DTS WEEK 9: Biblical Love & Identity
This week, our Fall DTS students heard from Pat Caven on what biblical love looks like, original design, the roles of men and women, and healing from shame and past trauma. Pat Caven is an absolute powerhouse speaker bringing the tender heart of a mother and fiery passion to a beautiful balance in how she teaches. She is passionate about the younger generations knowing what real, biblical love is and who they are as being designed by God. Pat has a wild testimony that shows the true, redemptive heart of God in the areas of sexual identity and shame. She is honest, vulnerable, and deeply authentic, and our students were so blessed to have her teaching on topics so prevalent in our day!
Pat shared on the importance of knowing what it is we believe about God. A direct quote from her on this topic of pursuing the truth of who God is: “Human nature is in a war with the truth of who God is.” Our understanding of his character directly impacts our understanding of his love for us. Our understanding of God can be shaped by many things throughout our lives — our father, our mother, teachers, pastors, friends, mentors, etc. Whether it was how we were taught or the direct example we saw from people, our beliefs about God run much deeper than just what we learned in church. Pat says “In order to recognize counterfeits, you have to know the real thing.” If your father was angry and distant or loving and close, it is very common for your understanding of God to fall in alignment with that experience. Pat empathizes with the way our story shapes how we see God and provides the hope that healing is possible. She encourages people to acknowledge those counterfeits through the pursuit of solid truth found in scripture. It is possible for our minds to be renewed as we seek who God truly is. And, he wants us to know him! He desires that we know his real, true, unaltered character. So, in knowing that, let’s continue to have the faith and hope that he is with us and near to us as we discover who he is.
Pat also unpacked the truth that “shame is broken when it’s brought into the light.” Whatever your shame is connected to, God did not design you to live in it. Shame is the whisper of the enemy, not the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Pat says “We can’t out-sin the blood of Jesus.” When we find the courage and boldness to bring our shame into the light, the love of God is poured over it leaving us comforted, whole, and free! Bringing shame into the light can look like being vulnerable with a close friend. It can look like sitting before God and pouring your heart out to him. Whatever you choose (highly recommend both), the Father is ready and excited to pour out his healing love over you. Freedom is tangible, friends. The enemy will try his hardest to convince you you’re stuck forever, but it just isn’t true. Vulnerability is your key to freedom. And, I promise you, you’re more brave than you could ever realize.
Below are some more quotes from Pat that we absolutely love! What a fiery week for our students to receive from.
“The nature of love is to give. The nature of lust is to get.” // “God is the source of love, but we never outgrow our need for the body of Christ.” // “God is so secure in who He is, that He doesn't have to defend Himself when we accuse Him of being something He’s not.” // “God wants you to see yourself as He sees you.”