  During the week prior to attending the church, the song “How He Loves Us” sung by David Crowder continually played in my mind, and during the service, the worship team led us in singing it.  Apparently, it was the first time they’d sung it, and I half-jokingly told Annie, one of the worship team members who’d chosen the song, that it was for me.  Oh, I know it’s not all about me; I’m sure it spoke to the hearts of others, but I was so blessed by God’s reaffirmation of His love for me, especially after facing a week of intense struggle.

After church and in-between doing laundry and cleaning the place where I was staying, I went outside to enjoy the warmth of the sun and the beauty of the outdoor pool.  The air was a little cool, but the sun was warm, so after becoming a bit heated, I soaked my feet in the frigid water and watched the ripples and reflections.  Then I asked the Lord if there was anything He wanted me to see.  Because summer has not yet arrived, the pool, while maintained, remained unused and had a few small leaves and bits of debris floating on top.  I noticed the shadows cast by them, and one in particular caught my eye.  The shadow was clover-shaped, but nothing on top appeared to match it.  I continued to observe the shadow and noticed a hint of movement.  The only thing I could connect it with was a bee that appeared to have drowned.  But no, it was still hanging on to life.  So I retrieved a small piece of wood and lifted the bee out of the frigid water and onto the warm stone tiles surrounding the pool.  It remained there, warming itself in the sun long enough for me to snap some photos with my phone and even long enough for me to run up to my room, grab my big camera and snap a few photos with it, until the bee finally became reanimated and flew away.

God not only cares about you and me, but He even cares for a little bee.  His love moved me to lift the bee from certain death, and I feel so blessed to have been a part of that rescue.  There is a new Christian song called “Love Lifted Me” sung by Ashmont Hill.  It appears to be based off the old hymn by the same name.  Both tell of God’s great love that lifts us up when nothing else helps, but the hymn expresses so much more in the way of being rescued from certain death.  As a woman, I have a longing to be rescued.  The Lord is my Hero, my Knight in shining armor, and His love lifted and rescued me in so many ways this past week that I am free to sing of His love.