Loyalty - L.O.V.E. (message from T.E.A. 3/20/16)

L - LOYALTY O - Overlook V - Value E - Enjoy

L - LOYALTY God said that He'll never leave you, nor will He forsake you. He won't leave. Never. Ever. For many of us this can be a hard concept to grasp because it's not something we're accustomed to experiencing in our relationships with people. No matter the relationship, everyone has left us in one way or another and not necessarily for a reason with a negative attachment. The older we get the more we understand things like our loved ones leaving us for reasons such as pursuing school, careers, love, dreams, etc. When we grew up ourselves many of us also left home for many of the same reasons. For me it was school that first separated me from my family. Then it was following dreams and jobs that kept me away. Now it is marriage and the military that's kept me away. My family doesn't hold any of this against me, in fact they encouraged most of this absence from them. Because they love me, they want to see me pursue and fulfill my dreams, purpose, and see me succeed. They know, understand, and accept that my leaving is a part of the process of accomplishing these things. Unfortunately, all leaving isn't this pretty. There is another side of leaving. Some have a parent that left when you were a child, and they never said goodbye and they never came back. For others it was a good friend that you loved so dearly that just decided one day that you were no longer what they needed or wanted and they walked out of your life, betraying and hurting you. Still for many others it was love that walked out on us. The boyfriend or fiancé or husband that left you. Maybe he betrayed or badly hurt you before he left you, and he never apologized or gave any closure, or came back. Then there are those that we hurt ourselves. Those that we, in our selfishness, hurt and betrayed. They had more than enough justification for leaving us. There is a certain heaviness in some leaving that bears confusion and emotional torment, wringing our hearts and leaving resentment and bitterness in its path. While in other situations there is understanding and even immediate forgiveness. If you and I are taking a walk, and out of nowhere a big angry dog begins running in our direction, I promise you that I will leave you and run wherever and however I can to escape the crazed animal. I will leave you, and would expect you to do the same. And I hope you would forgive me, once we met back up. What I'm getting at is that there are so so many reasons that we leave each other. Some are necessary and some aren't. Some are easily forgotten and forgiven, while others may take a lifetime for us to work ourselves up to that point. This is our norm. This is what we know. We know leaving. But it's not that way with the Lord. He doesn't leave. He never leaves. There isn't a thing you can do that'll make him leave you. No matter who you are, what has been done to you, or what you've done He has not left you. He can't. He promised you. His love is perfect and pure, and He's desperate to have a relationship with you. He wants to save you, even if it's from yourself, and He wants to give you the fullness of His joy and of life. Nothing can pluck you from the grasp He has on your life. And if you've left Him, I promise you that He will be standing right there when you finally decide to return to His loving embrace. Grace and mercy follow us all of the days of our life for a reason, girls. Because we need them daily as we find that we are constantly leaving and returning to the one who could never and will never leave us. He exemplifies the definition of loyalty. He is loyal through all, and will remain by your side no matter what. Man?! That's so comforting and empowering! Your God is with you. He wants you. You're enough for him.