I can’t wait for you to meet our guest blogger, Rachel Harknett!  She wraps up in such compelling words the beauty and power of our relationship with God. If you are struggling to thrive in relationship, this is the blog for you!

How many of us have sat down and asked ourselves a variation of these questions: What was I created for? What is my purpose? Why am I here?

I’m guessing we’ve all had this question pop into our minds at least a couple of times in our lives or maybe a few times a year (or more often depending on our satisfaction with where we are in life). Every human being on this planet has at one time or another, sought out the answer to this age-old question.

My answer is this: We are made for connection. We are created for love. We are created with the intent to connect with the heart of our Creator and the hearts of those around us. I will clarify this in another statement: You were never meant to do this life alone. You were created for connection, and that connection can only be found in community with people and God.

In some ways, I have found this to be a difficult pill to swallow. People have disappointed me, misunderstood me, injured my heart, rejected and betrayed me, and wounded me deeply. So how can I do this? How can WE do this? How can we possibly be expected to have community with people who hurt us and fail us?

The only way this is even possible is with the source from which all our strength, joy, and love, comes from. We start with the one who IS LOVE.  Whose very essence is defined as love in the scriptures. Who created us with the purpose and intent to love us into wholeness. Who, through relationship, desires to give us lives full of joy. The same one who promises that in the midst of our suffering, He will fill us with joy and peace that doesn’t make sense (that’s what “surpasses understanding” means, right? See Philippians 4:7). The one who carried out the ultimate act of love, by laying down His life and dying an excruciating death for his enemies! Who, before He knew we would choose Him, chose us! What screams love louder than that?

We are called to love by the love He poured out on the cross for us. We are called to love each other as we would want to be loved, but we cannot do this without Him– without a love relationship with our Heavenly Father and His Son. We were never meant to give from a place of lack. We cannot give away what we do not have ourselves. However, the good news is, our Father in Heaven is the source of all the things we need to make it in this life and in community– joy, peace, patience, love, long-suffering. This is His very nature, His very character, and His very personality!

Since the beginning, He has desired to have relationship with us, His children, and to pour His love into us and through us, and into the rest of the world! He doesn’t want to give us just a little joy, or a tiny bit of peace, or a drop of love! He desires to fill us up until we are overflowing! In this way, without us even trying, His love and joy will spill into the lives of those around us!

We have been created in the image of God, and God is three in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Even God is connected to the different facets of Himself. So, I will reiterate… we were created for connection; connection to the Father through the Son, and connection to each other through Jesus.

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Jesus came to give “life and life abundantly!” Did you catch that last word? ABUNDANTLY!! Did you know that God created you to live a life of abundance?? Not lack! If you are living a life of lack, it is because there is a place in your heart you still need to let him in to. Jesus is waiting at the door of your heart, and He’s saying:

“Let Me in! Let Me in to all the places of pain and lack, of disappointment and heartache! Let Me show you just how much I love you. Let Me show you what a good Father I am! I love you more than you could fathom. I know you’re afraid to let Me in because you think I’ll be disappointed by what I see, by your failures and inadequacies, but I won’t. I know the beginning and the end of your life. You cannot disappoint Me, my precious child. Just let Me love you back into wholeness and fullness of joy. Let Me pour out my love into the parts of your heart no one else loved. You were created for love, by love, and with love! So let Me love you as you were created to be loved!”

God spoke this very thing to me, in the darkest times of my life, in my failure and pain, when I ran away from Him instead of towards Him, because of my fear that He wouldn’t want me if He really saw my heart and my mistakes. But He proved me so wrong. Jesus came for the hurting, the broken, and the lost. He is the best heart doctor there is and that’s because He’s SO invested in our heart and He’s so much more than a doctor. He’s the lover and fashioner of our hearts.

We were created to be loved and to love. But notice the order in which it must happen- we must first allow ourselves to be loved so that we have love to give.

God put so much love into us when He created each one of us. He put so much care into creating your personality, your gifts and talents, your sense of humor, your smile, your laugh… and oh what joy He takes in you! His beautiful, one of a kind creation, of which there is no other exactly like you that has ever or will ever exist! You are His MASTERPIECE!  Don’t forget it, and if you do, if the voices in your head are telling you otherwise, ask Him to remind you just how valuable and one of a kind you truly are. He lives to remind you. Literally!

RACHEL HARKNETT is an early childhood educator living in Cleveland, Ohio. She is an active worship team member and ministry team leader at her home church, Bethel Church in Cleveland. She enjoys reading, writing, playing ukulele, volunteering in her community and church, and ministering to people from the heart of God. Her vision is to see people restored, healed and connected to the heart of Jesus.