Relentless Pursuit

By Liz Giertz

When I was in my late teens and early 20’s, I gave my heart away more freely than was prudent, hoping that the boy receiving it would care for it.

But as they judged and found me lacking, my heart was returned even more torn and tattered.

By the time the man who would become my husband professed his love for me, I was hesitant.

I had toughened up that muscle to protect it from further damage. My heart was hard, and I thought that was the best way to protect it from breaking.

But a hardened heart is desensitized, closed...

It’s already broken.

Thankfully, this man God sent for me was persistent. He gradually chipped away at the mortar in the wall I built around my heart. He wrote me love notes and poems. He listened when I talked and planned events he knew I would enjoy. He cared enough to do simple things with me, just so we could spend time together. He stuck around even when I revealed my brokenness to him.

Eventually, he broke through, and I gave him my heart.

It is this man’s example that has helped shape my view of God’s love for me. Gradually, I began to believe that if he could love me this much, then maybe, God does, too.

My husband’s methods for softening my heart were similar to the ways God pursues us. And, just like my husband, God accomplished all these things before we loved Him, in return.

He wrote us a powerful love letter. It tells of His great love and faithfulness for His people that has existed since creation and will last throughout eternity.

As we soften our hearts and look for His presence we will begin to see His handiwork in moments of beauty and joy designed just for us. The splendor of His creation and His divine interruptions in our lives are evidence of His love for us.

He longs for us to simply spend time with Him and to be invited into every aspect of our daily routines.

Our Heavenly Father knows all our brokenness, but He will never run from it. Instead, He ran headlong toward it, sending His Son so that we could spend eternity in His presence. Our Heavenly Father relentlessly pursues the broken hearted by His Word, the work of His Spirit and His divine interventions in our daily lives.

Yet, He patiently allows us to make the choice to give Him our hearts, to turn toward Him, to accept His love.

Friend, have you given Him your whole heart?

As we do, we will see His faithfulness and learn to trust Him with the care of our hearts. The more we trust Him, the more freely we relinquish control over our hearts to Him. As He exercises more authority in our hearts, our relationship with Him becomes more intimate.

Even when we fall short of His glory or His expectations and desires for us, He is still chasing after us. How do I know? Because He loved me long before I gave Him my heart.

Romans 5:8 reminds us that “God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (NLT). His love for me has nothing to do with how well I love Him back.

God patiently perseveres in His relentless pursuit of our whole hearts, no matter how we respond. But friends, won't you pause with me right now, right where you are and take a moment to simply receive that with which our Heavenly Father longs to bless us.


Word of the Day:
“My [daughter] give me your heart, and let your eyes observe My ways.” Proverbs 23:26

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I am eternally grateful for Your relentless pursuit of me. Forgive me when I fail to live up to Your expectations and gently remind me that nothing takes beyond The reach of Your love! In Jesus' name, Amen


Check out Liz's blog over at My Messy Desk!

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