My Blanket

Posted on July 20, 2017 by Graeme Wilson in Victory Call


I have this friend. Well, she’s more like a best friend and a mentor. She’s so wise, and I go to her constantly to ask her advice, to ask her to explain a Bible passage I’m confused about, to ask for prayer, etc. She’s a gift from God and I trust her so, so much.

Something else about this friend: She is really good at giving the ‘hard’ advice that other people often don’t want to give. I joke that she always makes me re-evaluate my life. If there’s something that I’m struggling with, she will tell me exactly what I need to hear, even if I don’t necessarily want to hear it. And when that happens, when she lovingly corrects me or gives me advice that I don’t want to hear, I always react the same way. I grab a blanket that’s in the basket next to her couch and I hide under it. It’s a running joke between the two of us.
The other day I was in her car with her and she did it again – she made me re-evaluate my life! She gave me advice I needed to hear but didn’t want to, and after she was done I turned my body and looked out the window at the passing cars. Then, from the driver’s seat I heard her say: “And don’t hide under your fake blanket!” She knew my turning away from her was basically like me hiding under the blanket in her living room. I had to laugh, I love her so much!!
Do we ever try to hide from God? We know it’s impossible, but I think many of us still try, as many people in scripture have before us. From the very beginning, we see Adam and Eve trying to hide in the Garden of Eden because they had sinned. A little while later, we see Jonah trying to hide from God and instead of going to Ninevah, he goes to Tarshish.
Recently, I was reading a post from Bible.org, and in it the author says: “I’m glad that God knows all things about me and that I’m present to his mind each and every moment. The truth is, knowing my sinfulness as I do, I am deeply thankful that I cannot escape from his thoughts and therefore his hands, even for a second. For I fear that having somehow escaped his notice, I should, like a child wandering from its mother, never find my way back home again-that I should be lost forever. I praise God that he knows me into eternity as his very own son (Rom 8:15-16, 29-30)!”
So many people have this idea of God as being this angry man in the sky who is ready to strike someone down when they fail. But I know my God, and I know what the word says about Him.
Psalm 86:15 – But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.
Romans 5:8 – God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
God knows we will sin, that’s why He sent His son. But His desire isn’t to strike us down when we fail, but to pick us back up. He wants us to ask for forgiveness and repent;  He can bring beauty out of the dirt. When I’m with my friend, I will hide under my blanket and laugh about it… but the truth is, we don’t need to hide from God (and we can’t anyway) because there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). He loves us, He wants to forgive us, and He wants to mold us more into the image of His Son!
Erin Culleny serves as a Marketing Assistant and Staff Writer. She loves encouraging women through her Victory Calls and finds such joy in praying for her sisters in Christ. Her favorite activities include reading her Bible, encouraging others with scripture, buying new makeup, buying dresses, and eating at the Cheesecake Factory… In that order!
 

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