Beautiful Brokenness

Phil. 3:1-16, Col. 1:28-29
"When we've faced our failures head on and recognized the futility of depending on anything else but God, we're finally ready to be used by God. As broken people we know that God loves us simply for who we are."

We did nothing to deserve this ultimate Love. We can do nothing to earn more of it or to keep it. Even when we do not love Him some days of the week with all we got or live in ways man has deemed "worthy" of being loved back, this Love is still there, being offered with no strings attached. Period.

"Evidence of brokenness includes the freedom to be vulnerable, th share weakness, to give others credit and to receive correction. A broken person is ready to acknowledge and repent of sin and to forgive the sin of others. In a broken life there is no room for self-righteous striving, self-centered individualism, self-serving greed, or self-defeating perfectionism. Brokenness is a doorway through which the ressurrection life of Jesus comes into our hearts. How can you become more fully dependent on God? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you." Ask Him to show ya how to take those amazing promises and truths in the Word and make them real in your every-day, minute by minute life. He will. He totally will!
-quotes by some random YWAM staffer

As one season of ministry in this chica's life will soon be wrapped up and another will begin per God's request; I have been realizing how much God has used the most random, odd, unexplainable circumstances to break me of all my self-dependent striving, all my perfectionist christian pride, all my self-reliance/independence, etc. It's insane how being around hurting, burdened, confused kids can reveal in me how un-Christlike my love can be at times. I had no stinkin clue how much I loved people based on how much they'd appreciate it or reciprocate it back.
Shnikeys. I mean, isn't the whole idea of unconditional love, just that...that we dish it out without forethought or self-thought, without conditions or comfort...we spill it out, our whole selves up on the alter simply because Jesus has enabled us, given us the supernatural strength to do the impossible and unthinkable. If we'd only believe and choose to focus on Him. Man, if we keep our eyes on the Prize, we can love and forget serving ourselves and live these incredible, satisfied, full lives that just offer this world all they ever needed.
Good life. "It's finished"...that we may only be granted the grace to "simply live up to what we have already attained" my friends.