The Process

{JULY 27, 2016}

Let me preface this post by saying that the Lord is teaching me a ton about being real with my emotions and with how I’m feeling- no longer putting on a mask… so… here we go!..

Have you ever flown on an airplane for a really long time? Like one of those six hours or long flights? I once flew from to Phili to Germany to end up in Rome with my family; a seven and a half hour flight, followed by a three hour connecting flight. There was a point on the first flight, a think around hour five, where I thought to myself, “I’m going to scream! I’m loosing my mind! I’ve gotta get out of this thing!” If you’ve ever taken one of these types of trips, you know just what I’m talking about. It hits you that you’ve been on this plane and will still be on this plane for a stupid long time and you honestly just feel trapped.

You have a moment when you ask yourself, “Why did I do this!?”

Then you remember- the destination is worth the process.

There has been a reoccurring theme in my life for the past few months: the process, the waiting season.

Nothing about this is easy. The only way I can describe what I’ve been feeling lately is to say that I feel like my heart is bleeding. I know that might sound over dramatic, but it’s honestly where I am right now. My heart is broken over so many things and not seeing direct results can be so painful. Some of these things are relational, some of them are career oriented, and some of them are big prayers for this city.

Vegas is painful at times. Driving around town seeing dozens and dozens of homeless people, tons of advertisements for strip clubs, escort companies and prostitutes, and feeling the demonic oppression here can really make you feel like you’re gonna scream. Knowing that this is a hotspot for sex trafficking and knowing that the average age for girls to enter the sex trade here is 13 will make you feel hopeless if you let it.

My heart is so broken for this city. I’m so desperate for revival here. I’m so desperate for Jesus to move here like only He can. A year ago, the Lord sealed a promise in my heart that He would send revival to this place- I’m fully confident that He will! But waiting and being someone to stir that up here can be so hard. The mass sin and corruption can seem so grand that it feels as if it would be impossible for this city to change. But the Lord is showing me that yes, He calls the masses, but He reaches out and touches the individual.

I had a moment the other day when I got into my car and screamed because it was literally 125° inside my car, I was tired and felt so pushed down by the darkness here. I thought to myself, “UGH, why do I live here!?” It was similar to my freak out moment in the airplane… But the Lord was kind in simply nudging me and reminded me that the destination is worth the process. 

So far this summer we’ve seen more fruit than we ever have before.

At least 70 people have gotten saved since the beginning of June.

We’ve seen about that many prodigals come back to the Lord.

We’ve seen dozens of healings of physical and emotional problems.

We’ve seen 2 prostitutes walk into our YWAM base and ask for help to leave the sex trade and they are now in rehab programs.

We’ve seen 5 kids found and rescued that we were looking for doing our anti-trafficking outreach.

I have to believe that this is what the beginning of revival looks like! But its a process and it takes faithfulness to see it come to pass.

The same is true for so many other things in this life; a healthy marriage, a fruitful career, good physical shape, our relationships, growing in our walk with the Father. All good things are accomplished in a process.

And can I tell you a little secret? God isn’t upset that we have to go through a process! SAY WHAAAAT!?

He’s not mad at me that I’m not writing ten songs a day. He’s not mad at me for not being perfect wife material yet. He’s not mad that I still struggle with jealousy. He’s not mad at me for still struggling with body image.

He’s not mad at you for whatever it is you’re working on. He just isn’t! He’s the God of the process! He uses the process to pull us closer to Himself and gently mold us.  He does not put pressure on His children to be perfect. If you’re feeling that pressure right now, like I so often do, know that it is not of God. It is a lie from the Liar and you can tell it to go. As we grow in our processes, we have the opportunity to cling to the Father and rely that He is working on our behalf in a way that we don’t understand.

Let me just say that the ten hours of flying it took to get me and my family to Rome was well worth it. We were there to celebrate my mom’s recovery from cancer and the Lord met us in such a sweet way on that trip- my memories are some of the best of my life.
It far exceeded every single expectation I ever had of what it would be like! I’ve rarely looked back and thought about how horribly long that flight was. (If anything I think I’m now more prepared to fly across the globe to Asia if the Lord ever calls me to!)

The destination was worth the process and the process prepared me for a new adventure. 

So, dear friends, take heart! No matter the process that you’re walking through, no matter how long your flight, keep the destination in sight and know that the Father is pulling you closer to Himself and doing things that you’ve never even dreamed of in your greatest dreams. He loves to blow our expectations out of the water! We can trust in Him and in His timing.

How He loves us!

Seeing Fruit in the Desert

{ JUNE 29, 2016 }

WOW! One month has already come and gone since I’ve moved to Las Vegas!

I’m gonna start by saying that the past few weeks have been absolutely insane. Las Vegas is a beast. It’s so stinkin’ hot here, there are honestly places here that its incredibly hard to pray, but I’ve seen the Lord do more in the past month here than I’ve ever seen before. I’d love to say its been easy, but it absolutely hasn’t been. The Lord is teaching me so so much about trusting who He is above all else.

Typically, when I’m out on the Strip, I’m reminded of the fact that the Lord is making all things new and that He is restoring and rebuilding. This weekend, however, that was not my experience.

This past Friday, my day off, my housemates and I went to a pool that is open to the public in the LINQ hotel and casino. (Its been about 110 degrees here most days, so a pool is really the place you want to be.) Now, I’m normally the person who’s runnin’ around at the pool ready to jump in and just be free in the water! (I thought I was Ariel as a kid… still kinda do;) ) But when we put our stuff down and went to walk over to the pool, social anxiety like I’ve never felt before, hit me.

“Am I pretty enough to be here?”
“Am I thin enough to be here?”
“I feel like a dork here.”
“I might be the only person in a one piece bathing suit here…”
“What if everyone here is judging me?”

I’ve felt that type of pressure before, but this literally paralyzed me. I felt myself struggle to even move forward! The Lord provided a large pool floaty that looked like a swan that I snagged and hid inside of, and I floated there trying to process what was happening in me and all around me.

First, the Lord dealt with my heart. In the kindest way, He reminded me of His thoughts towards me.

“You’re more than enough, daughter!” “I really like who you are!” “I’m proud that you are Mine!” “I made you exactly the way you are.”

When you stand firm in the truth of your true identity, in the truth of how the Father sees you, the opinions of others fall far to the side.

Then I looked around at everyone else there. Most of them were drunk, the girls all had the smallest most revealing swimwear I’ve ever seen, most look perpetually unhappy, most acting out as much as possible. Every. Single. One. Of them are looking for validation and satisfaction. They all want someone to look at them and say, “I approve. You’re enough.” They all want something to satisfy the emptiness they feel inside.

This revelation of thought left me speechless (hard to believe,eh?) and the only thing I could say was, “Jesus.” In that moment, my heart was so broken for these lost brothers and sisters that the only thing I could say was the only thing that could fill their needs- JESUS. But then a thought rushed over me– His heart is far more broken for these people than mine is. Wow. Isn’t that nuts?

At one point, my friend Hannah was lying facedown on a beach chair to get some sun. I saw two girls look over at her and I saw both of their faces change from annoyed at life to something I can’t put words to. Hannah has the most lovely tattoo going up her spine that simply says, “Jesus is Lord.” When they saw it, it was like seeing Lucy discover Narnia for the first time. Thats what the Gospel is like though. You think you have it all figured out and then something comes and changes everything you knew about life.

I honestly didnt have any meaningful conversations with people at this pool, it was just a time to see how broken people are and to be reminded of all that Jesus is to the lost. Going from small town western PA to Liberty… I’ve never been in a situation like that- it was eye opening to say the least. It was so important, though, that we were there to pray over the place and people and invite Light into a dark place. We carry the Kingdom everywhere we go! Sometimes you’ve gotta get behind enemy lines and place your stake in ground!

Then, on Sunday night, I went out with a team and some of our interns to do something we call Viva La Worship, which is worship on the Strip right outside of a casino. I was so excited to see heaven invade the las vegas strip!! But… it was super hard. I could literally feel darkness pressing down on us as we worshipped. But we did. We pressed in and proclaimed Jesus as who He is. When we got done, I wasn’t sure if we had done any good. No one began to weep as we sang! No one fell on their face! No one sobered up right in front of our eyes! I left, honestly, pretty crushed.

But the Lord is faithful and His word does not come back void. As we sang in the middle of one of the seats of darkness in this earth, we brought Heaven with us. A friend reminded me later that it isn’t about seeing the strip saved in one night or the city saved in a week, it’s about being faithful day after day after day.

Then Monday morning rolled around! (I’m sorry this is so long but it’s about to get really good, I promise!) The entire GC staff, interns, teams, and whoever wants to, meets three times a week from 9-10:30 for Word-fed, spirit-led, Worship based prayer. On Mondays, we share stories of things that happened in the past week. For the past two weeks, testimony time has taken a full hour! The Lord is healing people constantly, saving the lost, and calling prodigals back to Himself! It’s been the craziest few weeks of seeing the Lord move and do what only He can do. In my heart, I believe that this is the beginning of revival.

He is so faithful to be faithful. When we feel desperate and broken and hopeless He comes through in bigger ways than we could ask or imagine. It’s just who He is!

So I leave you with this charge- believe that He is who He says He is! There are days when you just have to look at Him and say, “I know that You are good and You are faithful- even when I don’t see it!”

His heart is so beautiful and so full of love and grace for His broken kiddos.

Pray fiercely, friends!

He is Healer!

{JUNE 15, 2016 }

“Go to the lost sheep of Israel {LAS VEGAS}.As you go, proclaim this message:
‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 
Heal the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Freely you have received;
freely give.” -Matthew 10:5-8

       Heal the sick. Someone once pointed out to me that Jesus didn’t say to pray for the sick. He said to go and heal them. Aka… He knew we’d be able to because of Holy Spirit in us!

The Lord has really been challenging me with this and it is still something that I’m growing in my knowledge of but I do know this- He is Jehovah Rophe; the God Who Heals.

This past Saturday, June 11th, Grace City had it’s very first block party of the summer! (We through a free party that has food, games, face painting, free prayer and the gospel is shared every hour.) We had this first one at Molasky Park, a park in a more impoverished area of town. Many of the staff members and interns are assigned specific jobs such as running a game or giving out food, while others are assigned to be minglers. As a mingler, your job is simply to make friends, like Jesus did; get to know people and love them where they are.

Right as the block party was beginning I walked over to speak to a woman, Elaine, who is a frequent attendee of our Flamingo Campus, to say hello. One of my friends, Ryan, was speaking with her when I went over and he asked her if we could pray for her for anything. She then told us that she had severe back pain and pain in her left knee. She explained that since her son is in a wheel chair the pain makes it harder for her to lift him out of it.

So my friend and I laid hands on her back and her knee and prayed. She told us that the pain had totally left her back, after we prayed the first time! We were astonished! She then told us that the pain went down in her knee, so we decided to pray again! We prayed again, and the pain decreased again! So we prayed a third time! While praying, we felt the muscles and tendons around her knee begin to move around! It was insane and I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t been feeling it! Then she began to exclaim that it felt even better than the other one!! Her knee was completely healed! 

She told us that it had been hurting since 1998 and she had had two operations on it since then and now- it was perfectly restored! She began running and dancing and praising the Lord, as did we!

This is a video we felt lead to take moments after Elaine was healed! This is what Jesus does!

COME ON! Can I get a, “YAY, GOD!!”? He’s so incredible!

Right after this, we found out one of our interns twisted his knee and was in a ton of pain! So Ryan and I had Elaine come with us and we all prayed for his knee as well! He told us his pain level was around 10 and after prayer for about ten minutes it was at a 0! Praise the Lord!

I don’t fully understand healing! I don’t understand why we don’t always see it right away! I don’t understand why sometimes we pray for a minute and sometimes we have to pray for hours to see anything happen. I don’t understand why some people don’t see healing the way we believe they should.

BUT, the Lord has taught me not to shape my theology around my experience.  (And let me just say… that is SO HARD. But there is so much grace.)

So, friends, I ask that you will pray that this will only be the beginning; that we will see healing, deliverance, and salvation wash over Las Vegas! Pray for revival! He can do it!

Week One = DONE

{ June 6, 2016 }

Well, already, my first week on staff at Grace City is over. So much has happened already!

I went through New Staff Orientation which was absolutely amazing- I literally cried over how much I love this church and how grateful I am to be a part of it.

I began to get settled into the office stuff and helped plan for a ton of worship events that will be happening this summer!

Already, I was able to lead worship three times! First, at the Flamingo Campus at our Wednesday community night. Every Wednesday, Grace City takes buses over to one of the parks in town, where many homeless people are, invite anyone and everyone to church, and then we have dinner with them and then we have a worship service and time of teaching.

This is one of my most favorite services at Grace City.  Many of the people who attend this service are homeless or impoverished. Eating dinner with a homeless person will flip your world upside-down. And leading them in worship does something deep in your soul. This week I lead them in a song called, “The Simple Gospel.” And it simply says, “I will rejoice in the simple Gospel! I will rejoice in You, Lord!” Many of them have a different view of a song like that than many of us do. They get it! It is simple- He loves us and He’s all we have.  Wow!

I also had the privilege of leading worship at a Grace City Ordination Service! Three of our staff members became ordained pastors! It was amazing to see their callings confirmed in such a powerful way.

Lastly, I was able to play guitar on the Sunday worship team! Our morning service is at Silverado High School and our evening service is at our Flamingo Campus! Our evening service kicked off our BURN week! We meet twice a day, everyday, for a week and pursue the Lord and His presence and ask Him to set us on fire!!  It is such an incredible, and life changing time! I cant wait to write another post in a week and tell you about what the Lord has done!

Lastly, I want to tell you about a moment from yesterday! My Dad and brother are in town, helping me get all settled in. After church in the morning, we went to the strip for just a bit and walked across one of the bridges and walked by about ten homeless people, panhandling, in the blazing hot sunshine- one of them talking to himself, one man had a bra on, many just looked broken down by the world. Once we passed them and entered the casino I began to weep. It was such a whirlwind of emotion- it wasn’t all sadness for the people I had just seen, though much of it was! After seeing them I began to pray, “Lord rescue my city.” After praying that, my heart was so overwhelmed that I can finally really pray “LORD, RESCUE MY CITY!” It hit me how important it is that there are Christians here. It hit me how important it is to walk on to the strip and say, “Holy Spirit! You are welcome here!”

This place is so sin ridden. It’s so full of darkness. It rejoices in evil; it exalts it! So many Christians (I absolutely used to) look at Vegas and compare it to Sodom and Gomorrah and I’m sure there are similarities, but one difference is pretty great. The Lord isn’t about to destroy Las Vegas. His wrath isn’t about to shower fire down on her.

Jesus loves Las Vegas.

Did you catch that!?

Jesus loves Las Vegas. 

I can’t get over it!

Jesus loves Las Vegas.

So, as challenging as this transition has been, as hard as it is to leave home, as hard as it is to live in the blistering desert- Jesus is worth it and so are His lost children.

Please continue to pray, every single day, for salvation to fall all over this place. Pray that the Holy Spirit would baptize this entire city!! Pray that there will be a day when people look to Vegas and see the glory of God!! We can pray big audacious prayers like that because we have a HUGE God who is crazy about us!!!

He loves Las Vegas.

He loves you, too.

FINALLY

{ MAY 31, 2016 }

Wow! I cannot believe that I am finally in Las Vegas! The Lord is so faithful! My heart is so full.

I arrived just a few days ago and have moved into a house with two incredible ladies from Grace City, Michelle and Kelsey! They have been so welcoming its been such a great start to this adventure!

I want to say, “THANK YOU!” to everyone who is supporting me, in prayer and in finance. Your sacrifice of love is what got me here and I could never thank you enough. Thank you  for not being okay with status of this city! Thank you for standing with me in believing that the Lord has great love for Sin City and will chase after her people. Thank you for praying with me for the floodgates of heaven to open up and for the Spirit to bring revival to this dry place. Thank you for loving me and believing in the dreams that Christ has put in my heart. To go is one thing to be sent  is another.

As I am here, please continue to pray:

• That the Holy Spirit washes over this city, that revival will come, and that salvation would come to the people here

• Against attacks of the enemy on me and all of Grace City

• That signs and wonders will follow us

• Against burn out and discouragement

• For growth and unity within our Body

• For Christ to be glorified in everything that we do

Once again THANK YOU. When the Body of Christ comes together in faith and prays, we see mountains move.

May joy and peace fall thick all around you and your family.

When We Turn To Gold

{ May 1, 2016 }

No one really prepares you for this moment. No one really tells you what its going to be like to be two weeks away from your college graduation. I’d say that’s because its such an indescribable feeling.

My time at Liberty was not at all what I anticipated. If my senior-year-of-high-school-self could see where I am right now… she’d be confused. Wasn’t I supposed to be on a ministry team? Wasn’t I supposed to be engaged by now? Wasn’t I supposed to have been skinny by now? Wasn’t I supposed to be heading off to Nashville to become a world wide superstar!?
(Can you hear heaven sweetly chuckle?)

Liberty was not always kind to me. But I’ve learned so much more than what my degree says I have.

I’ve learned what it is to love Christians who frustrate me.
I’ve learned not to be offended by opposing opinions, but to listen with love and respond with kindness.
I’ve learned what scripture means when it says, “pride goes before the fall.”  
I’ve learned that idols will destroy everything in my life. 
I’ve learned that full surrender means wanting the Lord and His will at any cost. 
I’ve learned what it means to walk in my identity as a Daughter of the Most High.
I’ve learned that dancing isn’t about perfection- its about freedom.
I’ve learned that working out is not a punishment for overeating.
I’ve learned that there is always more freedom.
I’ve learned that not everyone will like me- and that’s okay.
I’ve learned that Jesus likes me. WOAH.

The list could go on for ages, but I’ll stop there. But now what? How do you close a chapter like this? It doesn’t feel like a chapter, but an epic novel. I’m not at all who I was when I first arrived. I couldn’t be more happy to say that, either.

When I arrived, my first semester here I had to take an Evangelism course. One class, my professor, Dr. Wheeler, gave us all index cards and asked us if the Lord had our “Yes.” I remember thinking, “well duh. I’m a Christian! I love the Lord! I’d do anything for Him!” But then I felt anxious when he asked us to write down the word “YES” if we were willing to do anything, go anywhere, that the Lord may ask. I stared at the card for several minutes and then wrote my “YES.”

Saying, “Yes” to the Lord was the best thing I’ve ever done, but it meant letting go and hearing Him say, “no” to many things I had held on to.

My dreams are not what they once were. The Lord has said “no” to some of them and I’ve learned so much about letting go and saying goodbye.

Like I said earlier, I had imagined myself graduating LU, married or engaged, moving to Nashville to pursue stardom and fame. Yet here I am, single as a pringle, moving across the country to Las Vegas to be on staff at a church and I’m raising my own support! Not at all “the plan” but WOW am I grateful for giving my “YES” and the Father lovingly giving His, “no’s.”

He’s taught me that really trusting Him, is saying, “yes” to anything He has, and letting go of everything else.

That’s when everything shifts. When I let go, who I am changes. Because when I let go of everything I want, all my hopes and plans, all my desires, all my expectations… I can cling to the Father, alone.
When I let it all go- I can see the Father. 

And that changes everything. That’s when we turn to gold.

I was recently at my church here in Lynchburg, Revival Scene, and had the most bizarre and lovely encounter with the Lord. (We’ve been in a crazy season of Revival here in Lynchburg and we’ve been meeting almost every single day and the Lord has done some incredible things in this season.) I had finished leading worship and was sitting in the front of the church while many people were lying flat on the ground before the Lord; many were laughing, many were crying. I was sitting there and felt as if Jesus was sitting directly in front of me. I spoke to Him about the future and with my heart full of love I said, “Jesus, You are all I want.” Then I felt Him smile at me and say one word, full of love and almost with a sigh of relief, as if He’d been waiting for me to say those words since the dawn of time, He simply said,

“Finally.”

So as the season is about to change, I leave you with a question; are you holding on to anything that isn’t Jesus?

Are you willing to say, “YES” to Jesus, and let go of everything else?
You will never be the same- life will never be the same!
He’s waiting for you to fully surrender at all cost– to take you with Him on the greatest adventure of your life!

Shout out to Joel Ansett for this incredible song. The Lord has used it in such a mighty way in my life through the season and it was such a privilege to sing it in my Senior Artist Program. If you’re looking for new music that will change your life and draw you closer to Christ, check out his album The Nature of Us. It’ll change the way you see yourself and the way you see Jesus.

Spring is always coming

{ MARCH 29, 2016 }

Have you ever had moments that you just feel like everything is falling apart?

Or days?

Or weeks?

Or months?

Me too.

Some seasons are long and hard.

Some seasons are like a never-ending winter; everything is dull and dark and dreary.

The past two+ months have been that type of season for me. I constantly felt like I was falling short; that nothing I did was good enough for anyone in my life. School seemed impossibly hard and busy.  I was perpetually tired. I kept getting sick. Relationships were falling apart; hard and fast. Work felt daunting. Even my Zumba classes felt like they were sucking the life out of me.

About a month ago, someone asked me how my relationship with Jesus was and I told them that if it was a dating relationship, we’d be on a break.

Yikes.

I had been praying rather hard for something for a while and I told myself that the Lord was giving me a “Yes” when I knew it was a “wait.” …But then I got tired of waiting and I said, “No. I’m done waiting. I give up.” Honestly, I felt bullied. I felt betrayed by people in my life and, what was worse, I felt like God was gonna do whatever He wanted with my life and that I would just have to deal with it.

And then I cracked.

My soul felt like a house after a devastating earthquake.

There was so much more to my “no” than what was on the surface.

My “no” also said, “Lord, I don’t trust you.”

It said, “My ways are better than Yours.”

“You’ve left me stranded.”

“You’ve broken my heart.”

“You’ve let me down.”

When lies become your “truth” its hard to do anything at all. I couldn’t keep my house clean, I couldn’t get work done at my job, I couldn’t sleep, I felt like I could barely focus my eyes to read. It was all I could do to put on a big smile and continue letting everyone believe that I was totally perfectly fine!

But I was hurt and broken and angry.

When you stop believing that the love of the Father is for you, all you can feel is anger and despair.

To my relief, I found myself on the long road back to my home in PA for spring break. I’ve never been more excited to leave Lynchburg in my entire college experience. I pulled into the driveway of my childhood home and fell into my moms arms. I was home. I was safe. 

I found myself healing there because I was able to let all the walls fall, I was able to take off my mask, and simply be broken. When I’m home I’m aware that I am known there… and I am loved for who and all that I am.

And that brought me back to what the Love of the Father really is. It’s a love that’s okay when I throw a fit because my plans got derailed. It’s a love that isn’t angry with me when I’m angry at Him. It’s a love that catches all of my broken pieces when I fall a part. It’s a love that lets me go through these seasons if it means I’ll refocus my eyes back on Him. It’s a love that knows me- fully and loves me for who I am- without condition.

I cried before leaving home. Not simply because I was sad to say goodbye to my family (or home cooked meals) but because all of Lynchburg seemed tainted to me. I was so scared to return to the hell I had just ran from.

But seeing that I only had 8 weeks left of my entire college career… staying at home was not a viable option.

So I, begrudgingly, set back out for Lynchburg. The drive isn’t so bad, it’s a little over five hours of weaving through the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia, after a long shot of the dreaded Pennsylvania Turnpike. But this drive was different.

As I looked out in front of me at one of the mountainsides, I was rather confused it looked like it was covered in snow! How could that be? It was 60°+ outside and had been for a while! And then I realized that it wasn’t snow, it was the flowers budding on dogwood trees all over the mountains.

Then I began to notice that there were purple flowers everywhere on the trees around me and white and yellow flowers surrounding the highway.

Spring had come.

I felt, in my soul, the Lord say, “It’s a new season, Lia.”

Sometimes winter seems never-ending.

But spring is always coming.

Winter may be harsh, but spring makes everything new again.

We aren’t stuck in this winter forever.

Spring is coming.

No matter how long winter is, keep your eyes fixed on Him who makes all things new...

Spring is coming.

No Fear In Love?

{ FEBRUARY 13, 2016 }

I don’t care how cheesy it may sound– I LOVE love!
I love songs about love, movies, books, TV shows– all of it!

That being said, I’m not embarrassed to confess that I watch The Bachelor. (Don’t you judge!) There is one thing, besides drama and complete chaos, that is consistent throughout the various seasons.One thing that is said more than anything else. One thing that is said in the hearts of almost every human who’s ever lived…

“I’m just so afraid I’m going to get hurt.”
This fear is universally understood and encountered. It’s human nature!

We expect to be hurt. We expect to fall short or fail in some way- we expect that we are not good enough for the one we love. We expect that they’ll see who we really are and they’ll walk away.

And honestly, this fear is often realized. Hardly anyone can say that they’ve never lost in love- it happens! But, it’s been said a million times and I’ll say it once more- that it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.

Something incredible happens when we love. When we love selflessly, we experience something extraordinary. We partake in part of the character of the Father.

♫ To love another person, is to see the face of God ♫ -Les Miserables

Lately, its been a popular thing to say “There’s no fear in love!” But what in the world does that mean!? Didn’t I just say that basically everyone is afraid to love? Absolutely! Love is terrifying.. but perfect love?

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love because perfect love drives out fear!”

Do you ever hear something that makes you want to fall asleep because its so blissfully restful for your soul? That sentence gives me that feeling every time.

I’m not so much terrified of getting hurt from love, rather I basically expect it. If I catch feelings for someone I honestly just assume that it isn’t going to end in my favor.

But this verse changes everything. 

People are flawed and messy and can never love perfectly.. yet we have the absurd privilege of being the objects of perfect love.

When we were at our worst Christ looked at us in perfect love and gave everything just to be with us forever. He isn’t mad at us. He isn’t disappointed. He isn’t trying to fix us up and make us prettier. He likes us as individuals- our corks and silly things that make us, us!

And He is recklessly in love with us.

Yet, so often, I find myself terrified of the future. I’m so afraid that I’ll never amount to anything or reach my goals in life. I’m afraid I’ll never pay of my college loans (can I get an amen, students?). I’m afraid I’ll end up alone in life. OR that if I do get married and have kids that they’ll all hate me or that I’ll ruin them somehow.
Or, worst of all, I’m afraid of letting my Savior down.

Every single time I tell the Lord about these fears, He simply replies, “But, I love you!”

What if we believed that? What if we believed that High King of Heaven loves us? Not just a little bit, but a crazy amount! This changes everything. It changes everything because that simple, “But, I love you!” goes so far beyond the surface.

• “BUT, I LOVE YOU!”  FROM THE LORD SAYS SO MUCH MORE THAN IT EVER COULD FROM US.
  IT SAYS:

  • I will provide for you.            (Philippians 4:19)

  • I will never leave you.          (Deuteronomy 31:6)

  • I will heal you.                      (Isaiah 53:5)

  • I will restore you.                  (Jeremiah 31:4)

  • I will empower you.               (Acts 1:8)

  • I will pull you close to My heart.         (James 4:8)

  • I will fill your life with good things        (Psalm 103:5)

  • I will say, “yes” to the desires of your heart when you seek Me.      (Psalm 37:4)

  • I have a plan for your life that is for My glory and your good!    (Romans 8:28)

  • You will never be hopeless.     (Romans 15:13)

  • You are safe in My arms.         (Proverbs 18:10)

We can rest in this Love. This is a Love that we can face the storms with. This a Love that we can dare to dream bigger with.

He isn’t going to break our hearts. He isn’t going to run away when things get messy. He isn’t going to be disappointed in us when we aren’t perfect. There is nothing we could ever do that would cause Him to love us less. Ever!

Today is the day to let go of fear and fall deeply in love with the One who is recklessly and completely in love with you.

Happy Valentines Day,
Liafaith