Getting Close to God

Pastor Timmy has been doing a really great series on getting close to God. Insightful, and inspiring.

A special blessing you have as a hairdresser is, being able to have your finger on the pulse of your clients. Getting close to God is definitly an issue to the people of the area, and the world. It actually is a common denominator. I am so fortunate, about half of my clientelle is from Wyandotte County, and the other half from Johnson County. One being the poorest County in the state, one being the richest.
Their problems are the same, though thier addresses are different.

From both sides of the county line (I am mostly speaking of women in this blog.) Self esteem is the core issue. Poor self-esteem, more specifically. Thinking that they have to achieve, do, be something better than they are, to be worthy of being loved, and that includes Gods love.

The disconnect is almost always the same, they feel that God can love the worst sinner unconditionally, but they don't feel as worthy as the worst sinner.

There is a difference between knowing the sins of others and knowing your own.

So getting close to God for many, I think, involves understanding Gods nature, and love, and desire to be close to us.

His nature,is Creator, he created us and all our being, even the parts we hate about ourselves. He created every part of you on purpose. So that we could love each other and walk together.

His love, is perfect, and unconditional, before your grandparents and thier grandparents were born, God knew every beautiful, and every ugly thing you would do in your life, and still Jesus came to die on the cross to redeem the ugliness in your life and my life and make a way for you and God to love each other and walk together.

His desire, that we would accept his love, as unconditionally as he gives it, so that we can love each other and walk together.

So drawing close to God, means accepting his desire to draw close to me.
Accepting his desire to redeem the parts of me that make me feel unworthy.
Knowing that I don't have to get rid of those things first, but understanding that Gods desire is to help me, mold me, shape me, clean up the ugliness as a part of our relationship. Like a parent loving a baby, the dirty diapers are just a part of the package, we don't get angry when we change them, it doesn't even dissapoint us. It is just a part of the Parent, child relationship.
It means understanding that God desire to create a relationship with me, with you, and guess what he already knows what you hide from everyone else and he still desires you. With God thier are no suprises for him, he won't ask for a divorce or be dissapointed when you fail. He is there to pick you up, strengthen you, heal your brokenness,and get close to you.

So as we consider getting close to God today, simply concider his desire to be close to you.