Unraveling Threads of Lies

As I listened to the waves and the water roll up and down the shore line, and as I slowly inhaled the crisp, salty air carried from the top of the water, I felt a tug.  I felt something deep in my soul let go.  Stress, hurts, disappoints, anxiety, worry, these are the things that creep into the loose cracks of my heart. They always over stay their welcome. The tight threads of these unwelcome visitors leave me tangled and knotted. They twist and turn and begin to unravel the tapestry of freedom and grace that has been given to me. A freedom and grace I have anxiously sought after and claimed.
As I sat on that beach, my toes in the sand, entertaining my unwelcome guests, I was reminded of a verse I had recently read.

"How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! I can't even count them, they outnumber the grains of sand!" - Ps. 139:17-18

My unwelcome guest, the ones that creep in through the cracks, they snuff out these truths, these reminders of who I am and what God thinks of me. They breathe death, lies and bitterness into the places where passion, truth, power and strength belong.  They knot me up, twist me tight, leaving me broken and forgetting that I have been delivered from this Egypt, I have been brought up from the ashes, I have been carried on the eagles wings and I have been bought back.

While I entertain thoughts of failure, disappointment, doubt, fear and worry I leave no room for his thoughts of me.

As the waves crashed and the sun began to set I felt those threads come loose.
Those threads of lies.
I felt them release and make way for threads of truth, freedom and grace to be rewoven into my tapestry of hope.
Thankfulness rushed through my veins. Thankful that we serve a God who loves us when we are His enemy. For a God who continues to pursue us when we are deaf, blind and disobedient. I grew thankful that we serve a God who has more loving thoughts about us then every grain of sand on the earth. I grew more thankful that we love a God who is passionate about us. He doesn't grow weary. He is steadfast.
Steadfast.
Firmly fixed in place: immoveable. Not subject to change. Firm in belief, determination, or adherence: loyal.

This is our God.

Though at times I stumble and I lose my footing and I welcome in those unwelcome guests, Jesus is there. Unwavering in his grace and love. Loyal to His promises. His freedom immovable.

I am thankful that God met me on this day, on the beach in Santa Monica. I am thankful I had an ear to hear and that I responded.

He purchased us all for a high price. Why? Because we are immeasurably valuable to Him. We are His prized possession. We no longer have a need to serve those unwelcome guest, we have the authority and the right to kick them out. And so I did. Those threads of lies unraveled and I left them at the beach that day.