Where God Dwells
(Love WILL save the world)
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the nearness of God. Seasons of depletion will do that to a soul. It’s a well understood paradox of faith, that God is often most clearly located when all of our usual comforts have been stripped from us. I never long for wilderness seasons, but I can attest to God’s faithfulness to making Himself known to me in those desolate hours. I wish it were easier to remember His nearness, always, but it’s true that when life is all starry-eyed and rosy, My focus on where God is situated fades into the background.
I suppose I’m thinking of this because life has been the exact, and most-exaggerated opposite of start-eyed and rosy these last many weeks. My husband suffered an injury that has kept him home from work for weeks now, and we are still a week or more, from having a clear treatment plan. He’s been inconsiderable pain the entire time.
Between the tense cultural climate outside of our home, and the anxious waiting (and literal suffering) inside of our home, I’ve been working to locate God in all of this.
It occurred to me the other day while I edited an Instagram caption 4 times, trying to get my wording right, that I’ve often spoken about “inviting” God to be near to us, but that is not the right word. The word I was looking for was “welcome”.
1 John 4:11 says that
“if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us” (msg).
It’s not that we need to extend an invitation to God, our response to His love, is to welcome God in—to surrender to the Spirit making His home in us.
The invitation extended is from God to us, not the other way around. The Invitation came down from Heaven. The Invitation put on flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus’ response to a world that regularly refused His invitation, was to extend His hands again and again, until His arms spread wide on a cross. 1 John 4:10 says this is the kind of love that God showed us.
And that brings us back to 1 John 4:11, the first part of that verse says, “if we love one another…” this is how we welcome God to dwell in us—by welcoming one another. This is how His love becomes “complete in us” (1 John 4:12).
With the current state of things, it’s been difficult to see where God is in the middle of the fray. But when we love one another, we are reminded that God dwells IN us.
Speaking of love…
I received a beautiful, surprise package from a dear friend the other day. Of course, the gifts were special because they came from my friend, but they were so meaningful because she took the opportunity to call out something specific that she knew I was working on, and encouraged me to keep working towards that goal. As I sat with her shared treasures I thought about how powerful an act of love it is, when we see someone working towards a goal or a dream and we cheer them on.
A challenge to you…
Do you know someone who is working to accomplish a goal, make a piece of art, or answer some other call in their life? How can you encourage them in their work? Perhaps a gift card to grab a coffee, or a palette of paints for your artist friend? What about a inspiring book of quotes for that writer friend or an offer to babysit, or perhaps a donation to your friend’s non-profit?
There are so many big and small ways we can love one another—pick a friend, pick a way that feels right to you and encourage them to keep going!
What are you working towards these days? Reply to this email or leave a comment! I’d love to encourage you on in your work and art!
Love has come, Love is here, Love will come again. Love will save the world!
In the name of Love,
Kris Camealy
“God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.”
1 John 4:17-18 MSG
