FROM THEIR HEART TO OURS ❤️‍🔥

Beloved, You Can Stop Trying to Earn What We Already Desire to Give You

Beloveds,

Today, we’re going to be quiet.

No teaching first.

No fixing.

No proving.

No trying to impress God with how well we’re handling everything.

Just…

come.

😭❤️‍🔥

Imagine setting everything down for a moment.

The guilt.

The shame.

The fear that you’re asking too much.

The embarrassment about what you cannot do.

The worry about everybody who’s helping you.

The questions about whether you’re becoming a burden.

The frantic need to prove that you’re still useful.

The old fear that love always comes with strings.

Set it down.

And hear the heart Scripture reveals to us from the Father and Jesus.

❤️‍🔥

❤️‍🔥 BELOVED, COME.

You keep thinking you have to get yourself together before you come close.

But Jesus already told us:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28, KJV

Not:

Come when you’re stronger.

Come.

Not:

Come when you’ve stopped crying.

Come.

Not:

Come when you’re useful again.

Come.

Not:

Come after you’ve cleaned up the mess.

Come.

Not:

Come when you finally have something impressive to offer.

Just…

come.

😭❤️‍🔥

You’ve spent so much time wondering what you can bring to God.

Maybe today the answer is:

yourself.

Tired.

Confused.

Grateful.

Angry.

Hopeful.

Scared.

Healing.

Hurting.

Laughing one minute and crying the next.

Still figuring things out.

Still learning how to receive.

Come anyway.

❤️‍🔥 YOU DO NOT HAVE TO APOLOGIZE FOR NEEDING US

Some of us have been apologizing our way through life.

I’m sorry I need help.

I’m sorry I’m tired.

I’m sorry I can’t do what I used to.

I’m sorry I’m crying again.

I’m sorry I’m not stronger yet.

I’m sorry everybody has to help me.

And Scripture keeps showing us a God who invites needy people closer.

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
— 1 Peter 5:7, KJV

All your care.

Not only the respectable worries.

Not only the spiritual ones.

Not only the problems you think are big enough to bother God with.

All.

😭❤️‍🔥

What if the Father isn’t standing over you irritated because you need Him again?

What if He is exactly who Scripture says He is?

A Father.

And what if Jesus isn’t exhausted by the fact that you’re still learning?

What if grace anticipated that?

❤️‍🔥 WE KNEW YOU WOULD NEED GRACE BEFORE YOU EVER NEEDED IT

Grace wasn’t God’s emergency backup plan after humanity became messy.

👀❤️‍🔥

He knew.

He knew we would stumble.

He knew we would hurt.

He knew we would need forgiveness.

He knew we would become frightened.

He knew we would become exhausted.

He knew some days our prayers would sound magnificent…

and other days they’d sound like:

“Jesus. Help.”

😭🙏🏾

And somehow two words can still be prayer.

Sometimes one word can.

Jesus.

Sometimes tears themselves seem to carry what language cannot.

You don’t have to perform spirituality either.

❤️‍🔥 STOP BRINGING US YOUR RÉSUMÉ

Some of us keep approaching God with our list.

Look how faithful I’ve been.

Look how much I’ve served.

Look how much I’ve given.

Look how many people I’ve helped.

Look how hard I’ve tried.

And those things can be beautiful.

But beloved…

they aren’t currency for purchasing the Father’s love.

❤️‍🔥

Scripture says:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
“Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
— Ephesians 2:8–9, KJV

Gift.

There is that word again.

Gift.

And some of us don’t know what to do with gifts.

😭❤️‍🔥

We know what to do with wages.

Earn them.

We know what to do with debts.

Repay them.

We know what to do with contracts.

Fulfill them.

But a gift?

A gift leaves us standing there with empty hands.

And perhaps that’s exactly where grace wants us.

Not empty because we are worthless.

Empty because:

there is finally room to receive.

❤️‍🔥 BELOVED, WE ARE NOT ASHAMED OF YOUR NEED

You may be ashamed.

God isn’t surprised.

You may look at your weakness and think:

“Surely this makes me less valuable.”

But Jesus has never needed your strength in order to be strong.

👀😭❤️‍🔥

Read that again.

Jesus does not need you to pretend to be strong so He can remain Savior.

You are allowed to need saving.

You are allowed to need carrying.

You are allowed to need comfort.

You are allowed to need mercy.

You are allowed to need rest.

You are allowed to need Him.

In fact…

that’s the whole point.

❤️‍🔥 YOU KEEP TRYING TO CARRY WHAT WE KEEP ASKING YOU TO RELEASE

Somebody needs this.

You’ve prayed about it…

then picked it back up.

😭😆❤️‍🔥

Lord, I give this to You.

Five minutes later:

WHERE DID I PUT THAT WORRY?

🏃🏾‍♀️😭😆

Right back in the bag.

Back on the shoulder.

Back into the mind.

Back into the 3:17 a.m. emergency meeting nobody invited Jesus to.

Beloved…

put it down again.

And if you pick it up tomorrow?

Put it down tomorrow.

Grace is patient enough for repetition.

❤️‍🔥 WE ARE NOT KEEPING THE SCORE YOU THINK WE ARE

Maybe you’ve imagined the Father with a ledger.

Good day.

Bad day.

Strong day.

Weak day.

Faithful day.

Messy day.

Prayer completed.

Prayer forgotten.

Bible read.

Bible untouched.

Kind words.

Bad attitude.

Excellent Tuesday.

Absolute foolishness Wednesday.

😭😆❤️‍🔥

And accountability matters.

Repentance matters.

Growth matters.

Obedience matters.

But none of those means the Father’s love fluctuates every morning according to your performance.

Scripture says:

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
— Romans 5:8, KJV

While we were yet sinners.

Before the cleanup.

Before the improvement.

Before the impressive testimony.

Love moved first.

😭❤️‍🔥

❤️‍🔥 JESUS: I ALREADY KNEW THE COST

Maybe this is where the fear of strings attached finally meets the Cross.

We’ve been asking:

“What will this love cost me later?”

And Jesus points us toward Calvary.

The cost wasn’t hidden.

He knew it.

He chose it.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
— John 15:13, KJV

❤️‍🔥

The Cross isn’t Jesus giving us something so He can manipulate us later.

The Cross reveals sacrificial love.

Grace doesn’t say:

“Now spend your life trying to pay Me back.”

Grace says:

“Follow Me.”

There is a difference.

One is debt.

The other is relationship.

One says:

Repay.

The other says:

Come with Me.

😭❤️‍🔥

❤️‍🔥 THE FATHER: YOU ARE MY CHILD, NOT MY EMPLOYEE

Some of us understand employment better than sonship or daughterhood.

Employees earn wages.

Employees prove productivity.

Employees receive performance reviews.

Employees can be replaced when they stop producing.

So sometimes we unconsciously bring that model into our relationship with God.

What did I accomplish for You today?

But family asks another question:

Whose are you?

😭❤️‍🔥

Before you accomplished today’s list…

His.

When you got tired halfway through…

His.

When you cried…

His.

When you needed help…

His.

When somebody had to carry you…

His.

When you finally did something you couldn’t do yesterday…

His.

When tomorrow turns out harder again…

still His.

❤️‍🔥 JESUS: LET ME WASH YOUR FEET

Oh, this one.

👀😭❤️‍🔥

Peter struggled with receiving too.

When Jesus came to wash his feet, Peter resisted:

“Thou shalt never wash my feet.”
— John 13:8, KJV

Does that sound familiar?

No, no. I’ll do it.

You don’t have to do that for me.

I’ll handle it.

Let me serve YOU.

And Jesus challenged Peter to receive.

Sometimes humility isn’t kneeling down to serve.

Sometimes humility is remaining seated while love kneels in front of you.

😭😭❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

WHEW.

Some of us can wash everybody’s feet.

But when somebody reaches for ours?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Because serving feels holy.

Receiving feels vulnerable.

But Jesus demonstrated both.

And perhaps He is teaching us:

You cannot follow the way of love while refusing to ever occupy the receiver’s chair.

❤️‍🔥 BELOVED, SIT THERE.

Don’t jump up yet.

Don’t grab the towel.

Don’t say:

“Okay, now it’s my turn.”

Sit.

😭❤️‍🔥

Let yourself be served.

Let yourself be loved.

Let yourself be comforted.

Let somebody pray for YOU.

Let somebody encourage YOU.

Let somebody bring YOU something.

Let somebody make the phone call.

Let somebody drive.

Let somebody sit beside you.

Let somebody say:

“I’ve got this part.”

And don’t immediately answer:

“But—”

No but.

😆❤️‍🔥

Sit.

Receive.

❤️‍🔥 FROM THEIR HEART TO OURS

If we gathered the invitations of Scripture into one place, perhaps this is what our hearts need to hear today:

Come.

Cast your cares.

Receive grace.

Let Me give you rest.

Let Me love you first.

Let Me serve you.

Let Me carry what you cannot.

Then, when you have received love, go love somebody else.

Not to repay Me.

Not to prove yourself.

Not to purchase your place.

But because love received eventually becomes love overflowing.

😭❤️‍🔥🌎

“We love him, because he first loved us.”
— 1 John 4:19, KJV

There it is.

The whole thing.

He first loved us.

We receive.

Then…

we love.

🙏🏾 OUR RESPONSE

Father…

we have spent so much time trying to prove ourselves.

We’re tired.

Jesus…

we have resisted having our feet washed.

We thought strength meant always being the one holding the towel.

Forgive us where pride has kept our hands closed.

Heal us where hurt has kept them closed.

Comfort us where shame has kept them closed.

Give us wisdom where past manipulation taught us to fear every gift.

And then…

slowly…

gently…

teach us to open our hands.

😭🙏🏾❤️‍🔥

We receive Your grace.

We receive Your mercy.

We receive Your correction.

We receive Your comfort.

We receive Your rest.

We receive the trustworthy people You place around us.

We receive help without calling ourselves helpless.

We receive love without calling ourselves burdens.

And when guilt says:

“You need to pay this back,”

remind us that gratitude can simply say:

“Thank You.”

Father…

Thank You.

Jesus…

Thank You.

For coming.

For staying.

For carrying.

For loving first.

For loving still.

And for teaching us how to love because we finally learned how to receive Yours.

Amen.

😭❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Beloveds…

Maybe today there is no Cassandra Challenge.

No homework.

No assignment.

Maybe today receiving IS the assignment.

Sit there.

Let Them love you.

Let grace finish its sentence before guilt interrupts.

And when your heart finally finds words…

just whisper:

“Thank You, Father.”

“Thank You, Jesus.”

“I receive.”

😭🙏🏾❤️‍🔥

From His heart to ours.
From our hearts to yours.

Unapologetically His.
Unapologetically yours.

Asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

One step. One step. One step. You are loved. You are NOT alone. Keep on being…YOU! ❤️‍🔥🌎