God's Heart For Your Heart

Franklin Park, slightly earlier in the season than my run!

So there I was, jogging through Franklin Park last week, just north of my home in Spokane, the chill in the brisk morning air kept at bay through my accelerated heart rate, when it hit me.  This is what I began praying for over ten years ago; this is one of the desires of my heart.  I thought to myself, "Here I am, planting a church in Spokane, Washington, my kids have each found a niche in their schools and with great friends, my wife is putting her university teaching degree to good use and loving her job, and I'm running through a neighborhood - MY neighborhood - in the city God has called us to love and to serve.  Thank You, Jesus."  My run was easy that day as my mind was filled with gratefulness to the God who fills our hearts with passion and then fulfills the very desire which He inspired in the first place.

Today, which was supposedly the end of the world (come on guys, seriously...?) I'm pondering just how amazing God's call is for each of us.  He puts a longing for "something more" in the hearts of every man and woman on the planet, then He points us to the fulfillment of that longing:  Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the World, Lover of Cities, Souls and Nations.  Despite the distractions of the Holiday Season, in the midst of the tragedies that accompany life in a fallen world, God is continually and persistently at work in the hearts of young and old alike, drawing our hearts toward His own and transforming our hearts and lives into His own likeness.

God cares about the very things we care about!  Our Heavenly Father loves to see our hearts fulfilled, both in the little things and in the grand purposes of His ever-advancing kingdom.  He absolutely loves to bless His people with good gifts, daring dreams, and unquenchable hope in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a world in desperate need of everything He has to offer.  Here's a little reminder to all of us that God is for us, not against us, His heart beats with a passionate fervor for His chosen people, and He is still in the business of restoring, encouraging, and satisfying hearts.  He's doing it here in Spokane and He's doing it all over the world.