"come out of hiding, you're safe here with me"

'Come out of hiding, you're safe here with me' are the lyrics to Steffany Gretzinger's song, "Out of Hiding" and words Father God whispers to me almost daily. It's what I need to hear most.

This one small phrase has brought so much breakthrough in my heart. It directly ministers about the 'Father Heart' of God. I think too many people see God as a man who's trying to fix us or we believe that if we let Him in, it’s not safe and we'll leave being hurt more. This is not the case, thankfully.

He is safe.

He is faithful.

He is gentle.

He listens.

He is a comforter.

He is kind.

God doesn't ask me to bring all my 'stuff' (the messy stuff that we'd all rather keep inside) to Him so he can tell me what I'm doing wrong but rather He knows in that place of vulnerability, He can meet me with a grace so huge and say the words I was born to hear every. single. time. And somehow it gets better with every word.

I'll leave these moments knowing the Father better + having a greater capacity for His love. It's worth every moment of being uncomfortable.

He wants so badly to be close to His sons and daughters.

When He died on the cross, separation tasted defeat by Him.

It was for the sake of being close to me and you that He gave His life.

What a love that is.

Sometimes, in attempt to protect myself when i feel angry, sad, afraid, or alone I'll tuck everything inside and pretend as if I'm okay. No matter how hard I try to hold everything in (or even better, ignore it) those emotions don't deal with themselves and end up coming out the sides of my head (as my counselor likes describing it). Jesus, being as kind as He is, has been waiting for me the whole time. He wants to unpack every wound and frustration with me. He wants to unwind me into my truest self.

When the Lord first showed me that I "stuff" emotions down, I got this picture...

He's sitting at this coffee table waiting for me. Never impatient or eager to leave, He knows that the best times Him and I have together are when I come willingly so He's willing to wait in order to cultivate communion. He knows that I've picked up a whole lot more than I was designed to carry + He's eager to teach me how to lay it all down in His presence. As I walk into the coffee shop, weary and weighed down, He greets me with open arms + offers to take the weight off of me. He always knows the words I need to hear. He knows what refreshes my soul. He speaks life into me + I pour out all my heart to Him. All my struggles + fears + dreams are spread out on the table. I‘m not afraid to do this with Him because He has promised I'm safe with Him. As we end our long overdue time together, He reminds me to fall into His arms daily, fully surrendered. In return, He'll teach me how to dance with Him- being fully loved+ never doubting His faithfulness.

The main reason I find myself hiding from Jesus is that I feel "too messy", "not okay enough", "or not happy enough" to go to Him. He never asked me to earn His love. Yet one of the biggest lies the enemy tells me is that I have to be "okay" and "happy" to go to God, that He doesn't want my "stuff".

This reminds me of Adam+ Eve in the garden. They were hiding. I can just hear the Father's tone as He seeks out His children- Heartbroken. Never disappointed but deeply heartbroken that He lost intimacy with His children. I believe that is how God sees each of us. I'm forever going to praise simply because Jesus died for me to be close to Him again.

It's all He ever wanted... To be with us

Now here I am, hearing the words my heart alway needed to hear and meeting the Father my soul was created to be in communion with.

He says "Come out of hiding my dear one, you're safe here with me. I know it's scary but I promise you that one day it will be okay. I want to mend your deepest wounds but you've gotta let Me in first. I'll be here waiting for you, whenever you're ready. I can't wait to talk to you and show you just how lovely I created you. I promise I won't harm you or take advantage of you, so it is okay to let your guard down. I want all of you, all the time. You don't have to hold it all together in front of me. The truth I need you to hear is that when you're the most undone version of yourself, you're the closest to how I originally created you. You're able to receive my love in its rawest form. You were created to be undone, my beloved"

He loves you so much. He always has. He always will + there's nothing you or I can do to make Him love us less. He is saying these things to you too. Come out of hiding; in God's arms you're the safest you'll ever be. He wants to unwind you + reveal the love He has always had for you. He calls us His beloved sons and daughters. May we live as the royal princes and princesses He has chosen us to be. May we learn the rhythm of His love and dance to the melody of His' grace all the days of our lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFkDqQtfs0w