God's perspective vs. Mine

 Yes this is another blog entry about Julie Lessman…but it’s not really. So bear with me on this one. Julie Lessman is going to be my launching point but it will all make sense when you finish reading it I assure you. So my dear friend Mikayla is beginning HER journey into the world of Julie Lessman novels which I assured her would not be an easy one. First comes the acceptance of this new found treasure. Next comes the awkward moments trying to explain to your friends what it is you’re reading. Then soon after that comes the point in which you really have no social life because finding out what happens in this weird twisted love triangle is really more important than a social life. And the final step is living in the denial that you can’t really function properly without these books. But not to worry. Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt. *wink* you soon come to realize that you’re ok with being addicted. But what’s my point really? Mikayla is reading these books and for the first time I can look at them with an outsiders eye and see them for what they really are. I can look at them without being all gaga over Sean and Collin and Mitch and Brady and Steven…because they ARE pretty amazing. I began discussing this subject with my other dear friend Kristen back in Washington. Let me just put it to you this way. It TRULY started out with us giggling over our choice for heroes; hers being Mitch and mine faithfully remaining Sean. But all of the sudden it wasn’t just some random crush on fictional characters. We realized that these men possessed qualities that we truly sought in a man. Sean finds beauty in Emma and sees passed her scars. Mitch desires a passion that truly was most pure. And I’m sure there are plenty of wonderful qualities in the other heroes but we realized what we loved the most was what we truly desired. It’s funny because sometimes I feel like I’m reading a commentary on the Bible’s outlook on love when I read these books because Psalms ALWAYS jumps into my head when I read these. Psalm 37:4; the desires of your heart. It just so happens to be a reoccurring theme throughout the saga. Hmmm I wonder why. *wink* But we began discussing in depth these books. We were cracking jokes about our Princes and how they no longer should be called Princes but Julie Lessman heroes. And then we realized something. These books didn’t just provoke the romantic in us, they truly impacted our spiritual walks with Christ. I mean I know for me at least my whole perspective on love was changed and sharpened. It really opened my eyes to the sacrifice and patience in love which in turn made me truly appreciate God’s love so much more than I think I ever have. Knowing that love is such a passionate and endearing thing, God’s love is just that much more alive to me. Kristen made an excellent point by saying, “As an author, Julie was sure to write a happy ending for her stories. It’s just like in our own lives how we can be assured that the Author has a grand finale for us.” It’s so true. It’s so refreshing to know that no matter where God takes us in life if we truly rely on Him, it IS a happy ending. And for a hopeless romantic like me the passion is pure. It is redeemed. I hope it may never be denied. My hope remains undaunted. My heart will be revealed in time and a love that isn’t surrendered to God can never flourish under man’s games. So yes, while this was a blog that yet again ranted about the illustrious Julie Lessman, I hope you found some encouragement and saw the point that I was trying to convey. Because honestly, if your perspective on love isn’t aligned with God’s, how is it ever going to make sense in real life. I’m finding more and more that a lot of people distort the picture of love and as much as we struggle to repaint it, there will always be remnants of the mistakes. But if we follow God’s color by number, the picture turns out to be a beautiful work of art. And I’m sure God’s got a big enough refrigerator for all of our paintings.