The Shulamite Woman

come away with me, my love.

Why do you run away from love?

What an odd question especially when it comes from God.

Growing up and even now I am a hopeless romantic, for most of my teenage years K-drama kind of love was my dream kind of love story. In the movies, I would watch the guy always go far and beyond for the lady he loves, and one particular series I absolutely love is When The Camellia Blooms.

I would like to take this moment to give a shout to all my co-Hallmark movie fans. Who doesn’t love a good romcom? But I digress. There would be one character who is afraid to love, hurt, broken, or too stuck up in their own world and the other would be the complete opposite. I remember reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and wanting to pull my hair out every time Angel would refuse Michael’s love. I could never understand why she was afraid to love him or let him love her until I started to reflect on how that story pointed to my own brokenness and how I was also guilty of running away from love, especially God’s Love.

I was talking to God a few days ago when that question was impressed in my heart, I was confused as to why God would ask me that until I found this scripture.

This is how love is made perfect in us: that we can be without fear on the day God judges us, because in this world we are like him. Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear. It is punishment that makes a person fear, so love is not made perfect in the person who fears. We love because God first loved us. 1 John 4: 17 - 19 NCV.

This is a very popular scripture, but reading it again after being asked that question, I have found a much deeper understanding. There is nothing to be afraid of in Love because the true expression of Love is freedom and faith. Fear takes away our ability to love and be loved but God’s love gives us freedom and faith. God wants to address those fears whatever they are. As I meditated a bit more on this scripture, I found out what my fears were.

The things we experience in life have a way of hardening our hearts, and can sometimes bring us to a place where we are afraid to love people and most of all God. For me, I have struggled with the feeling of “not being good enough” and I projected that on God. I am aware of God’s love and how unconditional it is but I still struggle to accept or fully rest in it. And when I accepted that and came to God telling about it, I found freedom and faith to accept his love.

Today God invites us to come boldly into His love, there is nothing to fear. We can never love God more than he loves us and he will never stop loving us no matter how flawed we are. God is not afraid to love you and he is not mad at how much you don’t love him or trust him, but rather He wants to walk with us to a place where we fall in love with him and become unashamed.

He desires great intimacy with us, so we can become like the Shulamite woman in Songs of Solomon and say “He brought me to the banquet room, and his banner over me is love. Strengthen me with raisins, and refresh me with apples, because I am weak with love.”

Cheers,

Ishioma.

Hello Satayaans, We have news for you………

• The SAFACS boot camp has officially ended, we had our last session on the 5th of October 2023. It has been 5 wonderful weeks with our amazing Scribes. Congratulations to every one of them, they will be moving on to the next stage. Here’s the latest on SAFACS.

• Our Editorial Team is happy to introduce to you The Scroll. The Scroll is Africa’s first E-magazine for Christian stories and a place for writers who would love to get their work published. For more information on this check out our website @satayaafrica.org.

• Do you know that Project 360 will be going to Kaduna? For more information about this project check our social media account @storiesafterschoolhours.

• For Partnership/sponsorship, you can contact us Call: 09094302026 Email: info.satayaa@gmail.com

• To get a free copy of YASHA click HERE.