Before I understood WHO I was to worship, I worshipped many things, including people and places. In time I learned the theological perspective of worship, but it wasn’t until I encountered His Presence through worship I was granted the ineffable experience of the ONE to whom I was created to worship! The thought-provoking lyrics of this melodic piece of intimate worship serves as a reminder of God’s sifting in my life over the years. Like live stream television, I found myself mesmerized, engaged and reflective of His hand divinely intervening time and time again on my behalf.

No matter where you are on your personal walk with the Lord, whether newly converted or intimately seasoned, He promises when we “seek him, we’ll find him, when we search for him with our whole heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13). You see, “how” we worship reveals our “selflessness” and “who” we worship acknowledges the allegiance of our surrender!

Whether you’ve experienced an abduction of your emotions, finances, business, marriage or severance from a family member, know that victory lies within our desiring the presence of God more than the answer. The indelible mark of surrender and withholding nothing from God not only taught me how to unapologetically trust the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit, but how to entrust the distrust of my past to the loving care of my Heavenly Father!

If we're brutally honest, we've all engaged in the act of comparing ourselves (or some facet of our lives) to another.  It's amazing how God uses the broken pieces of our lives to reconstruct (sometimes unknowingly) the inner walls of another's confidence.  For a moment, we were two women enthralled in the commonness of our strengths and frailties, victories and failures as our paths collided on purpose. 

Contrary to our belief, it's his amazing grace that's covered our shame during multiple seasons of exercising our free will, not our families, socio-economic status, spouses or girlfriends!  If we were brutally honest with ourselves about "where would I be if you left me God?" it would be a resounding "I'd be lost"! 

The words of this song are universal in that we've all experienced being rejected, ostracized or marginalized because of under-developed areas of self-worth.

Recently while researching information on the internet, I stumbled across an article about the No. 1 worship song in the country entitled "Reckless Love." Apparently, the lyrics of the song (particularly the word "reckless") were unsettling to many and caused several highly respected theologians to repudiate songwriter Cory Asbury's revelatory expression of God's love.

The first time I heard this song, I was like hmm!!!  It awakened a hunger to self-examine the posture in which I approached God.  I likened it unto a quote from international speaker-teacher Christine Caine, Founder of A21 and Propel Women who said: "You know you've grown when you deal with your own hypocrisy before pointing out everyone else's." 

For many years, I believed being a sacrifice meant to simply go against the grain of my fleshly desires; not the attitude of my heart.  And if we're brutally honest about worship, many of us thought it pertains to a part of our Sunday services.  You see, the harmonic sound of worship is the tangible heart streaming of a volcanic encounter flowing through unquestionable surrender.  In other words, it's when the contingencies of one's circumstances cease to exist as the worshiper becomes transformed in God's Presence. 

Like most women, I believe we're most vulnerable when incisions of betrayal hemorrhage like the cascades of rain trickling down a rooftop. Or when the fatigue of an emotional sparring match severs your heart to the core. Or when the mask of living a lifestyle of integrity reveals underlying  characteristics stemming from a culprit called fear.

Too often we look for the self-made heroes in our lives to rescue us from the insurmountable trappings of life only to end up disappointed.  Is it because the search and rescue of the soul require One Who is bigger than the dysfunctional tactics of men? 

For many of us to sit still as children was an insurmountable task, especially when it pertained to playing outside.  Much like today, even as grown adults we often find ourselves wallowing in pools of anxiousness.  Have you ever stopped to realize perhaps the root of being overly eager could very well be related to our innate ability for control? Perhaps it's not authoritative at all, but merely the shielding of our inadequacies before others.   

         The gift of covenant love and friendship never wastes at noonday.  It's not trivialized by the exchanging of tokens of affection, but rather intimately intertwined with the creator of love; Jesus, our embodiment for courtship, and friendship!  

It's amazing how when I hear these timeless words they still invoke the ineffable presence of the Holy Spirit.  More than mere melodic tones superbly vocalized in God's anointed vessel, they serve as a testament to my journey!  When I think about the far-reaching arm of God, I become speechless and overwhelmed by the intimate screeching depth of my tears! 

During the early days leading up to my conversion to Christianity, I recall being in great anticipation of attending the hottest New Year Eve party, especially the glamour of arriving fashionably late (giggling).  For many of us, it epitomized the decadence of a lifestyle in need of revival.

It's true we live in a culture where name dropping not only has the power to deny or grant one access to their hopes and dreams while perpetrating familiarity without relationship!  If the old cliché' "it's not what they call you but what you answer to" were actually true there would be no need for intimately getting to know one's name.

The costliness of acceptance is only profitable when the distinctiveness of one's uniqueness is defined by the ONE who sees beauty in their unpolished areas!  In actuality, you're not a victim, you're simply different because you've been defined by the promises of Him whose words your life has been confirmed. 

            Whenever we seek change in our lives the viability of one's uniqueness should never be predicated upon the dysfunctionality of another's opinion.  Choose to see change as an enhancer of the treasurable treasure residing within then allow Christ to make the necessary adjustments to the unpolished area of your life.  Now ruminate on that for a minute . . . . .

It's true, we only evolve into the extraordinary when we cease from self-polishing our flaws and learn to unapologetically embrace the limp of being uniquely unpolished.  Choose to grant access to those who value the worth of your process against the backdrop of your limp! For real, if our imperfections don't deter Christ from loving or using us, why should it be a deterrent to you or anybody else?  Now ruminate on that for a minute . . . . .