In His Likeness w/ AntTBri

For those individuals that have the privilege of knowing me personally it’s a well-known fact that I am easily excited…excitable.  It does not take much to evoke a response, engage my interest, or energize my quest to live and love in His likeness.  My mother in particular and family in general often tease me about the manner in which I express excitement.  Something remarkable transpires and instantaneously I began to share my enthusiasm…smiles, sparkling eyes, and sentimental statements to communicate, convey, and capture the exhilaration of the moment. Gushing over God is automatic…it’s effortless and enduringly emotionally expressive from me. I don’t have any qualms about doting over God and His workmanship (nature and humanity).  I am completely enamored by Him, he excites my very being because I don’t know anybody like Him…He is so faithful, worthy and deserving of affection, devotion, and adoration plus He loves it…so why not give Him what makes Him happy, brings him delight, and swells his heart?  When was the last time you made God smile?   Expressions are individualistic, person specific so my way differs in some respects from others…it’s just my way to clap my hands and applaud God (in the moment)…I love to celebrate the works of His hand…I live to throw Him a praise party… it’s a private party experienced publicly.  He is my headliner, my main attraction, my attention getter and He does not have to wait, come second, nor take a back seat to opinions, objectives, and obstructions to how I live and love life with Him. His heart is my priority! My heart is his as well! There are some who fail to understand, appreciate, or even respect what we have but that’s not our problem…spending time trying to explain the why’s, how’s, and what’s of our relationship takes the emphasis off of my focus and places it on factors that add to not make the moment. He is my focus…I’m looking to see Him in everything, through everyone and when I do it is combustible absolutely exciting prompting: ”Awe yeah Jesus” “Look at you God” “I so love you, you and I are forever” “You move, work mightily through him/her…awe yawl make a great team” “yes, yes, yes” “what?” “Alright” etc…

I live and love expecting, enjoying, and excited about what God deems as good.  Witnessing and experiencing the good excites my very being…it could be the smallest/largest occurrence and my response is the same because I so desire to reciprocate the living, loving, and lasting RELATIONSHIP we share. I’ve learned the benefit of just being with God…we’ve surpassed the stuff of life and love…it’s enough just being together; although he gives me stuff to celebrate as well. God excites me on a continual basis, his love of me and for me working through me overwhelms me alive. Just reflecting on what we have makes me blush. What we have is special, significant, and sacred…so everything about life and love for me is weighed in terms of the standard He sets. He is it for me…when I see and experience Him through the words, actions, and expressions of others I recognize and respond to the love I want to exchange with Him (first) and then extend to myself and them (second).  He is the special consideration…Him working in and through you summons the celebration and my response to you begins with an internal gratitude to God for gifting me with you and it manifest externally as verbal/physical appreciation of your agreement, acceptance, and assignment to be the one God uses to show, share, or secure what’s needed to live and love in His likeness in the moment. Imagine living and loving God, yourself and others moment by moment. Even better fathom that God is loving and living in you moment by moment… Now that is exciting!

There is no check list of things to do and criteria to fulfill before we experience, express and get excited about the relationship we have with God, ourselves, and others.  It is not routine, regimented, regular, or realistic in terms of degrees of intimacy… love sets the barometer and measure… it is relational because God is relational…He has given us his heart and He wants to occupy our heart’s completely; which by the way, is how we learn to live and love in His likeness.  The things we learn of His love for us teach us how we should receive and replicate love. Relationship done right is reciprocal.  How God handles me, establishes how I’m to handle God, myself, and in turn handle you.   Giving Him your heart has nothing to do with how long or how much you pray, read the bible, or go to church…the steps people provide or promote are aids to help develop or get us moving in the direction of having a relationship with God. These steps however are not the totality or cap (minimal requirement) on all things God and you.  No one can adequately communicate or convey what will get you “there” because they don’t have your personality, perception, or passion.  Only you know when your heart is all in, when you want to reciprocate, respond, and release emotion excitedly. Relationship is personal…it is the exchange between two hearts…in this case yours and Gods.   The actual relationship is going to be what you and God create.  It is not going to be the result of your stringent effort: (15 minutes of prayer), strict adherence to schedules (read 12 chapters of the bible a day, attend church every Sun. &Tues.) strategies or spiritual etiquette (saying and doing the right things)… It has everything to do with how close, how much access you give him to your heart. We do because we want to…not have to that’s the beauty of authentic relationship…the benefit of the time you spend, invest, or give to grow your relationship with Him…that is the excitement of relationship! It is enhanced when you notice the length and depths He goes for you and it will excite you! Do you share your life and love with Him? Do you allow Him to share His life and love with you?  Is your communication honest, free-flowing, and frequent?   Even more so do you Expect, Enjoy, and get Excited when spending time and sharing life with God? Does it tickle you pink that He expects, enjoys and is excited about sharing life and love with you?  I sure hope so because it really is exciting.  I am not only excitable but I aim to excite others to love God themselves and others excitably~AntTBri