He Raises Us

"And when we fall, hastily He raiseth us by His lovely calling and gracious touching. And when we be thus strengthened by His sweet working, then we will with all our will choose Him, by His sweet grace.."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 61)

A little child who is learning to walk is not scolded or punished for falling down; instead, the parent is touched with compassion, rushes to the child, picks the child up and, with a hug and kiss, makes sure the child is ok and sends them on their way to try walking again. They do not need to say they are sorry or try to make up for their fall for the parent completely understands that mistakes are part of learning and doesn't see anything wrong in the child's heart. They don't have to try to get back in their parents' good graces, for they never left those good graces. When the child falls, the parent simply acts like a good parent, doing a parent's job: to pick up one's hurting child.

Our dear Savior Jesus parents us in the same way. When we fall, He is not scolding or punishing but rushing to us in compassion to lift us up on our feet again. We don't have to make anything up to Him. He is fine with us. He understands that mistakes happen. He is not grading or judging our performance at all. He is focused on loving us, focused on relationship. He is accepting us just as we are, mistakes and all. And He is telling us His acceptance and love will not change, no matter how we act or whether we improve in lovingkindness or not. He is simply seeing us in a positive light and giving us encouragement, loving us right where we are with no demand for change. And when we experience such grace in the midst of our failures, the love that is truly without condition and the security of knowing that He is committed to us no matter what, it is transforming. It raises us up. We find ourselves choosing His way, being more loving to ourselves and others, resting in faith. All along, His way has been grace, not law. Grace is what strengthens us, not law. Grace is what raises us up when we fall. When we see that, experience that from Him, it is life-changing. When you know that you are loved, accepted and safe no matter what you do, it transforms you: you find yourself relaxing, falling in love with God and wanting to love everyone around you. We fall, but grace keeps on raising us every time.

"I drew them to me with affection and love. I picked them up and held them to my cheek.."

Hosea 11:4 (GNT)

"When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy."

Psalm 94;18-19 (NIV)

A Prayer: Thank You for being there for me and picking me up when I fall.

New Creation Living

"And in our spiritual forthbringing He useth more tenderness of keeping, without any likeness: by as much as our soul is of more price in His sight. He kindleth our understanding, He directeth our ways, He easeth our conscience, He comforteth our soul, He lighteneth our heart, and giveth us, in part, knowing and believing in His blissful Godhead, with gracious mind in His sweet Manhood and His blessed Passion, with reverent marvelling in His high, overpassing Goodness; and maketh us to love all that He loveth, for His love, and to be well-pleased with Him and all His works."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 61)

Christ takes very special care with us in our spiritual rebirthing. Through the resurrection Christ births us into a new life, different from and far better than the life we experienced before, even better than the life Adam had before the fall. We are a new creation brought into a beautiful life with Christ. Christ is living His life in us, and this life is always full of joy, peace, victory and love. Christ works His nature, life and ways in and through us, causing us to walk in His ways. He is the one who give us wisdom and understanding, who guides us, who gives us reassurance that we are perfect and righteous in Him. He comforts and soothes us emotionally, giving us His peace that passes all understanding. He gives us both knowledge of and faith in God and understanding of His person and work. He encourages and uplifts us so that we are so happy we naturally want to be praising Him, for He overwhelms us with love and blessing, showing us how good He is. He brings us to love all He loves, brings us to a life of loving God, ourselves and others.  And He brings us to be totally satisfied with His work, both in salvation and in our daily lives, so that we rest in Him, knowing that nothing needs to be added to the finished and complete work of Christ. He brings us to live a life full of peace, love and good works, and even though we are doing things, it is Christ who lives through us and does the loving, does the working. The whole Christian life, the life of the new creation, is grace, for it is Christ who births it in us and brings it to growth and fruition in us. What a wonderful God we have and what a wonderful life with Him is this new creation life!

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

"And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.."

Ezekiel 36:27 (ESV)

A Prayer: Thank You for living in me by grace, not law. Thank You for living in me!

Growing by Grace and Love

"The Kindly, loving Mother that witteth (understands) and knoweth the need of her child, she keepeth it full tenderly, as the nature and condition of Motherhood will. And as it waxeth (grows) in age, she changeth her working, but not her love."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 60)

Mothers care for their children's needs, matching their care to the child's situation, disposition and age. And even moreso, our Mother Christ takes care of all our needs. Christ knows us better than anyone else ever could, taking into account our disposition, situation and maturity. Christ gives us exactly what we need, not in small amounts but in abundance. Christ keeps us and helps us, nurtures us and encourages us, doing everything that needs to be done for our growth. For we grow by grace, through His nurturing care, and we grow by just knowing Him, experiencing His love. We don't have to feel like it is all up to us to learn, grow, understand or mature. Christ is in charge of all that and we grow by grace, by His working in and through us. 

Christ is a nurturing and kind mother. This Mother doesn't force or push us around by harsh demands, judging of behavior or punishment. This Mother fosters our growth by love, tenderness, gentleness, patience, kindness, goodness, and understanding. This Mother draws out the best in us by unconditionally loving us, supporting us even when we fail, and always strengthening and encouraging us, seeing the best in us and drawing it out by believing in us even when we can't believe in ourselves. This Mother is all about grace and love, not rules and punishment. This Mother is all about relationship, not performance. This mother maintains the tenderness and openness of a love relationship with us above all else. This Mother is all about love, for love is what makes her children truly bloom and flourish! Our Mother Christ is the most nurturing, tender, supportive, responsive, caring and gentle mother of all!

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever."

2 Peter 3:18 (KJV)

"It is good for the heart to be established and strengthened by grace."

Hebrew 13:9 (AMP)

A Prayer: Your grace - Your acceptance, kindness, goodness, support, and unconditional love nourish me!

Eternal Nourishing That Eternally Satisfies

"The Mother may lay the child tenderly to her breast, but our tender Mother, Jesus, He may homely lead us into His blessed breast, by His sweet open side, and shew therein part of the Godhead and the joys of Heaven, with spiritual sureness of endless bliss."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 60)

A mother lays her baby next to her and nurses her child, so that the baby gets life-giving milk and sustenance and is completely satisfied until its next feeding. But Christ gives us spiritual sustenance, His own life, so that we are satisfied to such a full extent that we hunger and thirst no more. He completely fills and satisfies. He provides all we need for life here and for all eternity. He nourishes and invigorates us with the God-life, life that knows no boundaries or limits, life with no end, life that is indefeatable and indestructible, life that always overcomes, always has abundance, always loves and gives, always is triumphant over every evil, fear or challenge. 

And while a mother lets her baby nurse very close to her but still externally to her, Christ brings all humanity into His own self, being one with our humanity and joining with us forever. We are so close we are IN. So we have continual nourishing and life, continual joys and blessings, continual communion and  presence. All that Christ is is given to us in this oneness, and we partake of His own nature, His own being, His own righteousness, His own relationship with the Father, His own heavenly life. Christ gives us the best nourishment, for He gives us Himself in oneness with us, with our humanity. We can relax and rest, not needing to strive, because we know that all we  need is already given to us in Him, and so we rest in completeness and union. Within Him we find continual communion with the Godhead, all the joys of heaven, and the assurance of endless bliss with Him!

"For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and reach full spiritual stature]."

Colossians 2:10 (AMPC)

"Let the agape-love of God romance you into his rest where you cease from striving and bask in completeness."

2 Timothy 2:22 (MIRROR)

"They will neither hunger nor thirst."

Isaiah 49:10 (NLT)

 

Christ Feeds Us

"He would not stint (cease) of working: wherefore then it behoveth (befits) Him to feed us; for the dearworthy love of Motherhood hath made Him debtor to us. The mother may give her child suck of her milk, but our precious Mother, Jesus, He may feed us with Himself, and doeth it, full courteously and full tenderly.."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 60)

We think sometimes that we owe God our service, yet Julian says that Christ owes us a debt of love and service. For a mother ought to take care of her child, meeting her child's every need, and a mother owes her child her attention and love and care. So Christ our Mother takes care of all of us and gives full attention, love and care to us, meeting our every need. We don't have to do anything to 'get' this kind service; it is simply what a mother ought to do and what a mother loves to do. So Christ loves taking care of us and does so without ceasing. We are always being taken care of by Christ our Mother. For Christ gives everything to us, pouring out in love for us. Earthly mothers give their babies their life-giving milk, but we get to partake of Christ's own life. We are fed and nourished by Christ. For Christ is our true food, full of love and acceptance, strength and grace, that sustains us and makes us thrive in heavenly life. We naturally want the pure milk of our Mother Christ, the love and kindness and life that tastes so wonderful to us and makes us grow. And Christ loves nourishing and feeding us. 

Christ brings us to rest from being nourished by heavenly life and love, like an infant falling asleep while nursing in the mother's arms. In fact, one of the most beautiful pictures of security, satisfaction and rest that we have is of a little baby nestled in its mother's arms, sleeping peacefully after drinking in mother's milk till its tummy is full. The baby is totally satiated and satisfied, is completely at rest and comfortable, is absolutely secure and peaceful in its mother's arms. And with Christ, that is where we are today. He satisfies us, makes us feel safe and comfortable, snuggles us close and brings us to such rest that we can sleep peacefully, knowing all is well!

"Like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness."

1 Peter 2:2 (MSG)

"The one who feeds on me will live because of me."

John 6:57 (NIV) 

A Prayer: Thank You for pouring out Your life to take care of me and nourish me. You are life to me and nothing and noone satisfies me like You!

He Thinks We Are Worth It

"He sustaineth us within Himself in love; and travailed, unto the full time that He would suffer the sharpest throes and the most grievous pains that ever were or ever shall be; and died at the last. And when He had finished, and so borne us to bliss, yet might not all this make full content to His marvellous love; and that sheweth He in these high overpassing words of love: If I might suffer more, I would suffer more."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 60)

If Christ gave birth to us through the resurrection, then the suffering of Christ on the cross can be seen as birth pangs as Christ labored to bring us forth into new life. When humanity fell into delusion and sin, God did not abandon these beloved created children. Instead, Christ kept us and sustained us within a womb of love, continually carrying humanity within until the time came for humanity's new birth. No matter how much pain a mother goes through to bring her child into the world, she forgets that pain when she sees her newborn child, and she says that all that pain was worth it, that she would have gone through even more pain just to have her precious child with her, alive and well. And in the same way Christ our Mother says that all the pain was worth it to bring us into new birth, alive and well. Christ was willing to do whatever was necessary, was willing to endure whatever suffering was needed, to bring us into the freedom, joy and fullness of resurrection life. Christ willingly endured all the suffering of the cross even to the point of death, looking forward to the joy that would come from it. And that joy is humanity, you and I! One look at us, the cherished and precious newborns cradled in those loving and everlasting arms, and Christ declares, "It was worth it! You are worth it, my dear darlings!" 

"A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world."

John 16:21 (NIV)

"Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation.."

Hebrews 12:2 (TPT)

A Prayer: Knowing You are joyful over me -  like a mother is joyful over her newborn - makes me know I am wanted, I am loved, and I am Your very own child!

Endless Life

"We know that all our mothers' bearing is [bearing of] us to pain and to dying: and what is this but that our Very Mother, Jesus, He—All-Love—beareth us to joy and to endless living?—blessed may He be!"

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 60)

Though our earthly mothers bear or birth us into a world of pain and sorrow and death, our dear Mother Christ bears or births us into a whole new world of endless life and joy. We are born anew through Christ's resurrection, brought into the realm of Christ's resurrection life, the life of the heavenly realms. We are raised up with Christ to the heavens and are hid and oned with His resurrected and reigning life. This life has already prevailed over every pain, sickness, sorrow and death of the earthly life. This life, Christ's own resurrection life, never has any bitterness, fear, anxiety or lack in it. Born from above in Christ, we are a new creation, newborns in a whole new world, and we are pure, perfect, sinless, beautiful and sweet. We are in eternal life, God's own life, and we can never go out of it, for how could we ever go backwards and be unborn? Birth is permanent! We are forever in life, in Christ's life, in resurrection life! It is the most beautiful, fulfilling, happy, peaceful life we could imagine. And it is a life of love, full of the tenderness and warmth of Christ, a life of being permanently embraced by the One who loves us most, safe from any harm alive forevermore, enjoying the love of the Trinity family continually!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)

Thank You for bringing me into Your endless life through Your resurrection!

Our Humble Mother

"Our high God is sovereign Wisdom of all: in this low place He arrayed and dight (prepared) Him full ready in our poor flesh, Himself to do the service and the office of Motherhood in all things....This office none might, nor could, nor ever should do to the full, but He alone."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 60)

Our God who is high, exalted, mighty and over all chose to take the low place of humble human flesh to be our true Mother and give us new birth. This wonderful God was willing to take on this role of Mother to us, to do all that a mother is to do, becoming the humble caretaker of humanity. And noone could do it better. Noone could be a better Mother to us, noone could do the work of Motherhood more fully than our God made flesh! God does not consider the office of mothering humanity as "low" job, though, but instead as a high and infinitely important one. In fact it is God's great delight and honor to be our Mother, to love and hold us, and to do everything for our care. 

Our Mother God births us into new life and takes care of us in our newborn state, watching over us and meeting our needs around the clock, thinking only of us. Our Mother God meets all our needs right down to the most basic and lowly, giving all the time and effort and energy possible to help us thrive. And our Mother God loves us infinitely and would do anything for us, always protecting us, cradling us, singing over us, soothing us, calming us and tenderly caressing us.  It is lovely to see our God as a Mother. Earthly mothers naturally care for their child and love the child tenderly, not forgetting the child. Yet God is an infinitely more compassionate, caring, nurturing and attentive Mother than any earthly mother. We could not ask for a better Mother than God!

"But how could a loving mother forget her nursing child and not deeply love the one she bore? Even if there is a mother who forgets her child, I could never, no never, forget you."

Isaiah 49:15

A Prayer: You are the best Mother to me and I know You will care for my every need.

Mother-Love That Never Leaves Us

"We were made by the Motherhood of Nature-Love: which kindly-love, it never leaveth us."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 60)

God mothered or created us by love, the love that God is by nature. This love is a mother-love that is kind and that is natural to God. It is only natural that God our Mother would bring forth us, the beloved children, in kind love and care. It is only natural that God our Mother would love us before we were born or even created, and that out of this love we would be formed and come into existence. It is only natural that God our Mother would unconditionally love all the children that were brought forth. It is only natural that this Mother-Love of God would stay with us always and never leave us. For a true Mother loves no matter what, is tender and caring toward the child even when the child is wayward or unloving. And just so our True Mother always tenderly holds and cares for us, always loves us unconditionally, always sees the best in us, always calls us precious and dear. This Mother-Love God has for us goes with us wherever we go and supports us throughout our whole lives. We are always God our Mother's dear little children. We never stop being those dear little children, those sweet and adorable ones, to God. There is always a soft spot in our Mother God's heart for us. Our Mother God always believes in us, always cares for us, always loves us with a faithful  and unchanging love that will never let us go!

Love puts up with anything and everything that comes along; it trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (VOICE)

A Prayer: I rest in Your sheltering, faithful, tender, beautiful Mother-Love!

Three Ways God Is Mother

"I understood three manners of beholding of Motherhood in God: the first is grounded in our Nature's making; the second is taking of our nature, - and there beginnith the Motherhood of Grace; the third is Motherhood of working, - and therein is a forthspreading by the same Grace, of length and breadth and height and of deepness without end. And all is one Love."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 59)

There are three ways we can see God as our Mother. One is in the fact that we came from God in our creation, so in a sense God birthed us as a mother births her child. Thus we are God's kin, with a nature like God, made in God's image and likeness. Another way God is our Mother is through God taking on human flesh and rebirthing us into resurrection life. Once again God births humanity like a mother does her child, and we are born again to new life with God. This eternal life is God's life, and we have it as a gift from God, derived from God's own Self, just like a mother gives her baby life, the baby deriving its life from the mother. And the third way God is our Mother is in the work of grace God does in tenderly caring for us in every way, just like a mother pours out her love and care on her beloved child. This third way of mothering goes on and on, continually expanding and filling all our life with blessing and goodness and grace. And all these ways God is Mother to us come from who God is - Love!

"God ... gave birth to you."

Deauteronomy 32:18 (VOICE)

A Prayer: You are a wonderful Mother to me!

 

The Fulfilling of All True Desires

"As verily as God is our Father, so verily God is our Mother; and that shewed He in all, and especially in these sweet words where He saith: I it am (it is I). That is to say, I it am, the Might and the Goodness of the Fatherhood; I it am, the Wisdom of the Motherhood; I it am, the Light and the Grace that is all blessed Love: I it am, the Trinity, I it am, the Unity: I am the sovereign Goodness of all manner of things. I am that maketh thee to love: I am that maketh thee to long: I it am, the endless fulfilling of all true desires."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 59)

God is more than we could ever imagine. God is the best Father, the best Mother, of which the best human parents are just faint echoes. For the Trinity is our true Family, tenderly embracing us with a love like we have never known on earth, love like we have always longed to experience, love like we could hardly even dream of. For God is love, and love is all God is. God is the light of our lives, the grace that supports us all, always caring for us, always adoring us, always cheering us on. God is the goodness infusing everything, for God is all good, and thus all God does and all God radiates is good. God is the source of all the loving that happens on earth, the source of our truest longings, and the fulfillment of our deepest desires. God will endlessly fulfill and satisfy us for all eternity. How wonderful is this God! Even if we think of God in the most positive way that we can, it is only a small fraction of how good, wonderful, loving and beautiful our God really is!

"You have satisfied me, God.."

Psalm 119:57 (MSG)

"Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you!"

Psalm 63:3 (NLT)

A Prayer: You are the only One who can really satisfy me. You are everything to me!

God Does Good Against Evil

"Wickedness hath been suffered to rise contrary to the Goodness, and the Goodness of Mercy and Grace contraried against the wickedness and turned all to goodness and to worship, to all these that shall be saved. For it is the property in God which doeth good against evil."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 59)

We are encouraged to overcome evil with good because that is God's way of dealing with evil. Our beautiful God is nonviolent and peaceful. He is never harsh or destructive. He does not retaliate against evil with vengeance or retribution. He is love and love does no harm. This is beautifully exemplified by Christ who did not hate or curse His killers but instead prayed for their forgiveness and showed them no ill will.  When Jesus rose from the dead He did not go after His murderers to seek vengeance, enact punishment, or demand payback. He simply came forth with arms open wide in love, bringing the light of His love and the power of the resurrection with Him to all. What a beautiful picture of overcoming evil with good! Wickedness or Evil was allowed to rise against goodness, but only so that mercy and grace could transform all wickedness and sin to goodness and propel humanity farther forward than we ever would have come if sin had not entered our story. God will wipe out evil by turning it into good. He will destroy His enemies by turning them into His friends. This is the wise way of our God, a wise way that is peaceful, gentle, and merciful, a way that is pure love. For love is stronger than evil, sin, wickedness and death. Love is what conquers evil, not wrath, punishment, retribution, destruction or violence. After all, scripture says mercy triumphs over judgment and where sin abounds, grace abounds more. Sin and evil are not everlasting, but God's love is everlasting. And it is this love and kindness that leads to repentance. God overcomes all evil with good. What a gentle, kind and loving God we have!

"If God makes you really wise, you will live in a completely good way. That is the most important thing. Also, you will live in a way that brings peace. You will be kind to other people so that they become your friends. You will listen to them and not argue. You will forgive them and do many good things to help them." 

James 3:17 (EASY)

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Romans 12:21 (NIV)

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."

Psalm 136:1 (NIV)

A Prayer: Thank You that You don't meet my wrongs with anger or punishment. Thank You that You meet them with love and forgiveness. Thank You for always overcoming evil with good!

Nature, Mercy, Grace

"For all our life is in three: in the first we have our Being, in the second we have our Increasing, and in the third we have our Fulfilling: the first is Nature, the second is Mercy, and the third is Grace."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 58)

Our life is on an upward trajectory, no matter what. First, we were created by God the Father and have our being in Him, our nature that is like God's nature since we are made in His image and likeness. Humanity fell into confusion and sin and death, but our nature as God made us remained, being grounded in God's loving being, though we were trapped under the bondage of sin and death.

So Christ came, and secondly, we have our restoring and saving in Christ, which did not just restore us to where we were in our creation but brought us to someplace even better, into Christ's resurrection life. We are a new creation, born anew in Christ, for His rose from the dead and took all humanity with Him into a whole new way of living for humans. So even though sin caused damage and death, through God's compassion and mercy, we were rescued and then brought up even higher than we had been before the fall. 

So thirdly Grace is poured out on us abundantly and we live in the ever-fullness of grace and love. We live in the abounding grace of God, and we rise higher and higher in victory and life, enjoying more and more of all the gifts Christ has already given us. We are complete in Christ and experience more and more of this completeness every day as we are continually renewed. God just keeps working everything for the best, even our troubles and afflictions, working everything out to more and more glory. Even our failures and setbacks He somehow works out for good, continually propelling us forward, so that everything keeps working out for our advantage. He keeps overcoming evil with good, and we keep coming out on top as more than conquerors. Nothing can get us down, nothing can fatally harm us, for we are going up, up, up to more joy, more peace, more love, more life, experiencing more and more what we already have in Christ, until the day when faith becomes sight and every bit of sorrow and struggle comes to an end! We will see God face to face and this will be the fulfillment of every desire for love and joy and beauty, and we will keep rejoicing and enjoying more and more of God's love for all eternity!

So we have our the creation of our being or nature in the Father, and we have our merciful restoring and increasing in Christ, and we have our fulfilling to heavenly bliss through in the Holy Spirit!

"Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors."

Romans 8:27 (TPT)

"The love of God causes everything to mutually contribute to our advantage."

Romans 8:28 (MIRROR)

"With God on our side like this, how can we lose?"

Romans 8:31 (MSG)

A Prayer: With You, there is nowhere to go but up!

A Love That Cannot Be Broken

"For He saith: I love thee and thou lovest me, and our love shall never be disparted in two."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 58)

We are in an eternal bond of love with Christ. We have been oned together, entwined together, united together in a perfect love relationship forever. There is no way that anything could break that bond. Christ Himself would never break that love bond, for He is the perfect Lover of our soul, ever faithful and true. And He never lets anything that happens or anything we do break that bond, either. No matter how often we fail to be completely loving or true to Him, He will keep on loving, keep on being true to us. If we run away, He will come with us. If we struggle or doubt, He will stay with us and keep telling us the truth of His love. He will guard our relationship. We are guaranteed by Christ that we will always have the perfect love bond with Him and that nothing or noone will ever come between us. He loves us and we love Him. That's the deep down truth. He really does love us and we really do love Him! And He won't let anything ever change this fact. It's as simple as that. He isn't going anywhere, and neither are we. This love will never be broken in two!

"So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s trouble, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!"

Romans 8:38-39 (TPT)

A Prayer: I'm safe in Your love forever!

Spouse and Bride

"And in the knitting and the oneing He is our Very, True Spouse, and we His loved Wife, His Fair Maiden: with which Wife He is never displeased."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 58)

Christ has knit or oned Himself to our humanity, and one way to look at our relationship with Christ is that of a Spouse and His beloved wife. We are called the Bride of Christ, and Christ cares for us like a husband would his dear wife. He treats us with special love and care, treasures and honors us. He gives us freedom to be ourselves, never manipulating or dominating us but instead empowering us. He treats us as important and valuable equals, caring about our opinions, hopes and dreams. He sees us as His partners in this life and work. He shares His plans for the future with us, bringing us into co-dreaming and co-creating a beautiful future together. He accepts us as we are and sees the best in us, calling us beautiful and perfect even when we don't see ourselves that way. He encourages us and gives us space to be ourselves, and He doesn't berate us when we fail but is simply there for us, helping us and supporting us, cheering us on in life. He makes sure we feel seen and heard and is fine with letting us shine.  He loves spending time with us just doing nothing but being together and having fun. He enjoys making us laugh, seeing us happy, and watching us live out our goals and dreams. He is there for us in the hard or sad times and is faithful to us no matter what. He always has something good and positive to say to us. He always believes in us and always hugs and kisses us. He never is disappointed or angry with us. He always is pleased with who we are as His wife. He thinks we are just wonderful. He is the perfect Spouse!

And as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
So will your God rejoice over you.

Isaiah 62:5 (NIV)

"I’ll marry you for good—forever! I’ll marry you true and proper, in love and tenderness. Yes, I’ll marry you and neither leave you nor let you go. You’ll know me, God, for who I really am."

Hosea 2:19-20 (MSG)

A Prayer: You are the perfect Bridegroom and we are Your beautiful Bride!

God our Father, God our Mother

"In our making, God, Almighty, is our Nature's Father; and God, All-Wisdom, is our Nature's Mother; with the Love and the Goodness of the Holy Ghost: which is all one God, one Lord."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 58)

The Trinity is a circle of communion, a unity of fellowship, like a family. The Trinity is really the ultimate and original family on which our earthly families are faint echoes. And we as the created offspring of God are created in God's image, meaning both males and females are in God's image. So if we see God only in terms of a masculine figure or father, we are not getting the full picture of God. God is both Father and Mother, with features that we would associate with each of those roles, and we are the little children who are so loved by our Trinity family. So if we have not had a good father here on earth, it may be easier to relate to God as a mother, and vice versa. Or if we have had one exceptionally good parent, it may be easier to see God in that parent's role, whether mother or father. God is so kind to be present to us in ways that we can understand and relate to, so we find in God the strong security and protection of a father and the tender embrace and care of a mother. God is the best Father and the best Mother, being all Love and Goodness, being all that we need or hope a God could be! 

"Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!"

Matthew 6:8 (NLT)

"As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you."

Isaiah 66:13 (NIV)

A Prayer: You are my good Father and my good Mother, dear God!

Dwelling in Us Happily

"For it is His good-pleasure to reign in our Understanding blissfully, and sit in our Soul restfully, and to dwell in our Soul endlessly.."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 57)

It is a pleasure to Christ to live inside of us. He is perfectly comfortable and at home with us. He takes care of us inside, being and doing all that we need. 

He reigns in our understanding, for His good and sound mind is stronger and wiser than our often confused and fearful mind. He is always bringing His thoughts and perspective to our understanding, giving us His own mind to be our mind. 

He also sits in our soul in perfect rest. He sits because He is satisfied and the work of our salvation is already done. Sin is already conquered. Death is already defeated. So whatever struggle we are facing, Christ isn't worried about it. He is sitting in perfect rest because He knows all is well already and we are already victors over everything in Him. And He makes us to remember, believe in, experience and stand in that victory. 

He dwells in our soul endlessly. He wants us to know He isn't going anywhere. He is in His permanent and eternal home - in us! No matter what we do or how many faith lapses or failures we have, Christ is dwelling in us. He won't leave us for any reason. How wonderful is this Savior and Friend who happily, peacefully, victoriously, faithfully lives in us forever!

"The closeness of the embrace of His presence sustains you."

James 5:8 (MIRROR)

A Prayer: It makes me happy to know You are happy to live inside of me!

New Creation

"Our Saviour is our Very Mother in whom we be endlessly borne, and never shall come out of Him."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 57)

It is wonderful that God made us in His good image. And it is wonderful that Christ joined with our earthly humanity and redeemed and restored it, giving us His righteousness in place of our sins. And it is even more wonderful that Christ made us totally new creations in Him, full of resurrection life! Christ is like our Mother who gives birth to us in the resurrection. We are born in Christ to a whole new type of existence that is beyond this earthly life and is instead heavenly life. This life is beyond the reach of death, being resurrection life. This life is not temporary life but is eternal life. This life is not simply our human life but is God's life! 

We are a new creation. This new creation is holy and beautiful and perfect. It is fresh and clean and pure. We are born from Christ into this resurrection life and never shall go out of it. In fact we are endlessly new in Christ and never shall be out of Him. A newborn baby is the most pure, perfect, pristine little being we could imagine. It is fresh and new and innocent. It is untouched by evil and also has never done any evil. This is the new creation that we endlessly are. We are endlessly innocent and perfect and new in Christ, continually fresh and clean, perfect and pristine. We cannot be ruined or damaged, ever. We are always in that place of innocence and freshness with Him! Whatever hangups or failures we had in the old life are just gone; here all is clean and new, pure and perfect! Sin just doesn't exist here. Life and love exist here in fullness! This is the God life, and in God's life there is no struggle, pain, sin or brokenness. In God's life there is simply fullness of joy, peace, love and communion. For Christ has brought us into His life, a whole new realm, a whole new way of existence. It is truly heaven on earth!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

A Prayer: With You, everything is fresh and new!

Virtues in Christ

 "For the same virtues that we have received of our Substance, given to us in Nature by the Goodness of God,—the same virtues by the working of Mercy are given to us in Grace through the Holy Ghost, renewed: which virtues and gifts are treasured to us in Jesus Christ."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 57)

We can see that God made us in His good and loving image, but it can be difficult to see ourselves as good and whole when we think, say and do many things that are not good or whole. It can be hard to look past the often messed up exterior to see our good and holy core self. But Christ has brought us such a wonderful gift - His own Person, with all the virtues He has and is, to live inside us through the Holy Spirit at all times. Christ's righteousness, beauty, holiness, kindness, patience and sweetness are ours as a gift. So we can say that even though we fail in many ways, God has made and kept our inner core good, and even more, Christ has redeemed and restored our outer person. He has wiped away all the sin, brokenness and failure and has filled us with His own Person, His own righteousness, His own completeness. We may keep on failing, but Christ keeps on being perfect righteousness in us. We may sometimes be broken, but Christ keeps on being whole in us. So even if our behavior isn't perfect, we are still perfect in Christ and through Christ. We are one with Him, and He has made His wholeness and holiness our own!

"You are united with Jesus the Anointed. He is God’s wisdom for us and more. He is our righteousness and holiness and redemption."

1 Corinthians 1:30 (VOICE)

A Prayer: Thank You for being my permanent righteousness and holiness! Even though I fail, I am perfect and righteous in You always!

Whole and Complete

"And thus in our Substance we are full, and in our Sense-soul we fail."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 57)

Our spirits are always complete and perfect in God, even if our outer thoughts and actions fail to be complete or perfect. In other words, we are complete in Christ even if we are broken, and we are perfect in Christ even if we fail. For our identity doesn't come from our behavior, which is changeable from day to day. Our identity comes from who God made us, from our true nature, from our spirit, the core part of us that is of God and in union with God. When we act out, we are really acting according to who we are not, rather than who we are. For who we really are is perfect and complete, whole and good. Even when we feel we are at our lowest and have failed too much to be salvaged, God still sees the best in us, still sees His image in us! Even when we are seemingly damaged beyond repair, He still calls us whole, never giving up on us, never failing to believe in us! He just keeps reminding us who He made us, who we really are. We can truly never fail or be failures in His eyes!

So when we sometimes make mistakes, let us not call ourselves bad or evil. Let us keep calling ourselves good and complete, for that is our true self. Let us see ourselves and everyone around us not as the words or behaviors they sometimes exhibit, but as the whole and good creations of God that they truly are. Let us not judge or reject ourselves or other people but instead give the benefit of the doubt and welcome them, looking for the good rather than the bad. Let us see the best in ourselves and other people, for that is what God does!

"Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]."

1 Corinthians 13:7 (AMPC)

A Prayer: Thank You for always reminding me of my true identity as Your child, made in Your perfect image of goodness and love! Let me see every other person for who You made them, too, and build them up in love!

Noble Substance

 "And anent (with regard to) our Substance He made us noble, and so rich that evermore we work His will and His worship....We are that which He loveth, and do that which Him pleaseth, lastingly without any stinting (ceasing).." 

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 57)

God made our substance, or spirit, as beautiful, good and wonderful as could be. We are noble and rich, full of God's gifts and virtues that He blessed our spirit with in its creation. As our spirit is of God's own Spirit, it follows that our spirit is noble, beautiful, and good, for it is in the image of God and of God. This is our true nature: noble, beautiful and good. In our spirit we are oned to and aligned with God, moving always in concert and harmony with Him, and so are lovely and well-pleasing, always wanting, willing and working what is good. Sometimes it is difficult to believe such good things about ourselves, but this is who God made us, in His image and likeness, reflecting His nature, and radiating His own love and beauty. It is true that this lovely spirit in humanity has often been covered over by many wrong thoughts, words and actions, but it is still present. We can look around us at the beautiful people God made and know that deep down in our spirits, humanity is pure and lovely, that there is a basic goodness about people.  We can look around us at people, even the broken and troubled ones, even the ones trapped in hurtful beliefs or actions, and see the goodness of God and the presence of God. Every person is a beautiful little light of God, no matter how dim that light sometimes becomes. God never gives up on His little lights. Christ has come to free us to truly shine with God's light from within us, as we were always meant to and made to by nature. Let us see the best in people, and affirm and foster that good and holy light within everyone we meet!

"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

John 1:3-5 (NIV)

A Prayer: Let me see the light of Your face shining out from every person I meet!

Rest, Strength, Love

"For our soul sitteth in God in very rest, and our soul standeth in God in very strength, and our Soul is kindly rooted in God in endless love."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 56)

Sometimes we feel so upset, anxious or stressed, but then God brings us to quiet down and causes us to rest. And it is His own presence in us that is rest and peace to us. Other times we may feel so weak, failing and vulnerable, but then God rises up within us in strength and might and we know that He will make us to stand against anything. For it is His own presence that is our strength and support. And in those times when we feel so lonely, forsaken and unworthy, He gently reminds us that He loves us just as we are with a love that never fades or runs out. For He is the love that truly fills our hearts. So we see that we don't have to work up peace, strength or love by our own efforts or even faith, because God is already here being all those things inside us. Nothing is required of us to have God's presence, or His peace or power or love. We just have it, already, right now, by grace. We are at rest in God, right now. We are strong in God, right now. We are loved by God, right now. That's who He is in us. He is all we need Him to be, as He freely pours Himself out in love to us at every moment! 

"I find rest in God."

Psalm 62:5 (EXB)

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart."

Psalm 73:26 (NIV)

"You have been rooted and grounded in love.."

Ephesians 3:17 (NET)

A Prayer: Thank You for being the peace, and strength and love I need in every situation!

God Tells Us Who We Are

"God is nearer to us than our own Soul."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 56)

God is closer to us than we are to ourselves. He knows us better than we even know ourselves. He is the authority on our true identity. So let's hear His word to us, telling us who we are. We don't need to listen to other voices telling us who we are when His voice carries the most weight and gives us the most accurate picture of our identity, even sending His Son to earth to show us what we look like, the blueprint we are made from. So all we need is to listen to God and let Him tell us who we are. And He says that we are just like Christ in this world. He says we are beautiful, we are beloved, we are innocent, we are good. He says we are perfect, we are pure, we are precious, we are special. He says we are complete, we are whole, we are holy, we are worthy. He says we are sweet, we are valued, we are acceptable, we are righteous. Let us say what God says about us: "We are children of God. We are one with Christ and Christ is our true identity. We are more than conquerors just as Christ is. We are as righteous, holy and perfect as Christ is. We are as dearly loved and wanted as Christ is. We are as complete and whole as Christ is. We are the sons and daughters of God, in whom He is well-pleased."

"Live your life overwhelmed by God's opinion of you!"

1 Corinthians 10:31 (MIRROR)

"As He is, so are we in this world."

1 John 4:17 (AMP)

A Prayer: You know me.

We Are In God

"For our Soul is so deep-grounded in God, and so endlessly treasured, that we may not come to the knowing thereof till we have first knowing of God, which is the Maker, to whom it is oned."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 56)

We really can't think of ourselves apart from God or think of God apart from ourselves, for we are oned to God and IN God our Maker. We exist only and always in God, treasured and loved, always embraced in God's loving presence. We don't face anything alone, for we are in God, and God faces everything together with us. In fact, nothing comes to us in our lives without coming to God first.  Every lack or need we have is already filled because we are in God, and God is full and lacks nothing. If we want to know who we are we can only truly know ourselves as being IN God. Our whole identity is wrapped up in Him.

So we can say with assurance: "I am in God. It is a fact of my existence. I cannot think of myself apart from God. I don't live anywhere else but in God. I don't do anything apart from Him. I don't face anything apart from Him. There is not "me," there is "we."   I am accepted and I am embraced. I am protected and I am safe. I am filled and I am blessed. My whole life is wrapped up in God. My whole identity is in Him who is Love. I am held by Love, I am wrapped up in Love, I am sustained by Love, I am one with Love, I am identified in Love!"

"Whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit."

1 Corinthians 6:17 (NIV)

A Prayer:  It is a relief to know that I cannot be apart from You. It is a relief to know we have always been together!

All the Gifts

 "And all the gifts that God may give to creatures, He hath given to His Son Jesus for us: which gifts He, dwelling in us, hath enclosed in Him.."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 55)

He has given us all He has to give, and He has given it to us in His Son. The Father holds nothing back from the Son, and He holds nothing back from us, for in Christ we are co-heirs with the Son. He already gave us all He could possibly give to His human creations, every spiritual blessing, not a few or some blessings, but all. And they all in Christ, and Christ is in us. There is nothing that is missing and nothing more that is needed. He shall supply all our needs through Christ in us, not a few needs or some needs, but all. He shall do it, not may or might, but shall. We are not in lack or deficient. We are not having to beg and plead with God to help us. We are not having to work and labor and wrestle to try to get God to open His hand and give to us. He already gave us everything by giving us His own Son, and everything else in Him. Christ is not lacking in any way. He is not missing out on any blessing. He has and is an infinite supply of everything that we could possibly need. An infinite supply means more than enough, filled to overflowing, in absolute abundance! We have all the love and joy and peace we could handle for we have Christ's own love, joy and peace. For every situation, we have more than enough strength and wisdom and victory, for He is all that in us right now.  We have flowing through us all the patience and understanding and kindness we could ever want, for it is Christ Himself living those things out in us. All the wholeness and completeness and perfection of Christ is in us, as well. Christ gave His own life for us, so of course He would give us and be for us anything else we could ever need after that! 

"Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer."

Ephesians 1:3 (GW)

"My God will richly fill your every need in a glorious way through Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:19 (GW)

A Prayer: You are truly more than enough in any situation I face. I have more than enough and am filled to overflowing with blessing because I have You!

Never Out of the Soul

"For God is never out of the soul: in which He dwelleth blissfully without end."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 55)

God is always in us. And He is blissful about being there! No matter where life takes us or even how badly we feel we mess up our lives, He loves being in us and He isn't going anywhere. He is always there inside, truly enjoying being with us, no matter how lost or alone we may feel, no matter how much we may doubt His presence. None of that matters to Him. He simply loves being in us, and it's a permanent commitment! We are where He wants to be, where He likes to be, where He enjoys being. God enjoys living our life with us. He enjoys going with us through our day, laughing with us at the silly things we find funny, meeting the people we meet, watching the beauty of a sunset, hugging a pet, playing with a little child. God loves living in us and radiating love and support to us at every moment, being all we need in every moment. We might see ourselves as messed up or unlovable, but He simply sees us as beautiful and worthy of love. He wants us to know how happy He is with us, how happy He is to be here with us, sharing each and every moment. Right now, in this ordinary moment in time, in the midst of whatever we are going through, in whatever state we find ourselves, He is happy to be here with us, in us. For we are each His favorites, and every moment with us is priceless to Him. He wouldn't miss a single one. He loves loving us and He will always be our biggest supporter and friend. God is never ever out of our soul.  He never has been and never will be. How dear each of us is to our wonderful loving God!

"I am with you."

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

A Prayer: Remind me how special I am to You.

Full Assurance

"For I saw full assuredly that our Substance is in God, and also I saw that in our sense-soul God is." 

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 55)

Sometimes we can feel that we are far from God, that God is absent, that there is a barrier between us and God, or that there is something separating us from relationship with God. But deep inside, Christ is saying to us, "I am here. I never leave you or forsake you." We are one with God. We are in Him and He is in us. This is the truth of our being, of our existence. The deepest reality of our lives is that we are in union with God in a love relationship that is perfect and whole and that can never be changed, no matter what we do, no matter what happens to us, no matter what! There is nothing that could ever come between us and God. Our relationship is perfect and complete right now and it always will be. We are bonded together. We are family and family is permanent. We belong together. We are in a place of complete acceptance and love with no conditions. We are safe. We are home. This is our full assurance!

"Be happy, because God has said this: ‘I will never leave you; I will always be there with you.’"

Hebrews 13:5 (EASY)

A Prayer: Thank You that there is never anything between us. 

More in Heaven

"And notwithstanding all our feeling of woe or weal, God willeth that we should understand and hold by faith that we are more verily in heaven than in earth."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 55)

We walk around here on earth, but we are really in heaven. We were raised with Christ up to heavenly places, where we now sit with Him as He reigns over all. We may not see it, feel it, or believe it, but we are more in heaven than on earth, and we are already reigning with Christ. No matter what we are going through, no matter how we feel, no matter how we're doing, we can boldly say: "I may have trouble here, but Jesus has already overcome this world for me. I may have struggles and failures, but I am the righteousness of God in Christ and perfected forever. I may have problems, but Jesus always makes me to walk in triumph. I may have things against me, but God is for me and so nothing can really be against me. I may be a broken person in many ways, but I am whole and complete in Christ. I may feel sickness or pain, but in Him I am well and healthy. I am safe in the Father's arms. I am unconditionally loved and accepted. I am in the perfect heavenly family. I am an heir of God and royalty. I am living a heavenly life. I have already won. I am enjoying the happy ending already in Christ. I am at rest with Christ on His heavenly throne. I am basking in glory. I have fullness of joy. I am more in heaven than on earth."

"As Christ himself is seen for who he really is, who you really are will also be revealed, for you are now one with him in his glory!"

Colossians 3:4 (TPT)

"God raised us up with Christ, so that we now sit with Christ in heaven."

Ephesians 2:6 (EASY)

"Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One, who grants us every spiritual blessing in these heavenly realms where we live in the Anointed—not because of anything we have done, but because of what He has done for us."

Ephesians 1:3 (VOICE)

"We don't focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:18 (TPT)

A Prayer: Let me see things as You see them, from heaven's perspective, not earth's.

Enjoy in This Joy

 "And of all things that belong to us [to do], it is most pleasing to our Lord that we enjoy in this joy which is in the blessed Trinity [in virtue] of our salvation."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 55)

We can sometimes think that the Christian life is about what we must "do" for God, and we can wonder what He wants of us or expects us to do. We can worry we are not "doing" enough to please Him or make Him happy with us. But the thing God wants most for us to do, the thing that pleases Him most, is when we celebrate with Him that we are back home with Him, free and safe, alive and well! Salvation is His gift to us, and when someone gives a gift to another person, the main thing they want is to see the person be happy with the gift, enjoy the gift. So God loves seeing us enjoy that gift of salvation and eternal life He gave us through the Son. He wants to see a smile on our face and see us relax and break out in laughter just knowing that everything is ok and we are home free and can just enjoy being home with God. Jesus has done it, we are rescued from anything that could hurt us and we are joined to the resurrection life of Christ forever, and nothing can ever take us from Him! There's such a party atmosphere in heaven right now. There's such a celebration going on, for all God's children are brought back up to heaven in Christ and are safe in the Trinity forever. Let's celebrate with Him, let's share in His joy, for everything that was lost in our lives is found again, and everything that was dead in us is alive again. We're in life and we're never going out, because Christ is our life and we're in Him, in His resurrection life forever. Nothing could please God more than seeing His kids relax and have fun and be happy right now, because our Dad has taken care of everything for us and all is well!

"The Father said....'Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate."

Luke 15:22-24

A Prayer: I am so happy with the gift of salvation You gave me!

Presenting Us in Heaven

"Christ in His body mightily beareth us up into heaven. For I saw that Christ, us all having in Him that shall be saved by Him, worshipfully presenteth His Father in heaven with us; which present full thankfully His Father receiveth, and courteously giveth it to His Son, Jesus Christ: which gift and working is joy to the Father, and bliss to the Son, and pleasing to the Holy Ghost."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 55)

Christ brought us all up with Him as He rose and ascended to heaven. He presented us all to the Father with great joy, so happy to bring up to heaven the newborn children He had birthed through the resurrection, the pure, sweet, new creations in Him. The Father received this gift, this bundle of joy, from the Son so happily, then gave the gift of reborn humanity right back to the Son. And all the Trinity rejoices over this wonderful work of the Son in rebirthing us, and rejoices over the ones who are birthed - all of us! The atmosphere must feel like that of a family who is thrilled to be home with their newborn baby, with all the family members "oohing and aahing" over the little baby and passing the baby from person to person, enjoying that little bundle of joy! Just like a newborn baby, we are so sweet, adorable and perfect to the Trinity. We bring the Father, Son and Holy Spirit such absolute joy and bliss, for we are dearly beloved children in the family circle of God!

"You are God's children and he loves you very much."

Ephesians 5:1 (EASY)

A Prayer:  Thank You for rejoicing over me like a new parent rejoices over a newborn baby.

Christ's Working in Us

"Christ's merciful working is in us, and we graciously accord to Him through the gifts and the virtues of the Holy Ghost."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 54)

At times we can feel doubtful, troubled, anxious, angry, stubborn, fearful or forsaken. Yet Christ is mercifully working in us, with all the compassion it is possible to have towards us. Thoughts and feelings can be so loud and strong, circumstances and troubles can be so troubling, yet still Christ is working in us. Someone is in us, a Loving Presence that is loving all the hurting, scared, confused parts of us, loving us in our problems, loving us in all our emotions and mental troubles. That love is the strongest force in the universe, stronger than any emotion, than any trouble. Love bathes us inwardly, love accepts us as we are, love completely and wholly embraces us in this moment, whatever we are thinking or feeling in it. Love loves all the negative emotions into peace and rest. Christ, who is this Loving Presence, works to bring us to stillness, bring us to just gaze on Him inwardly, to just rest in His arms. And the Holy Spirit within starts to graciously align us with reality, align us with Christ's thoughts, Christ's perspective. And things become clear again, things become peaceful again, things become okay again, because He has reminded us of the truth: Christ is here, and all is well. He takes care of everything. He has already overcome all the negativity. He has already brought us into peace. We are already safe on the other side, resting in Him. We are already one with Love, one with Life. We are in perfect accord with Him. We are well and whole in Him. And all is well! How wonderful is His work on the inside of us!

"[Be] letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)

A Prayer: Thank You for working in me to bring me back to seeing You and Your love in my life. Thank You that You have already taken care of whatever worry or problem I am facing today.

Faith Knows the Truth of Our Being

"It (faith) is nought (nothing) else but a right understanding, with true belief, and sure trust, of our Being: that we are in God, and God in us, Whom we see not."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 54)

We are in God and God is in us. There is no separation. There is no barrier between us. There never has been and there never can be or will be. How could we be separated from the God who fills every nook and cranny of the universe, including our own selves? Everything we go through in our lives happens within God. Our failures and sins, our doubts and struggles, have happened IN the family circle of God. We have not been kicked out of the family for our failures. We have simply been hugged tighter in love. We have thought we were separated from God, far from the family circle, that either we or God was now "enemy," and that we needed to do something to get back our place in the family or get God to accept us back. Yet we have never been away! Our Trinity family has never been angry or rejected us! We have always been home with them, even if we were "out of our mind" with worry, confusion, shame and condemnation. We have felt separated, but we have never been separated. We have believed lies of rejection and condemnation, but they were simply lies, not true. The truth is we have been wrapped up in God's love, sitting on the Father's lap all along. He has been stroking our head and whispering "I love you, my dear little darling."

Our faith is simply the inner knowing of this reality: "I am in God and God is in me." That is true whether we feel it or not, whether we always remember it or not. Even if we don't always realize or sense it, deep inside we know it. Deep inside we know it is true, the most real thing about us. We are in God and God is in us. And since God is love, another way to say that is that we are in Love and Love is in us. We are in a place of permanent belonging, of complete acceptance and unconditional love. This is the foundational truth of our lives.  There is no separation. There is only union. There is only love. We can be blind to it sometimes, we can imagine there is a separation between us. But still God upholds the truth within us, being our faith in us, filling our deepest being with the truth. We can hear what God Himself is saying within us, and what our own inner being echoes: we are in God and God is in us!

"You....were sometime alienated and enemies in your MIND.."

Colossians 1:21 (KJV)

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?"

Psalm 139:7 (NIV)

"Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love."

Romans 8:38 (NLT)

A Prayer: I cannot be away from You. What a relief! Thank You that there is never any separation between us! Thank You for being right here with me, even when I don't see it.

Faith Comes by the Holy Spirit

"Our faith is a Virtue that cometh of our Nature-Substance into our Sense-soul by the Holy Ghost; in which all our virtues come to us.."

Julian of Norwich (ch. 54)

We can sometimes feel that we don't have enough faith, that we have too many doubts, or that we don't know how to "get" more faith. We can see faith as a thing we need, a work that we must do, an elusive quality that we can't seem to grab hold of. But faith is about rest, and faith is already in us, deep in our spirit. Our true essence or spirit believes in God, looks to God, trusts in God, is at rest in God. This deepest part of us, our very substance or true nature, is grounded in God, and is one with God. In fact, its deepest inner core IS God. This inner self is an innocent inner child that is simple and pure and trusts in its Father easily and normally. For it is natural and built-in for a little child to trust the parent and rest in the parent to provide care and love. God has built in this trust and faith into us that is as natural as breathing. In fact this trust and faith in us is at its deepest core, Christ the beloved Son trusting and having faith in the Father in and through us. So faith doesn't come from us but from Him. It is His own faith that is knit into us by His oneness with us, Spirit with spirit so close they are one. And the Spirit not only has faith and is faith in us, but also the Spirit releases that faith and trust into our outward experience. So faith is not a work or struggle but a rest. God creates faith in us, is actually that faith, and releases that faith through us. So we can rest. We have faith. We have Christ's faith knit into us and flowing through us. And that is more than enough!

"The fruit of the Spirit is....faith.."

Galatians 5:22 (GNV)

A Prayer: I have perfect faith because I have Your faith inside of me!

Enclosed

"We are enclosed in the Father, and we are enclosed in the Son, and we are enclosed in the Holy Ghost. And the Father is enclosed in us, and the Son is enclosed in us, and the Holy Ghost is enclosed in us: Almightiness, All-Wisdom, All-Goodness: one God, one Lord."

Sometimes we just need to melt away from the world and be hidden and safe somewhere. We may feel battered and worn out and just need to wrap ourselves in a blanket and rest awhile. God wants us to know that we are always enclosed or enveloped safely in the Trinity, wrapped in the blanket of His loving presence. We have a wonderful Trinity family, for God is like Father, Mother and Brother to us. Our Trinity family has always got our back. Our Trinity family is always surrounding us in a holy huddle, keeping us safe, supporting us, and embracing us with hugs and kisses. Anytime we feel worn out by this world, we can melt into their arms on the inside and know that they surround us always on the outside. We are in God, so we are safe, kept and held; God is in us, so we are empowered, supported and invigorated. We are taken care of inside and out, in every way. Whether we always feel it or not, it is true, and God will bring us to fully know this wonderful reality. He will keep reminding us He is there for us till we really experience it, so we can truly rest in Him. It's His work and He will do it. He will make His presence known. Deep down in our spirit we already know it. And in our outer life, too, we will know that we are in Him and He is in us. And we will be at rest!

"You will know that you are in me and I am in you."

John 14:20 (EASY)

A Prayer: Remind me where I am today - safe in Your arms of love!