I want to preface this post to inform you all that next week I will be doing a Q&A on anything you would like to know, whether it’s about getting to know me, Bible related questions, concerns/thoughts on Christianity/theology, advice, or anything else you can imagine. Here is how you can contact me:
Instagram: theguidedbygraceblog
Email: traviousmitchell84@gmail.com
Y’all, we’re taking it way back. THIS. POST. HERE. is the very first blog post on Guided by Grace. I first published this post on March 10, 2019 and I can truly say I’m currently in the same place when it comes to love. I could write this post in 2021 and it ring just as true for me now as it did two years ago. In prayer for what to do this week, I felt like “receiving what God has for us” was placed on my heart. I know for sure that at least one person (me) is in a season of healing, a season of wandering in the wilderness, a season of waiting of God’s timing, and sometimes we need a reminder that things will happen in time. Part of receiving God’s gifts to us involves time and time with God is about preparation, pruning, and patience. It’s simple but not easy. As you will see from this post I’ve had a struggle with time for…quite some time. I’ve also struggled with love and what it means to be in love for quite some time as well. But as I adventure through life I find that the greatest and most important lesson we can cling to is to love each other. To wrap up this prelude I’m reminded of what my seven year old cousin Peyton told me the last time I saw her; I don’t remember what the conversation centered around but this was the takeaway for me: “Adults make things complicated. You just love each other. You never give up on the people you love. If you never give up, all the bad things will go away.” I’m not sure what episode of Daniel Tiger she got this from, but wisdom doesn’t have an age. Instead of seeing young people speaking their minds as disrespect and defiance, listen. You never know who God is using to speak to you. With that being said, I hope you read and enjoy post number one: A Time to Love.
Meditation:
Ecclesiastes 3:8
Jeremiah 31:3
1 Corinthians 13
1 John 4:7-19
Love is a very funny feeling. Do you remember when you first fell in love with that special someone? Better yet, do you remember how you first met? Who would’ve thought that same person would have such an impact on your life? Whether that person is currently in your life or not, everything happened at the appointed time. Love is a funny feeling; one minute it will have you feeling on top of the world, like nothing bad will ever happen, and at other times it can crush you. Have you ever fallen out of love with someone you thought you’d spend forever with? That’s a painful feeling. Has the person you loved died? I can’t lie and say “I understand.” That person you laughed and cried with, those arms that used to embrace you and make you feel so protected, they’re gone. And whether it was you who chose to walk away or them, or they died, there’s a void that can’t seem to be reached no matter how hard you try to mask the pain, how hard you laugh, it hurts because a piece of you is missing. You try your best to push them to the back of your mind, but one thing about true love is that, although it’s like a roller coaster, a merry-go-round, whatever analogy you can come up with, true love doesn’t die. No matter what you go through with someone, love can conquer all things and the great thing about love is that whether you intend to or not, it can always find it’s way back.
I was once a person who thought I was living on borrowed time; after all I’m human and humans tend to die at some point. I thought I didn’t have enough time to do anything because “tomorrow is not promised” has been drilled in my mind. I thought time was finite, I thought it was fleeting and pointless, but recently I began to realize time is infinite with God. I had a plan set out years ago: I was going to graduate, go in to seminary, get married, graduate from seminary with my Master’s by 25, and have all my children before 30. I thought I needed to do everything now because I wanted as much time as I could have with those I love and would grow to love, like my children and those I’m yet to meet. But growing in Christ I realized that I have all the time in the world because His word can’t return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11). If He said I will start a church with my wife, so shall it be, if He said I will be a father, so shall it be, and the same goes for you—whoever you are reading this. God’s word has gone out over your life and the promise He has spoken over you will be fulfilled. You can’t die until His word is fulfilled. You’re here literally because the word of God is chasing you down. I used to think God didn’t care about time, at least my time. I was a person who loved using timetables, whether it was the ones society created for me, or ones I created for myself. But lately I feel as though God has been teaching me that only His timing is perfect.
The time to love for each of us may be different; my time to love may not operate the same time as yours. Some of us may not even get married–singleness is as much a gift as marriage is, so if you don’t have the desire to be married, have children, to follow society’s norms, then choose what makes you happy! We get so caught up in being with someone and we see people all around us getting into relationships, but what if the relationship for us won’t come until we’re satisfied with the prospect of not being in one? Maybe you want a relationship too much for God to give it to you and until you want Him as bad as you want a relationship you’ll be single. I had to accept the thought I may not get married and it scared me. I want to be a dad one day, I want to build my life with the woman I love, but what would I rather have: that or Jesus? I’ll pick Jesus every time. We have to realize that our most important relationship is not with the people we text, talk on the phone with, FaceTime, or stalk on Instagram; our most important relationship is with Jesus Christ and until that relationship is straight the others will be crooked.
Our love for someone pales in comparison to the love God has for us. He loves us so much He surrendered all He had, just so that we can live. God knew you and loved you before you were born, He loved you enough to see your mess ups and decided to do for you what you couldn’t do for yourself. And if He loved you in the midst of knowing your imperfections, do you think He’d love you any less when you want to do right? While I’m typing this, I feel it was placed on my spirit to pray over the people who will see this; I don’t know who you are nor do I know when you’ll read this, but someone reading this is struggling to find peace. You made a decision and you’re worried if it’s the right one or not. You felt like God told you one thing but you’re feeling another way. I can’t tell you if you made the right decision or not, but I know the God who loves you enough to correct every wrong. Love is the greatest force on this earth because God is love. Our love for each other should mirror, it should be in the image of God. I want to correct my opening statements: Love isn’t simply a feeling, it’s also an action. You put love into practice. God’s love is one that does not stop forgiving, God’s love doesn’t give up on us, God’s love is full of mercy, it never runs out. I’m not a relationship counselor, and God knows at this present moment I am the last person to ask for relationship advice, but I do know that on God’s timing, not yours and not mine, everything will work out fine.
Until next time, stay guided by grace ✊🏽
Tra
Guided by Grace 