choosing to love

I'm learning to love in new ways, learning to love when love is not readily returned.  

Love of course, is a choice. 

I can choose to love and choose to act in love, regardless of how others are acting.  Sometimes it's easy - when someone is kind to me, I want to be nice to them. But when people are mean, the natural (human, sinful) response is to be nasty right back at them.  Being mean back doesn't actually make me happy though.  It just adds to the hurt and nastiness of the whole situation and makes things worse.

...love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you

Luke 6.27-28 NIV

What wisdom in these words from Jesus, who did just that - He loved and had compassion on the very people who not only mistreated him but killed Him.  And He continues to love the rest of us who do things that hurt Him.

When I respond to hurtful words or actions with love and kindness, I feel better.  When I pray for the person -- not that they get what they deserve, as tempting as that is! but that they come to know His love so that they don't continue to be mean -- I get some peace in my heart.

I want to act in love towards everyone and respond in love to everything.  I don't get this right every time by any means, but I know it's the right thing to do and that He's helping me -- and that gives me the energy and motivation to keep working at it.

ps I love you

I got a 'PS. I love you' from God today.  

The past few days have been difficult.  This morning, a work colleague sent me an email.  She told me she knew my husband and I are having difficulties in our marriage.  

She didn't say how she knew.  But she wanted to offer an ear to listen and she wanted to encourage me with the story of her marriage and the seemingly insurmountable battles she and her husband faced and overcame with God. 

As I read her email, tears of pain and thankfulness streamed down my face and I began to thank God for sending me someone to encourage and support me on this journey. 

Thank you God for reminding me that you love me and you haven't forgotten me!

His promises

I love this photo!  I loved it when I took it a few years ago, but it has since grown in meaning for me and I treasure it.  

I added the definition of love from 1 Corinthians 13 to this image and had it blown up to poster size, which I hung in my home as a reminder about how to be loving.  I did it at a time when I felt I wasn't being loving enough to people around me and I needed a visual reminder to have a better and more loving response and attitude. 

That passage was read at my wedding a couple years ago and probably a month or two into our marriage, I printed out a smaller (page size) version of that poster and hung it in our kitchen.  We've since moved and that same image is now in our bedroom, a regular reminder to me of what TRUE love us.

To love like that is only possible through God.  He loves us like that - it is His kind of love, agape love.  To love unselfishly, with patience, kindness, goodness, forgiveness, etc is not a human thing to do - we all naturally think of ourselves first.  But through His transforming spirit, I believe we can love like this if we ask Him to daily fill us with this love and His Holy Spirit.  I ask Him to fill me to overflowing so that this true and genuine love might flow through me and onto those around me.

This is a love that loves regardless (and even despite) of the actions or response of those being loved.  I'm still working on this in my own life -- I am learning and growing.  I'll share more about that in another post.

Back to the photo.  Although I selected this image to make my poster about love, the rainbow is not so much a symbol about love about a symbol of promise.  God's promises.  To us.

I will put my rainbow in the clouds to be a sign of my promise to the earth.

Genesis 9.13 GW

As I go through difficult times, this image reminds me of God's faithfulness. He keeps His promises. His love never fails.  No matter how bad things get, I know I can trust Him to be with me as He has promised.  I know He will guide me and help me because He cares for me. HE LOVES ME.

elephant journey

I heard an ancient tribal story recently which really spoke to me.

There was once an elephant who dreamed to become a healer.  When she was still young, however, she was forced out of her homeland.  As she set out to find a new home, she was hit with one challenge after another - attacked by other animals, no water, no food, lost in unfamiliar places...  She was battered, scarred, torn, wounded, frail.  But each time, her dream in mind, she found strength to continue on her way.  Eventually she came to a beautiful pool in a peaceful place.  As she eased herself into the pool, it's healing waters transformed her into spirit.  Her spirit remains there and all who want to become healers must now walk her path, facing the struggles and bearing the wounds until they come to that pool.  As they reach it's refreshing waters, her spirit fills them, restores and heals them, and gives them what they need to be healers. 

I've been going through some really difficult struggles over the past few years. I know that I'm growing and learning from these difficulties and challenges and that God will be able to use me in new ways because of these experiences.  My prayer is that he will be able to use me to help heal others.  But while I am still in the midst of it, I'm learning that I need to seek out God's calm restoring pools of refreshment in order to survive each attack on my life journey. 

     He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul... 

Psalm 23.2-3a NIV

I've started this blog is a space for me to document some of my journey, what I'm learning, my struggles, heartaches and joys.  My hope is that God will use it to bring hope and healing - both for me and others going through struggles.