open the curtains...

In the morning, I like to walk throughout my house bringing order to the cluttered corners and restoring my home into a liveable space. Part of my daily routine is opening the curtains to let the sunshine pour in. Of course, when the first rays of sunshine peak through my windows immediately the appearance of dust overwhelms me.

So, it is with my own life. I can pull down the shades and shut out the sun, but I can never turn the sun's light into darkness in my life. When the shades go up, the sun is still shining. And when I turn to God, his love is waiting to stream into my life.

Last night, in the darkness I lay awake in the wee hours, feeling unjustly accused and dispondent. I could not sleep for the emotions racing within...did I deserve this? If so, what now?

This morning, I was reminded of God faithfulness and all-encompassing love with the words of Philip Yancy,

Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more...

And grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us less.

Oh, how I needed those words this morning! I opened the 'curtains' both in my home, and this morning in my heart, to let the amazing light of God's love stream in.

Leighton Ford, in his new book, The Attentive Life, explains...

"That truth goes to the very root of my distractible self. How hard it is to believe and receive this unconditional love of God. How easy it is to build up my defenses against being loved. And how freeing it is to surrender at last to that love."