Reason #940
Sixty days, people. Just prepare yourself for my obligatory countdown comment every 10th blog from here on out. It's just as exciting to count down as I have counted up. Well, maybe it gives me a little anxiety, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. There's no use in worrying about things in advance because you never now how they're going to turn out. Even when we plan, the unexpected happens. I mentioned last night that I was looking forward to writing my 1000th blog because I knew what I was going to write about. The truth is, I only think I know. I'm sure something unplanned will surface within the next 60 days and I'll be writing a blog on a topic I never expected. I do hope that if that's the case, however, it'll be something really good that I never expected.
Aaron and I have gone to the movies twice this month. We only go if we're certain we'll like the movie. I see no use in wasting our hard earned dollars on half of the junk Hollywood is coming up with these days. We tend to find ourselves being the one childless couple in all of the Pixar and Disney films, but that's alright. We know we'll leave having enjoyed our time. I admitted my love for romantic comedies a few weeks ago, and tonight we went to see a really good romantic comedy. Nothing warms my heart quite like seeing people fall in love. Watching people win one another over brings tears to my eyes. I love seeing the whole story play out, even those that go through rough patches, because love overcomes. All of the pain, the hurt, the betrayal, the disappointment, and the regret is overcome by love. It's a powerful feeling, love. A force to be reckoned with, and when love is on the line, nothing will stand in its way.
I never expected to fall in love. I didn't expect to be pursued. Not that my heart was bitter and hardened, I just didn't expect it to happen for me. This was before I believed in second chances. This was before I truly understood that the Lord's plans have no timelines and aren't held to our human constraints. But I guess I had a hard time believing that it could happen to me because I wasn't really sure what love looked like. I had thought love was supposed to stand the test of time. I had thought that nothing could come between love and the object of its affections. I didn't think that love could come to such an abrupt stop and end as if it had never began. I thought it was this overwhelming feeling that you couldn't shake, you know. This feeling that you carried with you wherever you went. It was the thing that tied you down, but not in a bad way. In the way that made you want to stay forever and never leave. I thought love would always figure it out one way or another. That love would jump through any hoop and overcome any obstacle it had to in order to remain. I figured that love could withstand anything, but I had been proven otherwise. All of my ideas of love had been dispelled, and I wondered how I was so wrong about something that I thought I completely understood.
But when I was at my worst, I fell in love. In the weakest of my moments, I was pursued. And I came to discover that all the things I had thought about love were actually true. Because I began to see it unfold before my very eyes in a way that I had never noticed before. Sure, I had talked about love, but this was different. It was everything I had said, but it was far from what I had really experienced. Because up until that moment, my idea of love had been perfectly packaged and contained. I had this pretty, sugar coated idea of love, and that's what I knew. I knew the Lord loved me. That wasn't news to me. But when I found myself in the dark, in the ugly and humiliating moments where I would weep and wallow and feel so alone, His love would overwhelm me. No amount of tears, no amount of questions, no amount of frustration or anger kept His love away. He wasn't afraid to show up and see me at my worst. To wrap me up and comfort me. Even when I didn't want to be around myself, He wanted to be there. He wanted to be with me. Not just some of the time, all of the time. And so He made that known. He made sure I understood that I didn't have to reserve the pretty moments to receive His love. He was lavishing it on me no matter what. And when an obstacle showed up, God's love helped me over it. No matter what was placed in my way, He'd figure it out. And just when I thought I was at a point where I was most unloved, the Lord made sure that I felt the most loved.
God's love stands the test of time. His love overcomes. And as we walk through life, His desire is that we know that. That we see the many ways He is drawing us to Himself. The very ways this divine romance is playing out. Because His love for us is deep. Deeper than we can really comprehend. It's the kind of love that lasts. The kind of love that can't be thwarted off. It's a love that is relentless, a love that pursues, and a love that know no bounds. A love that does not separate itself from us but rather consumes the object of its affections. It's a love that overwhelms, in the good way. A love that goes with you up the mountains and through the valleys. Nothing can stand in the way of God's love for you. Nothing. His love is a force to be reckoned with, and it's aimed right at you. You are loved. Even if you can't see it, even if it doesn't feel like it right now, even if you have a hard time believing it, it's true. Let Him love on you. Even if it's messy, even if it's a little embarrassing, even if it doesn't seem worthy of love, remember that this is God's love we're talking about here. Healing love, cleansing love, redemptive love. You, child of God, are dearly, unequivocally loved.
#940 - Because we are dearly, unequivocally loved.
"I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer." - Psalm 94:18-19
Aaron and I have gone to the movies twice this month. We only go if we're certain we'll like the movie. I see no use in wasting our hard earned dollars on half of the junk Hollywood is coming up with these days. We tend to find ourselves being the one childless couple in all of the Pixar and Disney films, but that's alright. We know we'll leave having enjoyed our time. I admitted my love for romantic comedies a few weeks ago, and tonight we went to see a really good romantic comedy. Nothing warms my heart quite like seeing people fall in love. Watching people win one another over brings tears to my eyes. I love seeing the whole story play out, even those that go through rough patches, because love overcomes. All of the pain, the hurt, the betrayal, the disappointment, and the regret is overcome by love. It's a powerful feeling, love. A force to be reckoned with, and when love is on the line, nothing will stand in its way.
I never expected to fall in love. I didn't expect to be pursued. Not that my heart was bitter and hardened, I just didn't expect it to happen for me. This was before I believed in second chances. This was before I truly understood that the Lord's plans have no timelines and aren't held to our human constraints. But I guess I had a hard time believing that it could happen to me because I wasn't really sure what love looked like. I had thought love was supposed to stand the test of time. I had thought that nothing could come between love and the object of its affections. I didn't think that love could come to such an abrupt stop and end as if it had never began. I thought it was this overwhelming feeling that you couldn't shake, you know. This feeling that you carried with you wherever you went. It was the thing that tied you down, but not in a bad way. In the way that made you want to stay forever and never leave. I thought love would always figure it out one way or another. That love would jump through any hoop and overcome any obstacle it had to in order to remain. I figured that love could withstand anything, but I had been proven otherwise. All of my ideas of love had been dispelled, and I wondered how I was so wrong about something that I thought I completely understood.
But when I was at my worst, I fell in love. In the weakest of my moments, I was pursued. And I came to discover that all the things I had thought about love were actually true. Because I began to see it unfold before my very eyes in a way that I had never noticed before. Sure, I had talked about love, but this was different. It was everything I had said, but it was far from what I had really experienced. Because up until that moment, my idea of love had been perfectly packaged and contained. I had this pretty, sugar coated idea of love, and that's what I knew. I knew the Lord loved me. That wasn't news to me. But when I found myself in the dark, in the ugly and humiliating moments where I would weep and wallow and feel so alone, His love would overwhelm me. No amount of tears, no amount of questions, no amount of frustration or anger kept His love away. He wasn't afraid to show up and see me at my worst. To wrap me up and comfort me. Even when I didn't want to be around myself, He wanted to be there. He wanted to be with me. Not just some of the time, all of the time. And so He made that known. He made sure I understood that I didn't have to reserve the pretty moments to receive His love. He was lavishing it on me no matter what. And when an obstacle showed up, God's love helped me over it. No matter what was placed in my way, He'd figure it out. And just when I thought I was at a point where I was most unloved, the Lord made sure that I felt the most loved.
God's love stands the test of time. His love overcomes. And as we walk through life, His desire is that we know that. That we see the many ways He is drawing us to Himself. The very ways this divine romance is playing out. Because His love for us is deep. Deeper than we can really comprehend. It's the kind of love that lasts. The kind of love that can't be thwarted off. It's a love that is relentless, a love that pursues, and a love that know no bounds. A love that does not separate itself from us but rather consumes the object of its affections. It's a love that overwhelms, in the good way. A love that goes with you up the mountains and through the valleys. Nothing can stand in the way of God's love for you. Nothing. His love is a force to be reckoned with, and it's aimed right at you. You are loved. Even if you can't see it, even if it doesn't feel like it right now, even if you have a hard time believing it, it's true. Let Him love on you. Even if it's messy, even if it's a little embarrassing, even if it doesn't seem worthy of love, remember that this is God's love we're talking about here. Healing love, cleansing love, redemptive love. You, child of God, are dearly, unequivocally loved.
#940 - Because we are dearly, unequivocally loved.
"I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer." - Psalm 94:18-19