Getting to Know You

This past week we all focused on things we were thankful for. In my life I have many, many things ranging from tiny to large. One of my biggest blessings is my BFF—and I almost missed out.

See, when I was seventeen I was all about penny loafers and argyle sweaters. Sensible. A bit of a push-over. Bon Jovi was Heavy Metal to me, and I felt like a rebel just listening to him. I’d had some friend issues (any girls out there relate???) and prayed for God to show me what being and having a good friend was all about.

He brought my BFF into my life.

My initial impression? Black leather and red bandana. Heavy Metal. Lotsa ear piercings. Flaming red hair with a major attitude. Definitely no push-over. If she had been a guy, my parents never woulda let me date her.

But no one ever had my back or made me laugh harder than the girl I met (still true to this day). (And right about now I’d love to show you a picture of us way back then, but she knows where I live.)

Our hearts connected in a way that could have only been God. She pulled out my crazy side, I reigned her in. She made me tougher, I softened her some. We compromised with John Cougar Mellencamp when it came to the radio and have slowly morphed not only in to one shared brain but the same hair color (at least in summer when we both get our blonde highlights). We’ve been maced in a Victoria’s Secret (long story), taken numerous road trips (with just a few detours) and shared the birth of children together (our first borns are 6-weeks apart). And have I mentioned laughter? She has brought countless hours of laughter into my life.

Had I judged the book by its cover I would have missed out on one of the greatest gifts in my life.

Don’t make the same mistake with God.

Natural disasters do not mean He doesn’t care. Dysfunction does not mean He’s chaos. Preachers that breath fire and brimstone do not mean He’s angry. Evil acts do not mean He’s hateful. And yet all too often these things stop people from getting to know God. But to truly know His heart, we need to spend time with Him. And when we do we see…

“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him” (Nahum 1:7), “God is not a God of disorder, but of peace”(1 Cor.14:33), “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger…”(Psalm 103:8), “Whoever does not know love does not know God, for God is love”(1 John 4:8)

And that’s just scratching the surface. Getting to know someone takes time. You need to dig deep and have a desire to learn their heart. You study them and go through trials with them. You learn their voice and their character by intimately immersing yourself in them—not by looking at the surface. The surface can deceive. The heart never can. And once you begin to look beyond the surface of God and to His heart, you’ll find more than you ever bargained for. It will be the greatest relationship of your life. Don’t miss out.