"Experiencing God"

This summer I have been blessed to be meeting with four awesome young women doing a study called "Experiencing God." I pray they are enjoying God as much as I am. I am learning so much from them. Bethany, my daughter, is going to be a sophomore at Central College in the fall. Haley, Allyson, and Emily are all going to be freshmen in college; at Huntington University, St. Ambrose, and UNI respectively. These girls are deep and have so much Christian experience in their 18-19 year old lives. I gave my life to Christ when I was 18 so I was just beginning then. I am so grateful.....they have amazing benefits that I lacked. I pray that they ponder and understand how very blessed they are. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits...Psalm 103:2.

Every unit gives us a lot to discuss and unit three was no exception. On top of all the discussion these girls don't let me get away without applying what we are talking about to my life. Two of the questions in unit three were as follows:
1) A. How do you know God loves you? B. Give evidence that convinces you of His love for you.
2) Briefly describe an experience in your life when God was real, personal, and practical in His relationship with you.

Well, it only took a minute and my margins were full. I am a get out there and experience life person so it makes sense that after walking with God for 30 years(on Sept. 15, 2008) I can think of endless ways that God has shown He loves me and desires to show Himself to me. My first thought after reading question 1A was quick to come. "He has delivered me....not only from sin unto salvation but He has delivered me in many ways... over and over and over again."
I started making a list in the margin.
1-from life with my biological parents(i was adopted as an infant and have 3 half sisters..there
are three fathers between the four of us)
2-from death when I was choking on coins as a toddler
3-from inappropriate sex and mental illness( my biological grandmother, my mother and
all 3 of my half sisters are mentally ill and all were pregnant and unmarried) Ya I know..I
can't say that I have NO mental problems but I am pretty well off compared to the history.
4-from alcohol and drugs( i grew up with an alcoholic dad and a drug doing town)
5-from hell-when he saved me in 1978
6-from death-near drowning in March 1980
7-from my greatest fears of never being loved, married or having children
8-death-near miss with a train in April 1993(my heart still starts pounding when i think of this
today)
9-painful loss-the near death of my son during surgery in 2004

In all of the events above I felt God's awesome love, protection and care. All of the same things were memorable experiences where God was real, personal and practical. Good or bad...I experience God daily. On occasion, He reveals Himself powerfully but usually, it's quietly and gently. If one didn't know Him...they would not hear. Sometimes, I don't hear because I am not listening. And ya know....I'm not sure if that is precicely true because I think on the times when I say that I don't hear I actually do....I just choose to ignore. God is that real to me. He is in all and through all.(Colossians 1). God is always at work around me and He is always real, always personal and always practical.

As we strive to apply these teaching to our lives my application for this week was to journal about His goodness. After answering these questions last week I was so encouraged in my relationship with God. Pondering the specific ways that He loves me and shows Himself real has been powerful, motivating me to know Him more. Another question in unit 3 was, "If you were standing before God, could you describe your relationsip with Him by saying, "I love You with all my heart and all my soul and all my mind and all my strength"? ____yes ____no
Do I love God with my ALL? I would be lying if I said yes. This is actually one of my three life verses so I don't take it lightly. But I can say that I love Him more everyday. Journaling, blogging, and pondering the benefits that God has lavished upon me is a great motivator in loving and experiencing God.