“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9).
My daughter, where do I begin? Let Me tell you a story. There once was a little girl, with eyes sparkling bright and lips that stretched toward sweet cheeks when she smiled. She liked to reach her hands up high, fingers outstretched, and the wind would brush back her hair. She knew she was delighted in, that she was magnetic, that when I looked at her, I was captivated.
She liked to run through forest where she had never been before. She felt safe. There was no place she couldn’t go where I wouldn’t be. So, she ran and jumped and laughed, and the music of her laughter made my heart swell. It was the music of her heart full and pure and beautiful.
She was rescued, and she didn’t know it. So, she felt free. Her feet were bare, her toes touching the soft textures of meadow grass and the smooth rocks collected at the side of streams. She was seen and known and loved. She ran freely, collecting different sizes of rocks and flowers, along the way.
She ran unencumbered, unhesitatingly, knowing where she was going but never knowing the way. I was with her, the two of us, keeping pace along the path. I would protect her off the path, and she fell sometimes. But she knew she was not alone, and she was not afraid.
This little girl grew in strength and with words. She knew joy and contentment. She knew where to rest her head, and she knew that when a battle called her to stand and fight she could do it. For she knew I went with her.
This little girl heart is what is most beautiful about you. It is what lives within you. It is where I invite you to come in deeper, look for Me more, let Me come and rescue you again. And again. For you know now you have been rescued. You remember, I am the one who makes you free.
Oh, my darling girl, my rescued one, my girl in white who captivates Me and grows strong and ever more confident in how I love you. Raise your head now, dear one. The road has been long and hard, but still, you are my mighty, beautiful girl who holds my hand and likes to walk barefoot, in streams.
|| More Resources For You ||
God has used poetry in my life in so many ways to heal me—to help me look inside myself and find Him there. I know many of my Loop sisters have experienced the same thing, so I can’t help but agree with Laura Wifler when she says, “While it’s an unexpected love, poetry has been a gift to me, and I believe it can be for you, too. Poetry names the aches we all feel but can’t find the words for.” → On top of writing poetry, Laura is also a bestselling author (including co-author of the book Risen Motherhood) and educator. In her interview for Rapt, she shares how writing helps her slow down—and the place where it can shift to feel like worship.
Holy Spirit says: “It’s been a long time since we’ve talked. I understand. I know why. There was a point when you turned from Me. You thought your sin was too great, that I was disappointed in you, that you could not reach me anymore. After sin comes, you see, shame is often right behind. It buries itself into your heart, taking residence there. It is one thing to sin, to do something that hurts your own heart and makes you feel distant from Me. It is another thing to let the sin be what decides your identity, your past, your future, the deepest truths about who you are.” ⇒ What do you feel when you read these words? Longing? Hope? Shame? Read the rest of the message here—and if it speaks to you, consider sharing it with a friend.
If someone were to offer you anything you wanted—anything in the world—what would you say? A few people in the Bible have received that offer: King Solomon, Queen Esther, the young woman who danced and pleased King Herod and his party. And the Shunamite woman in 2 Kings 4. After she showed hospitality to the prophet Elisha, he asked her what he could do for her. Instead of asking for the one thing her heart truly desired—a son—she simply said, “I dwell among my own people.” On the Revive Our Hearts podcast, Dannah Gresh and Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth discuss this beautiful story and how contentment can unlock some of God’s greatest blessings in our lives.
* Not signed up for Loop?
Get it today—it comes three times a week, free.
