On a friend's Facebook update this week she asked a deep, profound, thought provoking question: "What defines you?" Through the day I kept an eye on the comments to this post. Some of the answers were: Chocolate, horses, The Trinity, food and wine.
I looked up the literal meaning of the word define in my little Oxford Mini Dictionary on hand. It said: give a definition of; state precisely; outline and mark the boundary.
Last week a new family arrived in our neighborhood. They got hold of my husbands e mail number through a contact we have. It happened that for the summer there was an open house in our neighborhood they could come and live in until they find their own place. We knew sometime during the day they would be arriving. Half an hour away from our home they phoned saying they will be coming by to pick up the key to the house.
It was the end of a long hot day and I was cooking supper for my family. Passing by my husband mentioned the family will be arriving soon and asked if I will please go out and give them the key when they call again.
Leaning with my back against the wash basin in the kitchen my mind wandered back to our family of four arriving six years ago in the heat of the day. Being exhausted and there was no one to welcome us with a meal or a smile. How lonely I felt. How we had to go walking the streets looking for a place to buy bread and something to eat not understanding a word of Turkish. How in God's grace and love he provided Angels for us.
I felt such compassion for this family and a desire in my heart to bless and love them. I felt which I believe was God's heart for them. I felt prompted to cook them a meal and be Him welcoming them in.
I shared with the kids and we got cooking and chopping. Half an hour later when the phone rang we were ready with a bowl of pasta and a bag of breakfast goods. What joy rose in my heart as I ran up the little hill to the main street to greet them. As our eyes met I had a lump in my throat. The words rang in my heart: "Oh how He loves them!"
Later the evening when I got home I stood with tears rolling over my cheeks and shared with my family how I experienced Jesus's love and compassion for this family I just met. How I sensed Him loving them. How he cared for them and wanting them to feel welcomed. How he used us to show His love.
But what really made me have those tears were.....through seeing His love and compassion for this family.... He showed me how how much He loved me....
HOW HE LOVES ME...
I wrote on my friend's Facebook question: "I am defined by deeply knowing that I'm fully loved, known, excepted and understood by Him."
What more do I want or need.
