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Reflect Love Back is a video devotional series based on Lacey Sturm's newest book, The Return. Access over 200 videos from Lacey below⤵️

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It’s been a while…
I’ve been thinking a lot about how heavy the world seems to be. There’s never really a respite, a break from tragedy, a chance to breathe between horrors. It seems that every time we turn around, some new terrible thing is brought to light and we can’t ignore it anymore. I’ve felt it too. I’ve felt the pull of all the awful things happening on every side.
My prayer has become even more earnest, a fervent seeking of Jesus’ return, of His majesty and sovereignty reigning on earth. I can’t carry the weight of the world, I can’t fix every crisis, I can’t heal every new hurt. But Jesus can. And my soul has found perfect rest in that, in knowing that our Lord will come and judge perfectly. I don’t have to carry the burden of evil. I can’t, but even better, I don’t need to try. While the world roils in chaos, I can find peace, rest, even, in Jesus.
💜 Acacia
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what we sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” - Romans 8:18-25 (ESV)
“What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he had prepared beforehand for glory…” - Romans 9:22-23 (ESV) by @reflectloveback

It’s been a long time…so here are some of my thoughts recently. I’ve been learning how to lean into the fullness of life that comes with saying yes to God. Sometimes that means saying yes to the really small, practical things that don’t seem to matter in the long run. Sometimes that means surrendering big dreams to God and giving them up. Sometimes that means laying down your heart’s desires and watching in awe as His plans unfold in much bigger ways than you ever imagined. Living a life of complete surrender to God doesn’t always make sense to us. Our finite minds can’t comprehend His thoughts - they’re so much bigger than we can grasp. But saying yes to God is the greatest yes you can ever give.
I’ve been reading a book by Elisabeth Elliot and there are so many truths that my heart has needed - new revelations, old promises that still ring true, reminders that my heart needs over and over again…I’m so thankful to know a God who loves us and speaks to our hearts. He is kind and gentle and His love is perfect, even when we are not. Saying yes to Him is hard - it does require sacrifice. But He gives us life, full and eternal and abundant. Anything else isn’t really living, anyway. It’s a shallow, dim, mirrored image of reality. I don’t want that. I want the real thing, the true, authentic, perfect, and eternal. If that requires sacrifice, then so be it. I want the things that matter in eternity. I want a full life, close to God, not a shallow mirrored image where I strive to do it all in my own strength. So I’ll say yes to God, over and over again.
“The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:14 ESV)
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
💜 Acacia by @reflectloveback

a desperate prayer from my heart this morning:
Jesus, teach me to be content in You. I want to spend my life loving You, growing closer to You, learning more of You, recognizing Your heartbeat, seeing Your fingerprint in others, celebrating Your faithfulness forever. Teach me to be content in You AND to always desire more of You. Teach my heart how to make its home in You.
💜 Acacia by @reflectloveback

I sat with God today. We had a conversation. I poured out my heart; He poured out His love. There have been so many things stirring in my spirit - joyous moments where my heart danced, quiet laments, laughter bubbling out of me, fear and anxieties, deep things that I can’t quite name…and I shared them all with God. I sat with Him and watched the sunset, in awe of the greatest Artist, the Creator of the entire universe. And as I sat there, quiet in the presence of the King, my spirit quieted within me. My soul found peace in this:
The God who tells the sun when to rise and set is the same God who raised Christ from the dead. He’s the same God who loves us so perfectly, so sacrificially, that He gave Himself to die in our place. His love covers us completely and transforms us. His love is perfect, so much better than my own. All I can do with my whole life is love Him back.
💜 Acacia
#reflectloveback #quietmoments #conversationswithgod by @reflectloveback

I’ve been reading through Hebrews lately and today this verse struck me. God is faithful. It’s a simple message and there’s power in that simplicity. Let that be an encouragement to your heart today. Remind yourself again tomorrow. You can count on God’s faithfulness.
💜 Acacia by @reflectloveback

The unit I’ve been teaching to my science class is all about space. We’ve learned about gravity, discussed the planets, discovered why we see different phases of the moon, played with simulations of exoplanets, created tools to explain why we see certain constellations at certain times, and looked at the massive size of the universe. For the past month, everything I’ve been teaching has pointed me right back to God, the Creator of everything. I found a video of this guy and his friends creating their own scale model of the solar system in the desert. Every single one of us in my classroom, myself included, was shocked at the size of the model. After the video, we talked about how small that made us feel. One of my students said, “Isn’t it amazing that God made all of that - and He chooses to love us? I don’t feel small in a bad way when I think about that.” I’ve been contemplating that statement for about two weeks now. How beautiful, how incredible, that the God who created the entire universe chose to love me. There is so much of creation that shouts His glory, and yet He chose to love me. All I can do with the awe and wonder in my heart is to live for Him. That’s what reflecting love back means - acknowledging the miraculous grace of His love and striving to love the world that same way. Reflecting love back means loving Jesus with all your heart and letting your life show that, too. There’s so much beauty in the world God has created; it only makes sense to worship Him in thanks for it.
💜 Acacia by @reflectloveback

Sometimes being the hands and feet of Jesus means dropping whatever’s in your hands (quite literally) to help a neighbor (again, quite literally). Sometimes being the hands and feet of Jesus means inviting strangers inside and spending the next two hours playing with and entertaining a sweet little boy. Sometimes being the hands and feet of Jesus means laying on the floor and playing dominos on a flooring sample. Sometimes being the hands and feet of Jesus means letting go of your plans and saying yes to God, even when it feels silly. Saying yes to God is always worth it, even in the smallest acts of service.
#reflectloveback #sundayeveninginterrupted #sayingyestogod #significanceintheinsignificant by @reflectloveback

$\\ Halal // I learned a new word today. It’s a Hebrew word that may have become my new favorite. If you look at my to-do lists and journals and notes, you’ll probably see it scrawled over and over throughout the next few weeks. “Halal” is a Hebrew word that means exuberant praise. I love the meaning behind its definition - to shine brightly, to praise, to act even as a madman. There’s a beauty in undignified worship. There’s a freedom that can’t be captured by words, a lightness of soul that only comes from laying everything at the feet of Jesus and worshiping Him with every bit of who I am. I don’t dance before the Lord because I feel like it or want people to watch. I have counted the cost and am willing to look like a fool for the sake of Christ, surrendering my dignity for the glory of One much greater than I. “Hallelujah” actually came from the word “halal.” May every hallelujah from my mouth be proclaimed in undignified worship that gives glory to God, that draws attention straight to Him, even if I look like a fool. This is the kind of worship that David displayed, the kind of worship that his wife, Michal, rebuked. And David’s response is one I echo: “I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.” (2 Samuel 6:21-22) by @reflectloveback$

Last week I celebrated a day that could have once meant death to my family, but because of Jesus and His miracle workers on this earth, it means life. Every year when that day comes around, I am incredibly aware of how precious life is, how sacred our breath is. “Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” (Genesis 2:7) God, in all of His glorious mercy, gave us His own breath to give us life. As I’ve pondered how miraculous our lungs are and how our bodies breathe, I’ve also felt an urgency in not knowing how long our lives are. There’s been something inside of me that longs to make my love matter. I’ve been praying lately that my life would be evidence of my love. It’s a desperation, not one of sadness or fear, but a desperation that the whole world would know love the way I do, that the whole world would know that you matter. Your life matters. You have a purpose. No one else can love quite like you can. God loves you so much that He sent His Son to die in your place. And He loves you so much that He overcame death so that we wouldn’t have to be separated from Him for all eternity. He’s placed breath in your lungs and given you life.
💜 Acacia
What else can I do but love Him back?
#reflectloveback #timewithjesus #mementomori #remembertolive by @reflectloveback

I’ve been considering the community God has put around me. He created us to need one another - to learn from and grow and challenge one another. We are not meant to live this life alone, isolated, away from others. God created us for each other. Maybe the most obvious example is in Genesis, when God said, “It is not good for man to be alone,” and created Eve. THATS just one example.
The early church in Acts knew what it meant to live in community. Over and over again, the people who made up the Church are recorded as meeting together - often daily - eating and living life and working together. We are made to bring life to one another. God created us to bless others by sharing our time and talents and gifts.
It can be easy to isolate and hide away. My feelings tempt me to do that quite often. And yes, there is a time and place to step away and sit quietly alone before God. But I think that we too often forget that God gives us one another as gifts. We are each beautifully different. God created us to need one another and to be blessed by one another. It may be cliche, but that’s because it’s true - “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17) God gave us community in a small way that reflects the heart of the Trinity. We were not meant to be alone.
If you’re feeling alone, I promise that you’re not truly on your own. I pray over your heart - that Jesus would begin to open your eyes to the people He’s placed around you. I pray for a supernatural peace to come over your heart. You are not alone.
💜 Acacia
#reflectloveback #timewithjesus #community by @reflectloveback

My prayer tonight 💜 Acacia
#reflectloveback #simpleprayer #timewithjesus by @reflectloveback