Come Away From....

"O my love, how beautiful you are! There is no flaw in you! Come away with me from from Lebanon. Depart from the top of Amana, from the peak of Senir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards. You have ravished my heart and given me courage, my sister." (Song of Songs 4:7-10)

I've planted myself in this passage the past week. Here are some of my observations:

The invitation to "Come away with Me," stands out, especially because the places which He is asking the Bride to depart from (Lebanon, the top of Amana, the peak of Senior) were beautiful places. My peak of Senir is Santa Barbara-mid 70's everyday, mountains, and ocean. Each winter, I ask myself why I ever left the heaven-on-earth climate. Take a moment to picture your perfect location. What feelings arise in you as you imagine being asked to leave? This invitation also requires the bride to leave her family and cleave to Him. Depending on your family background, you might also resonate with the difficulty of this requirement. My middle sister and I both got married this year, moved away from Minnesota, and experienced moments of sadness being far away from home. Because it would be difficult to leave such a comfortable setting, it seems that the Bridegroom intentionally sandwiches His invitation "come away" between bold declarations of His love for His bride to reassure her.

Beneath the request to "come away from" family and physical places of familiarity is a spiritual invitation. What are you being invited to "Come Away From" spiritually? Here are some of the things that came up for me. Notice that following each word, is a statement of how each word can become an excuse as to why I couldn't "come away." Pay attention to the excuses that are connected to each thing that God is inviting you to come away from.

Shame- "I can't come away because I am flawed.

Performance- "I can only come away if I perform well."

Fear- "I can't come away because I am afraid of actually being known and letting you see my flaws."

Self-hatred- "I can't come because I'm inadaqute."

People-pleasing- "I can't come because what if my decision disappoints my family and friends?"

In order to accept this invitation, we must reject the lies behind each of our excuses and replace them with the Truth of who God is and says that we are. First Corinthians 13 describes God's unconditional love and acceptance of us. To personalize this passage, I've replaced the word love with Bridegroom because God is love. Take time to recall the love and kindness of God, your Bridegroom. As read each line, ask God to show you if your perception of Him is in error in any way.

My Bridegroom is patient and kind.

My Bridegroom is not envious, never boastful.

My Bridegroom is not arrogant.

My Bridegroom is never rude, nor is He self-seeking.

My Bridegroom is not quick to take offense.

My Bridegroom keeps no records of wrongs.

My Bridegroom does not gloat over my sins but is always glad when truth prevails.

My Bridegroom knows no limit to His endurance, no end to His trust.

My Bridegroom is always hopeful and patient.

As we gain a more accurate understanding of who God, our Bridegroom, actually is and experience His unconditional love and acceptance, our excuses and hesitances from the list above dissipate.