“God’s presence flowed over me like liquid love.”[1]
Isn’t that delightful imagery?
Perhaps you’ve experienced God’s presence as liquid love—deep-down warmth drenching the soul through a God-enhanced moment, overflowing joy as he lavished favor upon you.
Looking back on 2021, I can identify such glorious moments and have included a few of them below. Perhaps they’ll trigger memories of your own, when you experienced liquid love from God’s river of delights.
First, the highlight of 2021: our youngest two granddaughters invited Jesus into their lives—one in August, one in December. Nothing warms the heart more than seeing loved ones take this all-important step of faith!
Prior to Covid vaccines, a friend arranged a Zoom call for three of us to enjoy a cup of coffee together—virtually. The delightful gab fest, mutual encouragement and prayer for one another did indeed generate the warm flow of God’s liquid love.
A week of balmy weather in April allowed us to bask in sunshine-amidst-bird-song much earlier in the year than usual.
Inspiration for blog posts often comes at unexpected times. One morning while getting ready for a women’s Zoom Bible study, an idea suddenly occurred to me. I smiled at the pleasure of it, knowing exactly where the notion came from!
After thirteen months of separation, we reveled in joining our son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters for dinner in their home. The best moment: reaching the third floor playroom, seeing the girls’ faces light up as they shouted, “Nana!” and tangling together in a glorious hug.
Early May Steve and I were able to return to church. Though masks hid smiles and hugs were verboten (at first), we celebrated the togetherness of church family and the joys of in-person, corporate worship.
Mid-spring we watched four fox kits cavorting in the grass—a number of times. Their jumping, wrestling, and teasing nips at one another made us laugh. Better yet, such close encounters with God’s creatures feel like personal love-gifts from him. Indeed, “God’s love notes are stashed everywhere.”[2] They even appear in our own backyard.
Speaking of love-gifts, one lies upon our living room floor—a new rug. Though our wish-list was quite specific, and options studied online weren’t measuring up, the perfect choice presented itself in the first store we visited. (The discovery of a rug that appealed to both of us was a bit of miracle in itself!)
A Ruegg family reunion (13 of us) in a large, rustic cabin took place in August. What a glorious time of hiking, games, reading, long conversations, superb meals (planned and prepared by our older son and daughter-in-law), and even a song-fest around the fire pit one evening—all enjoyed in perfect weather no less.
Another cabin-adventure—this time with old friends–occurred in October. The mountain view out the back windows took our breath away; the laughter, banter, and coziness of our relationship produced a considerable uptick of endorphins.
Granted, people take pleasure in nature, family, friends, and delightful experiences all the time—without God. But for believers in Christ, the pleasure of each gift is richly augmented because God is in it with us.
Another gift? The overflow of liquid love often becomes blissful tears.
Now it’s your turn. In the past year, how did God’s love flow over you like liquid love? Share your experience in the comment section below!
[1] Pat Chen, Intimacy with the Beloved, quoted by Linda Dillow in Satisfy Your Thirsty Soul, 82.
[2] Sara Hagerty, Unseen, 106.
Photo credits: http://www.pixabay.com; http://www.flickr.com; Nancy Ruegg (2); http://www.flickr.com; Steve Ruegg; http://www.flickr.com.
From the Inside Out 