Growth Steps: Step 1 – To Be Loved!
What do you do when you feel lost in life?
Each of us spends our lives on a journey longing deeply—for meaning, for love, for significance. Do you ever
have the feeling that you are chasing something in life that won’t fully satisfy you? Crying out, “There’s
got to be more!” Where do you turn?
We have the answer!
When you long for a love that is deep and satisfying, when you want to give yourself to something that will truly make a difference, or when you seek answers to life’s most difficult questions, you are looking for God. The problem is our selfish longings end up leading us away from, instead of toward, our Creator. Many people think they are doing just fine without God. But eventually the things they trust in—money, health, beauty, intelligence, etc.—will disappoint them, and they will be ready to hear about a hope that can’t be found in themselves.
We can Help!
Let Lake Side Church help you to understand and listen to your longings in a whole new way. We want to help you wake up to who you really are, and for you to believe that God wants you to be found even more than you want to find him. People need to know that God loves them, that their lives have meaning and purpose, that there is hope even when physical life seems pointless. God has given us the good news and we want to share it together.
Steps for finding our way to God:
[1] Letting God Love You
Our longing for real love goes all the way back to how the human race was made in the first place. God intended that we experience his love both directly from him and through others we relate to in a healthy way. What we long for, God doesn’t just have but actually God is. He is love and he pursues us with love. Will you open yourself up to letting God fill your longing to be loved and to love?
[2] Wishing You Could Start Over
Inside each of us is the conviction that we came from goodness and love and that we’re made for more of it. But, when we hit bottom and realize what a mess we have made of this life, and what a mess life has made of us, our reaction is to say, “I wish I could start over.” The beautiful thing is, you can start over. God wants you to start over again. Will you let God give you a different kind of life?
[3] Knowing You Can’t Do It On Your Own
God rarely puts something new in your life until you let go of something old and broken. In finding our way back to God, we all have stuff in our lives that we need to let go of. Turning away from destructive choices and seeking help is a part of repentance. To repent is to go home where you belong. When you repent, God changes you. It’s about having a relationship with God. Will you admit you need help?
[4] Wanting To Know If You Are Loved
God is offering you something you want and need—a welcome home. But you may be saying, “I don’t deserve this.” God’s acceptance is just too unbelievable. But we have one set of convictions about ourselves, and God has another. We look at our past filled with failure and shame, and he looks at who we are with love and compassion. You aren’t what you’ve done or not done, or, what’s been done to you. You are who God says you are. His child, His precious child –and He especially loves you! Will you let yourself love Him and be loved by Him?
[5] Finding Your Way Back To God
God has a dream for you. God’s dream is that you would live with a confidence that he relentlessly and passionately loves you and can remake you. His dream is that you would willingly risk loving others because you know God has risked everything in loving you. Christ wants to be alive in you, and that changes just about everything. Now you can bring hope to the broken. Now you can be light in the darkness. Now, you know the way back home to God! It’s God’s love! Will you help others to find their way back too?
