The Best Relationship Ever

I just finished watching Joyce Meyer for today. She spoke about loneliness and how we need to go to God for comfort instead of people. I know I've had a problem with that in the past, but I found it interesting because I'd heard that sermon before...in person...4 years ago. Today's broadcast was taped in New Orleans the weekend of Dec. 8, 2001. I remember it clearly (& checked the notes I took while there) because I was feeling very lonely having just begun my committed relationship with Christ the month before. It didn't help that my grandmother had recently died (and I always wanted to spend more time with her), but also because I'd just reached rock bottom in my relationship with Carlos. He dumped me saying, "I've lost all the respect I ever had for you." I thought I was unlovable, but then I knew God's love and desperately wanted to hear more of His word.

I'd been watching Joyce Meyer each morning since I'd moved to NO in '98, so now that I was committed to growing in Christ, I wanted to attend one of her sessions in person. It was by divine providence she was in New Orleans that weekend, and in retrospect, she spoke on exactly what I needed to hear at that time. She spoke about running to God instead of people, and that God will protect and comfort us when He calls us to be different (& God KNOWS I'm different). She mentioned that there would be silent years, when it seems like there's nothing going on as we work toward what He's called us to do. She also said that when we are early in our relationship with God, He will prop us up with people to comfort us (like a sappling tree with the little sticks) until we are rooted in Him, which is when He will remove the props. We may not understand what's happening at the time, but it's His way of making us rely on Him.

With that I understood why my church was destroyed and my church family was dispersed all over the country. That was my prop! I don't suffer from loneliness much any more. I have God every where I go, and it's the best relationship ever! Even though I'm a slacker in the relationship sometimes, it's nice to be reminded (with my heart shaped pinkie ring) that He loves me unconditionally.