Being BOLD in Love

I had to laugh at the Lord when this blog post was put on my heart about a week ago. If you have two eye balls and a Facebook account there is no doubt that you have seen lots of "bold" things posted in the last several weeks. Some of them the kind of bold that impassions us, and others the kind of boldness that makes us blush or slightly enraged. Either way, it is undeniable that social media has become a mixing pot of steam and emotion. What new take on boldness could I possibly offer? 

Like with anything Jesus presses on my heart, I have to ask myself, "Ok God, so what now?". About that time I found this beautiful quote from Willian Wordsworth ""How does the Meadow flower its bloom unfold? Because the lovely little flower is free down to its root, and in that freedom bold.” Did you catch that last part?? The flower is free- DOWN TO ITS ROOTS- and that makes it bold. In America we are free. That is a gift that was bought with the blood and sweat of many good men and women who came before us. What are we doing with that freedom? Is there something in your life that has enslaved you in a way that your roots are begging to be nourished again? Your heart is longing for fresh sunlight and a new day? Are your schedules so full that you are withering under the weight of your week? Has your cellphone replaced your loved ones and you get trapped "Capturing" life instead of breathing it in? Have political battles made you want to delete your social media accounts all together? I think our entire generation;  this NOW generation, I refuse to use the term millennials because it is too broad and trendy, is the last generation to remember what life was like before social media. Life with roller blades, skinned knees and catching bumble bee's in old butter tubs. Life before teens tweeted every silly thought that went through their emotional pre-pubescent heads. The last group of adults who actually got to be children, sheltered from the "who's who" news of Hollywood and the clash of ugly political battles. 

Raising three small children today I can assure you, there are thieves everywhere who want to steal your childs innocence, and never in history have they had more direct access to so many young and beautiful minds. Children have Ipad's they Skype with one another, they Face Time, my 4 year old can use Facebook Messenger but he has no idea how to wipe his own hiney (that is not from lack of trying). In our military life, technology is a huge blessing. When the need arises we love being able to use all these things to make our loved ones feel near, even when they are a word away. But, I am also saying that with all this technology and access to thousands of "stories", emotionally driven "click bait" is everywhere and the more they rile up your emotions the more a story gets shared. Before you know it the dialog has little to do with facts and we are all putting our belief in something very biased. Literally everything has become subjective. If we don't act NOW and change the dialog what will our history books read when our children are learning about today?

Here is the good news- we know TRUTH (John 8:32). We know Jesus (John3:16), We know that this world is broken (Ecclesiastes 8:8), We know that in HIM we are whole (Acts 17:28). We know we were created to be in this world but not of it! (Romans 12:2) We know that all the things of this world will fall away but our God is eternal (1 John 2:17).

(someday I am sure she will be angry I used this photo, but it fits my theme so perfectly!)

 I want to begin a 4 part look in to how we can live a life that is B.O.L.D. for Christ, but one that is lived with such love that those who appose our beliefs are brought closer to us through our differences. Lets loop back to that bold little flower for a minute- can we empower each other to be bold? Can we agree that although inherently beautiful, flowers are delicate and they need protecting, they are easily smashed, plucked, or wither without enough sunlight. It's a perfect balance of minerals in the soil that nourish it's roots, water that feeds it's soul and sunlight that pushes it to grow. Open your heart the next few weeks, let light shine on the areas you've been hiding. Let your roots stretch deeper as you get to know God and yourself a little more. Let the living water of Jesus Christ rain down on you and remind you that you are His beloved and you can do ALL things through him. Be BOLD little flower, your seedlings are watching you bloom. 

I argued with God on my ability, or inability. to even speak on this topic, I was met with a swift kick and a reminder with several verses that sometimes God calls the "least of these" for great things. So here I am first B.O.L.D. post coming tomorrow so keep a look out for it. 

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Being BOLD in Love