You Are Not Too Complicated

After college graduation, I had the opportunity to backpack around Europe (rough life I know). One of my favorite cities was Paris. I remember walking the streets, soaking in everything I was seeing. When finding my way back to the hostel at the end of the day, I didn't use a map, pay attention to street names, certainly not numbers, I paid attention to the pink tree on the corner, or the restaurant with the yellow chairs, or some unique visual that stood out to me.

I am a visual learner. So it is no surprise, that God speaks to me visually. He did after all create me and give me this learning style. So when I say things like, "God spoke to me through this photo." The following is a great example of that.

While editing photos of my kids, I came to this image, and immediately the following verse came to mind:
... let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1

This verse has come to mind many times over the past few months. When I sat down to write this post, I remembered studying that verse, so I pulled up my notes from a few months ago. This is what I found:

let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.

It means we’d better get on with it.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 

Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins.

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.

Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it.

Let me explain what you are looking at. I wanted to compare different bible translations, so I did it line by line, in different colors. The red is New International Version, green is New Living Translation, purple is The Message. I often do this, because it gives me a better perspective of what I'm looking at.

I am actually smiling as I type this, because this is not at all what I set out to write, which means there will be a Part 2. (It also means there is someone out there that needs to hear the following...)

I think what I am suppose to share with you is this: God will speak to you in a way that you will understand. He made you. He knows how your mind and heart work. 

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous--how well I know it. Psalm 139:14

You are not too complicated for God. He will meet you right where you are, just as you are. Sweet reader out there, please listen to this next part... God is gentle, He is not going to push himself on you. He wants to talk to you, more than you want to hear from him. But you have to let him. You have to give him permission to talk to you.

I PROMISE, it will be the best conversation of your life...