I could not help but wave and say "Hi!" to every adult, child, animal that I passed. I must have shared a hundred good mornings. I couldn't contain my smile, save a few moments my legs were burning. I made it to the bridge. And as I rounded the corner to cross the droopy bridge with sweet lines, there He was. My Jesus. At the other end. I saw Him walking toward me as I moved toward Him. Butterflies in my stomach. My Love was coming to meet me. The look on His face...aaah...the look on His face. That man is so in love with me! He met me in the middle. Where two lovers choose to surrender all for the sake of the other. And KW narrated it best:
There is no love, sweeter than the love You pour on me.
There is no song, sweeter than the song You sing to me.
There is no place, that I would rather be,
Than here at Your feet, laying down everything.
All to You, I surrender,
Everything, every part of me.
All to You, I surrender,
All of my dreams, all of me.
If worship's like perfume, I'll pour mine out on You.
For there is none as deserving of my love like You.
So take my hand and draw me into You,
I want to be swept away, lost in love for You.
No turning back, I've made up my mind,
I'm giving all of my life this time.
Your love makes it worth it,
Your love makes it worth it all,
Your love makes it worth it all.
There is no song, sweeter than the song You sing to me.
There is no place, that I would rather be,
Than here at Your feet, laying down everything.
All to You, I surrender,
Everything, every part of me.
All to You, I surrender,
All of my dreams, all of me.
If worship's like perfume, I'll pour mine out on You.
For there is none as deserving of my love like You.
So take my hand and draw me into You,
I want to be swept away, lost in love for You.
I stood there. On that bridge. Overlooking the Sacramento River. With arms stretched out. Wind blowing intensely on my face, through my hair, past my clothes.
No turning back, I've made up my mind,
I'm giving all of my life this time.
Your love makes it worth it,
Your love makes it worth it all,
Your love makes it worth it all.
I open my eyes and am overcome by awe, wonder, such incredibly intense love for my Savior, my God, my Father, my Best Friend. His love makes it worth it all. Worth surrendering everything, every part of me. He just loves me! I stood there, unable to move. Captivated by His beauty and love. Sweet little birds played in the wind. Swooping here, swooping there, going high, going low to scrape the water, hanging suspended mysteriously in one place. Snow capped mountains off in the distance. Does it get any better than this? It's really hard for me to imagine such a feat.
After what seems an eternity, though clearly it was not, I continued my run. Smiling, waving, good morning-ing, but this time with a bit of a pep in my step. The pep being a little extra dose of the ecstatical love. Aaah can't get enough of that stuff. I was made for it. What can i say? And then a thought came into my mind. How am I changing people's lives this morning? I could be out "packaging bandages for Bosnian refugees" or "having my eggs harvested". I kid. But you get the picture. No. Instead I am running, with my brand new kicks (which were not cheap, mind you), on a gloriously beautiful day surrounded by the glory of His imaginitive creation. At first I felt a little selfish. I could have been "surrendering all". But wasn't I? I gave up being near family, friends, soccer, the beach to be here in Redding. So once I convinced myself it was all well and good that I was enjoying the very presence of my precious Love (after all, that is the greatest command, "Love the Lord your God"), I came back to the question, "How am I changing people's lives this morning?". And then it hit me. I had an epiphany. I am leaking the very presence of God all over each person I smile at, each person I wave at, each person I squeak out a "Good morning" to. I carry the glory and the kingdom of God and I release it to everyone I come in contact with. Whether I have an hour long conversation about the goodness of God, a 5 minute conversation about treadmills, the World Cup, kettle bells, or frisbees, or even if its just a nod of the head. The Kingdom is released. Realized or not. Felt or not, seen or not, heard or not. Its a done deal. I am a powerful person and I get to enjoy the fullness of the beauty of His presence and Christ in me, the hope of glory, and leak it all over everyone and everything I come in contact with. Amen. Hallelujah! I ended my run on yet another bridge...seeing my Jesus move toward me from one end as I walked toward Him from my end. We met in the middle where Lassen stood, snow capped and framed by sweet lines of a railroad bridge with the river running under it. And the sweet little free birds swooping, diving, stalling, and suspending. All, in this moment, was just for me. Thank you Jesus :) I love you!
After what seems an eternity, though clearly it was not, I continued my run. Smiling, waving, good morning-ing, but this time with a bit of a pep in my step. The pep being a little extra dose of the ecstatical love. Aaah can't get enough of that stuff. I was made for it. What can i say? And then a thought came into my mind. How am I changing people's lives this morning? I could be out "packaging bandages for Bosnian refugees" or "having my eggs harvested". I kid. But you get the picture. No. Instead I am running, with my brand new kicks (which were not cheap, mind you), on a gloriously beautiful day surrounded by the glory of His imaginitive creation. At first I felt a little selfish. I could have been "surrendering all". But wasn't I? I gave up being near family, friends, soccer, the beach to be here in Redding. So once I convinced myself it was all well and good that I was enjoying the very presence of my precious Love (after all, that is the greatest command, "Love the Lord your God"), I came back to the question, "How am I changing people's lives this morning?". And then it hit me. I had an epiphany. I am leaking the very presence of God all over each person I smile at, each person I wave at, each person I squeak out a "Good morning" to. I carry the glory and the kingdom of God and I release it to everyone I come in contact with. Whether I have an hour long conversation about the goodness of God, a 5 minute conversation about treadmills, the World Cup, kettle bells, or frisbees, or even if its just a nod of the head. The Kingdom is released. Realized or not. Felt or not, seen or not, heard or not. Its a done deal. I am a powerful person and I get to enjoy the fullness of the beauty of His presence and Christ in me, the hope of glory, and leak it all over everyone and everything I come in contact with. Amen. Hallelujah! I ended my run on yet another bridge...seeing my Jesus move toward me from one end as I walked toward Him from my end. We met in the middle where Lassen stood, snow capped and framed by sweet lines of a railroad bridge with the river running under it. And the sweet little free birds swooping, diving, stalling, and suspending. All, in this moment, was just for me. Thank you Jesus :) I love you!
