Silence

We had a silent retreat this weekend... 48 hours of silence, listening to God speak. It's easier than it sounds, except for sometimes it is harder. I was hoping for a BOOM!! voice from God, but it never came. Instead I learned that God will speak to me through my pen. I write, and things come out. Some of the things I will share. I wrote 16 pages in my journal this weekend. Here are some of them:

Hours of silence are worth
One word from God
Yet how much He speaks
When we stop to listen

The LORD is gracious and compassionate
Slow to anger, and abounding in love
The LORD is good to all
He has compassion on all that He has made
He forgives our trespasses
And He delivers us from the evil one
He opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble

Matthew 12:21- In His name the nations will put their hope.
Do you not think you were born for a reason? The chances of you being you were so infinitisimially small, yet you exist. You are, to bring glory to God. You exist, with your experiences, your relationships, your struggles. You exist because God purported and called you to be. Who you are now never was and never will be again. Who you are now is God's glory. And your shame, and your mistakes, and all the fire within you is there because THIS IS LIFE. We serve a Living God, who loves us despite the blood on our hands. For you are forgiven, and it is gone. Oh, but He loves us. Oh, but He loves me. He loves me! Beyond anything you can fathom, He loves you. And there is no escape from His love. There is nowhere to run, because you were born for this reason.

I was born,
And You loved me.
I rebelled,
And You love me.
I became myself,
For You love me.
I sin and lose my way again,
But You still love me.
So I repent,
Because You love me.
I cry, and You comfort me
I hurt, and You hold me
I dance, and You rejoice with me
I scream, and You walk with me
I live, and You love me.
And in all this, I guess I'm trying to say
Thank You
And I want to love You too;
Oh! I love You too!