Covenant love…

When we moved to the Rez, we knew we wanted to find a church that would fill us and fuel us as we served alongside our beautiful family here. We have watched many services of Crossroads live stream in our living room, we have streamed our home church on SSI, we have visited churches in Farmington. There hasn’t been one thing that’s worked for ALL five of us. Last week, on the tail end of our trip back East, we visited a church in Albuquerque with friends. (That’s five hours from us.) We really enjoyed the pastor, the worship and the children’s ministry. Little Man was actually happy when we picked him up. Sissy and Mouse were pleasantly pleased and said they enjoyed themselves and were excited about visiting again. Now, I’ve told many stories since we moved here about the faithfulness of my Father…well, here’s another. The Albuquerque church has a campus in Farmington. Yes, three hours and three states from us BUT not only is there a campus there, they also have a Saturday evening service! We can attend Saturday evening, do our grocery shopping and still be available to our Navajo churches on Sunday!! When we set out on this adventure, I prayed for Him to be in every detail. I prayed He would cover us in His grace and mercy and that we’d feel Him at every turn, every fork in the road and every decision to be made…oh, how faithful is the Father’s love toward us.

We visited the Farmington campus last night. We had a picnic at the Aztec National Monument, we made our Target run and did our grocery shopping and I got dressed for Easter service in Safeway grocery store restroom. I laugh as I write this because it’s our life and there wasn’t a moments hesitation in doing so…the kids got dressed in the van and J loaded groceries into a cooler while I changed. It’s comical. It’s comical because I love this life. It’s hard. Don’t get me wrong, I have just realized one thing-a thing I was reminded of in service last night. When I gave my life to Christ, I admitted I was a sinner. I believe(d) He was the son of the Living God and then I COMMITTED my life to Him. I made a COVENANT with Jesus that if He’d save me from myself, I’d commit my life to doing His work. To honoring Him. I’d commit my life to following His lead and walking in His way. Now, at twelve years old, in a little Baptist Church on our island, I had no idea committing, making covenant with Jesus would take me to the desert…I did, though. I committed my life to Him. And this is the beautiful, full, magnificent, glorious life He’s given me.

The thought of the covenant I made with Jesus at twelve made me think about the covenant’s I’ve made since then. The covenant I made when J and I said “I do”. The covenant we made as parents when we dedicated each of our babies back to the Lord. The covenant we made when we moved here. The last wasn’t a spoken covenant. It wasn’t an agreement we made with any church or person. It was a covenant, once again, with Jesus, that we’d love these people as He loves us. In all our brokenness and human tendencies, we’d love with the same love.

It’s overwhelming really. This charge-this covenant because it wasn’t what I chose. It reminds me over and over again how little control we actually have over our lives. How little I control my own life. What’s even more incredible, more
overwhelming, is that despite my wandering heart, Jesus still chose me. He chooses me every day and He chose ME on that cross all those years ago.

Friends, He chose you, too.

He made a covenant on the cross that we could never deserve..and yet, He chose us anyway. He made a covenant for debts, sins that weren’t His so that we could live this beautiful, magnificent, full life. He chose us.

So, on this Easter Sunday, won’t you remember that you’re CHOSEN. You’re loved, with a deeper love than you can fathom. You’re given grace beyond measure from a Father who finds you absolutely flawless because of the beautiful covenant His son made on the cross.

Today, we’re celebrating our Risen King with some of our Navajo family. Celebrating the covenant He made and the one we made to love. Unconditionally and without expectation…just as He loves us.

Happy Easter, friends!