God wants to be with you

Have you ever been reading your bible and just been so amazed by God? Like a part of scripture just hit you so hard and your immediate reaction is to tear up because God is SO good? 

That happened to me while I was reading the book of John this week. I got to chapter 21 and began reading about Jesus appearing to the disciples, after His resurrection, on the beach. They are out in their boats struggling to catch anything when they hear a man calling from the shore. 

He simply asks if they are able to catch any fish. The disciples reply with a discouraged “no”. Jesus then tells them to throw their net on the right-hand side of the boat and guarantees them they'll catch something. They were probably thinking, who does this guy think he is? We’ve been out here all day? But besides their possible frustration they threw over their net and caught so many fish they couldn't even haul it over the side of the boat!

Peter immediately realized it was Jesus and jumped off the side swimming towards his Savior. I can’t even imagine the relief and pure joy they had knowing that Jesus came to meet them. This next part is what really got me. 

“When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread. “Bring some of the fish you've just caught,” Jesus said. So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn't torn. “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.” ~John 21:9-14 NLT

I've read this part of the gospel countless times, every time just skimming over it not paying much attention. But this time it struck me. It showed me how compassionate, selfless, and just straight up loving Jesus is. He had been resurrected not long before this meeting. He had just fought death and the devil and died for all of our sins. Yet, He doesn't come back and expect some kind of special treatment. He comes back and meets His disciples on the beach, helps them catch a ton of fish, and cooks them breakfast. The Savior of the WHOLE world came back to earth, cooked a meal for some of His best friends and  just spent time with them! How cool is that?! 

Jesus actually wants to spend time with ME. Honestly, until recently I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that Jesus not only has time for me, but wants to be with me. It hit me when I got a text from my dad one day sharing that God had talked to him about me. I read the text and just started crying. I didn't think God thought about me. I know that sounds dumb but I really thought that God only thought about me when I prayed to Him. I’ve been told countless times that God loves me and has a plan for me, but I just didn't think He spent a whole lotta time thinking about me. 

Through that text my dad sent and this passage in John God has split open my heart. He has reminded me that He loves me ALL of the time. He thinks about me ALL of the time. He wants to be with me ALL of the time. He adores me. He sees me as His perfect daughter. He wants to share a meal and just talk. There’s nothing I could ever do to disappoint Him or make Him think less of me. He’s my FATHER. 

If you've ever felt like I did or are feeling that way now, I hope these words split your heart open as well. God doesn't just pay attention to you when you pray. He doesn't skim over you. You are His first priority. I know there’s like 7 billion people in this world. And like 2.2 billion of those people claim to be Christian. That doesn't matter. That’s the power of God. 

He wants to spend ALL of His time with ALL of His children. 

He will never be preoccupied or busy. 

He’s waiting on us. He’s waiting for us to put Him as our first priority. He’s waiting for us to stop lying to ourselves by saying we’re too busy or too tired or just don't feel like praying. He’s waiting for us to be still, look up, and lean on Him. He wants to hear every thought, every desire, every heartbreak, just everything. He’s here, He thinks about you, and He loves you more than you can ever comprehend.