Will his love change me?

Today I have monthly maintenance - hair maintenance that is.  ;-)

It's a day I look forward to each month!  Not just to be pampered, but because my hairdresser has become a dear friend over the years.

Tracey and I have been together through heartaches and joys.

Our favorite thing to do together is LAUGH!  Inevitably, every visit, we both end up laughing so hard our stomach's hurt.

We are similar in a lot of ways too.  One such way is our overwhelming need to eat when we are hungry.  I understand this about her and she understands this about me.  lol.

We share with each other stories of our Faith, encouraging one another.

I also always get excited about having a fresh cut and color.  I like to change things up often, so I am always pouring over Pinterest to get ideas, and inevitably, I explain, as feebly as I can, the desired look I am going for, and Tracey listens attentively and always produces exactly what I tried to convey.

I think you would all agree that when you go to the hairdresser, you have a desire, expectation and even excitement about your fresh cut and/or color, knowing that you will leave the hairdresser changed, and feeling good about your new cut and/or color.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How often do we come into God's presence with a desire and expectation to be changed as a result?

I confess that I don't...

I am a checklist kind of person.  Whether it be for a vacation packing list or mentally ticking off things I've already accomplished in a day.  This seems to carry over into my Bible reading...

Currently, I am using my time in the Word to ask the Holy Spirit to lead me in prayer while I read the Scriptures.  I then record those prayers in a notebook.  It has been fascinating to see how much He is showing me the areas I need to work on spiritually.

You might say, well that sounds like you are coming to the Word expecting to be changed.  But sadly, I am not, as those thoughts aren't even occurring to me.   Because I am writing out my prayer, I am focusing on writing instead of spending time in deep groaning prayer, beseeching the Lord to change me.  A beseeching that would show evidence of a desire and expectation.

The Christian life truly is a learning process.  What works for others may not work for you OR may be a spiritual discipline to be developed.

It's almost as if we need to have an understanding of our learning style and how God has mentally wired us.

And Who knows best what our learning style is and how we are mentally wired?  Our Great God and Maker.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

Psalm 139:13

We go to the hairdresser with a desire for a change and expect that we will leave with a whole new look.

How much more should we come to our Heavenly Father with a desire to be changed into the likeness of Christ and the expectation that He will!

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled

 to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:19

His Love can fill us to overflowing with the fullness of God, changing our behaviors and attitudes to be like Him.

He is our Friend...

We can look forward to our time with Him with the clear expectation that He sympathizes with our weaknesses and rejoices over us in full Joy; weeping with us and laughing with us...

He listens to us attentively and understands our thoughts before we think them and knows our words before we speak them.  When we share our desire with Him to be transformed through the renewing of our minds and expect that He will transform us, He most assuredly will...

Jesus is our Great Encourager.   Come into His presence expecting to be filled up with Loving encouragement...

Our Heavenly Father understands our true hunger and need for His Word, manna from Heaven.  He is always ready to fill us with the fullness of God through His Wonderful Words of Life; Words that reiterate over and over His great Love for us...  We need only come to the supper table with desire and expectation... Desire and expectation born out of the knowledge that we are loved and that His Love will change us...

How many of us  truly  comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth of His Love.

I believe that obedience is spurred on by love.  You see it between husbands and wives, and between children and parents.  When we are encouraged in loving ways and feel that unconditional love, we naturally choose to obey.

But too often, I don't think that we, as believers, always truly comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth of the Father's Love, and as a result, hinders Christ-like change in us.

To truly know someone and to understand and feel their love, you would have spent lots of time with them.

Could it be that because we don't spend a lot of time with our Heavenly Father that is what prevents us from feeling and understanding His great love for us, and for allowing that great Love to change us?


Let us seek our Heavenly Father throughout the day with our whole heart, soul and minds, in prayer, the Word, memorization of Scripture, and putting feet to our Faith.

Let us allow ourselves to be Loved by Him.

Let us come to Him with the desire to be changed and the expectation that He will.

Let us walk out from His presence, with a fresh, changed look, so that all will know that we have been with Him, and are eternally Loved by Him.


You might find me on these link-ups:
Grace & Truth Link-up, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Growing in Grace Link-up, 3DLessonsLif4e, Inspire Me Monday Titus 2 Tuesday, A Wise Women Builds Her Home, A Look at the Book,  Sunday Stillness, The Weekend Brew, Spiritual Sundays, Soul Survival,  Give Me Grace, A Little R&R, Testimony Tuesday, Women with Intention Wednesdays, Still Saturday, Good Morning Mondays, Tell His Story, Faith & Fellowship Blog Hop, Motivate and Rejuvenate Mondays, Be Salty, Monday's Musings, The Art of Home-Making Monday, Tuesday Talk, Waiting on Wednesday, Reflect His Love and Glory  Words of Comfort Link-up, Wholehearted Wednesdays. Tell it to Me Tuesday, Faithful at Home Fridays, Faith 'N Friends, TGI Saturdays, Sitting Among Friends Encourage Me Monday Words with Winter Essential Fridays, So Much at Home Family, Friendship & Faith,  House to Home Intentional Tuesday ,Wonderful Wednesday , Monday of Many Blessings, Literacy Musings Mondays,Imparting Grace, SHINE Blog Hop Dance with Jesus, Give Me Grace, Booknificent Thursdays UNITE Cozy Reading Spot, Making Your Home Sing Monday Social Butterfly Sundays  Let Us Grow Small Wonder Link-up Winsome Wednesday Growing in Grace Thursday After My Coffee, Rewind Friday Fresh Market Friday