Your Love is better than Life

This morning in the car ride to school, the song Promises was blaring on our stereo.  I was shouting the lyrics from the top of my lungs and found myself sobbing.  

I surrendered my life to your ways
I have learned what it means to obey
Jesus my heart has been changed by you

I am walking the path you have made
I am seeking the truth every day
Jesus my heart has been changed by you

I couldn't walk away if I tried
'Cause your love is better than life

Now the suns shining bright
And it just wont set
'Cause your love is a light and it lights my step
My heart is amazed every day to the next
Your joy overtakes and I can't Forget about it

Everyday I am choosing to believe that God's LOVE, that He Himself, is better than life.  And I like life.  I like food. I love to shop for new clothes.  Romantic comedies are my favorite.  Inspirational books move me.  But He is better.  His love is better.  And I choose Him ...and I have to choose Him over and over and over and over.  Cause I like life.  I like the things of this world.  I like it all.  But I love Him and LOVE that He has changed me to see Him more and love Him more than this world.  

Years ago I was at a small college retreat a T-Bar M ranch.  Matt Chandler and his small (at the time) family were there.  And he talked about the narrow road.  Narrow indeed.  FULL of love and grace and amazing beauty...but it is narrow.  And it is easy to be diverted to other beauty and other paths.  But He is still the MOST beautiful.  Ever.  

I was talking to my dearest friend yesterday and we were talking about what this Christian life looks like.  How most of the time we get it wrong.  How do we balance bringing our children up to know Jesus and exposing them to the world that so desperately needs Jesus.  It's a narrow road.  But there is a way...there is a path.

I have had a friend praying for me the last couple of days and really hearing from the Lord for me.  (This is a humbling thing ~ to know another is lifting you and up and hearing for the deep, dark places of your heart.  I have been SO grateful and amazed at her hearing and obedience.)  She has heard that some things that have lead her to some scripture about righteousness.  

I have such a hard time thinking of myself as righteous or holy.  Only by grace.  Because of grace.  I am holy.  The Spirit of the LIVING GOD is deposited in me.  

If we can get that His love is better than life...if we can believe that deep in our souls and trust that His love is what will change the world...ALL the people of the world, then I think we have stepped onto the narrow road.  

It gets messy when we start to define what His love looks like, though.  When we try to justify why it shouldn't look a certain way.  Our pastor always says, "If you want to know God's heart, look at Jesus." When we start to make love look tough or even tolerant (I'm not sure that either one is Jesus)...  When we lean to a certain way of loving and say that it's what best for the other.  Are we really giving them the Love that is better than life?  

So in our refusal to love or show love because we are afraid it will destroy some kind of boundary that we feel needs to be there, do we really believe that His love is better than life?

If His love is better than life, then....?