God, our Pursuer

​I turned 60 last year. After my birthday I discovered I was believing a lie that I was supposed to have life figured out. I am so thankful that lie was exposed. I don't have to have my life figured out because God already has. He knows the number of my days. He unfolds my story one moment at a time. 
I am called to keep in step with His Spirit. As I trust Him to write my story, He provides all that I need.
When I was thirteen years old, my family and I moved from New York to Florida. I learned that there were kids next door, Jim, Todd, and Jennie. Paul and Wilma, the parents, were the youth leaders at a nearby church. When school started, youth group started, and Jim relentlessly began pursuing me to come.
It wasn't until after Christmas that I finally said yes to get him off my back. They announced there was going to be a retreat at the end of the school year. It was going to be at a dude ranch. I signed up to go.
We left on a Friday afternoon. We loaded up in cars and drove four hours to get there.
It was a fun time. There were activities planned for us like horseback riding and swimming.
On Saturday night, we sat around the campfire while Paul gave a message. At the end of the message, he asked if any of us wanted to receive Jesus into our hearts. I knew what he was asking. I was scared.
I wanted to hang on to my life. We came back on Sunday afternoon. Jesus kept pursuing me and I knew there was one thing I needed to do. On Sunday night, I gave my heart to Jesus. 
A few years ago, I went through a study Love Affair with God, by Janae Bowers.
In one of the lessons, we looked at our names and what they meant. I discovered my name was part of the word pursue. This made me think of how God pursues me and how I pursue others. Soon after this,
I was with close friends. They shared with me how they appreciated me pursuing them. I received a card in the mail this same week from another friend saying, “I am thankful for the way you pursue me….”
It was confirmation to me from God that He revealed that to me in the study.
Jana was a counselor I saw consistently for two and a half years. God imparted His wisdom from her heart to mine during these sessions. He provided truth in between these sessions as well, that I began quoting that were life-giving.
Here are some examples, "you don't have to fight, prove or defend", "don't get snagged on the seaweed",  "shame, guilt and regret are all flesh responses", "control is when it has to look a certain way",  "make sure time is all that has gotten in the way instead of assigning or being suspicious",  "let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts", "Accept things the way they are, reality is the way God sees it" - so many more.
He revealed things I needed to let go of, lies I needed to see that I was believing, and gave me truths that were living life. 
Jesus came for one purpose: to die. He went to the cross for you and me. He could’ve said, “No thank you or no way, you are asking too much?” BUT Jesus obediently, willingly, and lovingly went to the cross and died for us. He purchased our salvation so we could live eternally with Him.
Have you put your faith in Jesus Christ? Have you trusted Him for your salvation?  Have you allowed Him to be your personal Savior? He died for you so you could live. 
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16