Open

The book.

“Mom, you HAVE to read this book.”

I’ve heard this from my daughter Elysse probably 20 times since she started reading, Open.

When the book gets mentioned it sets her mind in motion to tell Mike and I another clip of the story and say with zeal how much of an amazing writer he is! Her mind is blown.

Mike and I smile at all her stories and our hearts smile because of her passion. She reminds me so much of myself.

Each time she persist that we MUST read it, we both promise her that we will. With all this build up, neither of us can wait!

One night before buying the book for her I was outside by myself looking up at the full moon and having a conversation with my Pop’s.

I had this knowing that He was telling me something about the moon.

As I walked back inside I had the familiar feeling that I have had a million times that it was my time to seek out what He was telling me.

“Seek me and you will find Me.” This is one of my favorite promises. Oh how I love seeking and love even more the finding.

I sat in my thinking chair contemplating and the first thing I thought of was to look inside the book on my side table called Last Supper On The Moon by Levi Lusko. I opened it to a random page and began reading.

The page was 151 and he just happened to be talking about “tennis”. My attention perks up a little because tennis is a loved sport in our home and one of my daughter Elysse’s passions.

Briefly Levi mentions that he hasn’t read very many books that he’s enjoyed more than the autobiography, Open. I have been listening to Levi for years now and I know that’s a powerful statement because he is an AVID book reader to say the least.

Right in that second I knew this was what the creator of the stars was leading me too. I knew it was by NO COINCIDENCE so I said, “Well ok then… Lyssy has to read this book.” And in that moment my heart was content.

I looked it up and ordered it for her. I waited a bit and gifted it to her on Easter thinking many times as I waited how special it was that God wanted her to read it. He completely melts my heart.

Lyssy devoured the book and after finishing already wants to read it again.

We told one of her tennis coaches, that we highly esteem, about her starting it and he responded that he’s read it a “few times” and needs to read it again.

This is one of the many tiny ways that God leads.

You see God deeply desires relationship with Him. Back and forth conversations. A joyful desire to hear each other. Confessions, secrets, promises, advice, adoration, guidance, wisdom, presence, and one of my favorites just listening. Things get birthed, things get healed, Heaven invades earth!

To me it’s the most exhilarating thing about LIFE. That God, the Father, would care about little ol’ me and also about all the minuscule details in my life.

It has NOTHING to do with going to church, attending a Bible study, or how much you pray. Those are amazing things but friends, He was seeking me and loving me far before I ever returned my love and devotion to Him. I was actually doing a lot of wrong things when I began feeling this tug of war on my heart. I began feeling conviction for the things I knew were wrong and a conviction to follow. I did instinctively know that His way was THE WAY.

He gave me love and grace and that love and grace eventually brought me to my knees to surrender. It was never about doing all the things to get His love. He already loved me. He loved me so much and kept seeking my attention for years. He never stopped even when I would deny His way. This relentless love broke me. It brought me to the place to surrender my own way of living.

I never intended to write this. It just all bubbled up out of nowhere. Maybe someone just needs to know that you are fiercely loved right where you are and God wants you to walk through this life WITH Him and set free from every single thing that binds you.

The Holy Spirit is also convicting my heart that our Father loving us this way, in the middle of our brokenness, is how we should love others. They may fail us time and time again, but our relentless love that never gives up on them is powerful. This love is possible once we realize how it’s the love we’ve received.

Love is a weapon.

I’m not at all saying to do this in an unhealthy and unsafe situation. Be wise and have boundaries, but know this kind of love is the way that helps others eyes be open to truth.

Wow! I ventured off of my topic. The bottom line is that our Heavenly Father loves us so much with no agenda that He might subtly suggest to you to read a really good book just for your pure enjoyment.