I'm pretty sure that sometimes God comes to you when He KNOWS He has your undivided attention. You know what I'm talking about. It's usually 2 a.m...and He doesn't quietly whisper in your ear. Oh, no. He's on a mission; a mission for your heart and He means business.
He knows when you've been "wrestling" with something and He shows up, loud and proud, ready for for a no-holds-barred, Friday night smackdown, cage match. He doesn't sneak in. He dives down from atop the frame and pins your tail to the mat, refusing to let you up until you give in and give Him your total submission.
There may be hair pulling. There may be stomping. There may be name calling. There may be bruises. There may be cuts so deep that even the salt from your whiney tears make them scream out in agony. You may throw things. You may bite and claw and scream. You may even try to run. Before it's all over with, you definitely feel like tagging out and letting someone else finish the match for you.
But when it comes to our souls, God is the champion. In His human form as Jesus, He's been through it all, seen it all, faced it all. And how did that end? Total submission in death on the cross...with victory in Heaven. There is no beating that. When it comes to our eternal glory, God will go to the death match for His children. He'll take stripes on His back. He'll take ridicule. He'll carry any load we give Him because it's not too much. Not for Him.
God will fight for us because He loves us so much. He's not afraid to get in our faces. Our God can be gentle, but He is so very fierce. He knows when all we need is a nudge and also when we need a serious bodyslam.
What in the world am I talking about?
Just that I'm glad that when I give up or just flat out ignore God, He doesn't do that to me. He puts people in my path. He times things just perfectly so that I'm awake, thanks to zyrtec-D and a clogged left nostril, and can give Him my full attention. He doesn't pull punches. He gets into my heart and my head and when I need it most, defeats me in a way that I have nothing else I can do but totally submit to Him. He requires me to give up pride (ouch!). He makes me take off my mask. He makes me say it, sometimes out loud...I surrender...
I'm thankful He gives His grace freely and that there are no amounts of deeds I could do to earn it. But I'm glad some things aren't always easy and that He gives me a spirit that wants to fight for the prize, for Him.
I'll show up to that match any day, any time, and let Him take me down all over again.
