....wearing fuzzy socks.

BETH P writing:

It's negative 25 {wind-chill} outside as I write this post. I am wearing my warmest coziest attire possible for today.  My thickest fuzziest socks are on inside my tall sweater boots; as well, I am wearing my thick Under Armor sweat pants and sweatshirt (over Cuddl Duds, of course). AND, if you know me, there is also a fuzzy scarf double wrapped around my neck. Then last but not least, there is a space heater set to "HIGH" about 12 inches from my chair.  I. AM. COZY.

I think this level of cozy might be what God means when He says in John 15:9b "Abide in my love".  

I am reading a book called, "Christ in the Chaos" by Kimm Crandall.  This verse from John is the the verse God brought to mind for the author when chaos was surrounding her heart and all the negative self-labeling thoughts were overcoming her. 

We have all been there.  We all go there regularly.  That place where we are filling our minds with negative labels of ourselves.  It is dark and sad and lonely, so we go to Facebook, Target, texting or some other means to find a way out of this feeling.  But God says "abide in my love". Why do we make it so hard? He wants to wrap us up in His never-ending, unconditional, warm LOVE. 

Another great point in this book, the author also talks about the flip side, the moments where we are celebrating our "awesome mom-ness", as she calls it. Those moments where we are sure our kids are feeling loved and secure all based on what a good job we did that day as a mom.  Even in those moments we are self-labeling and need to stop and "abide in His love". 

BUT THAT'S HARD! We need to swallow that pride and admit the source of all things beautiful about us... our Creator.

I know! Good stuff, huh?!?

THIS is where, when we know Christ as Savior we can rely on the Holy Spirit He has sent to reside in our hearts to prompt us.  Pray that He prompts you, to abide.  To grab the fuzzy socks and sweat pants of His love and abide.  When we do that.... we are filled up, refueled, comforted, sometimes BLOWN AWAY by His unwavering, unending, unchanging, unmovable love. We must embrace the labels HE wants to give us: 

forgiven, 

loved, 

righteous, 

holy, 

blameless, 

clean, 

acceptable, 

precious, 

daughter, 

perfect, (our heart in His eyes has been made perfect - not me as a person)

free. 

Embrace it.  Abide in it. Wear it like fuzzy socks and thick sweat pants on a FREEZING COLD day. 

Preach the gospel to yourself today.  "...your sin today cannot change what Christ did on the cross." (p32 of Christ in the Chaos by Kimm Crandall). 

From Kimm's 10 year old daughter:

GOD - the most awesome and cool being in the universe

LOVES - thinks you're the coolest thing on earth, even though it doesn't feel like it

YOU - an awesomely loved sinner