Archives
June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Where is my hope?
Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 31:24
The caption of this Psalm according to Biblegatway.com is "A Psalm of Complaint and of Praise.". I found that to be interesting. I thought about it for about two seconds as I sat in bed this morning, and then finished my reading (btw, I love reading the word online. I like turning the pages, but I also like reading it from the screen. I guess that makes me part of the generation that has a short attention span for things not electronic. don't tell my husband, he'd be so dissapointed.)
then a few hours later, i thought about it in a different way. As I'm writing out a check, paying for something we have to pay for, with money we don't have. And frustration and a kind of angst rose up in me. Then I read about a good friend and a simple thought they had about Starbucks, and I realized that it's been a few months since I've been able to go into Starbucks and order something because I felt like it, not on a preplanned and budgeted visit.
life has changed. for the better! the financial crisis we find ourselves in is not because of bad choices made, but the price to be paid to find healing and normalcy. The responsiblities of being an adult. of being married. of living on our own.
even yesterday I was thinking of the simple things I am so grateful for, food, a roof over my head, the love of friends and family, and so content.
this is a season, and in this season, my psalm would go something like this:
God, You are so faithful,
since I was a child,
You have guided my steps,
heard my cries,
those spoken and unspoken.
Time and time again,
I've known Your faithfulness,
even in moments of desperation,
Your mercy and grace have offered provision.
I yearn for the simple pleasures of old,
days when each penny was not counted,
movies, lunches out and trips for coffee on breaks,
I know You have not forgotten.
This path of change,
leading toward growth and healing,
is not easy,
but is not desperate.
I see Your hand in everything,
and I wait for days of plenty,
where I can shop where I please,
but until that time,
I will be faithful as well.
A faithful steward of the gifts You have given,
a faithful steward of the relationships I am blessed with,
a faithful steward of the joy that must be earned.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Love
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
-1 John 4:7-12 (NRSV)
agape| Definition |
- brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence
- love feasts
|
The love I am to have for my husband is multidimensional. It's not just the feelings I have for him. It's not just the butterflies he gives me. It's not just because we've been together for more than five years. It's not just what he does for me. It's not even just the vows we made to each other of commitment and dedication.
It's also the living out of God's love in me. It's the opportunity given to me to live sacrificially. To love with everything I am, no matter what the cost. Through my love for him, I know God more, I become more like Him. As I love as love is meant to be, I discover even more how God intended for me to live.
It's also the witness of God's love to others. The witness of God's love to my husband. As I am able to flesh out sacrificial love to him, he is able to see in a broken vessel, a glimpse of God's love for him. That love, the love of God worked out through the Holy Spirit in me, helps transform him even more into the likeness of Christ.
It's the witness of God's love to people who witness our relationship. Our love for one another is an example, not a perfect example, but an example of how God created man and woman to serve one another, compliment and work together. In a broken society where love and marriage are viewed as unnecessary and temporary, our love is meant to be a shining light of a holy covenant.
God, teach me how to love. May I always come back to your example.
Archives
June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 31:24
The caption of this Psalm according to Biblegatway.com is "A Psalm of Complaint and of Praise.". I found that to be interesting. I thought about it for about two seconds as I sat in bed this morning, and then finished my reading (btw, I love reading the word online. I like turning the pages, but I also like reading it from the screen. I guess that makes me part of the generation that has a short attention span for things not electronic. don't tell my husband, he'd be so dissapointed.)
then a few hours later, i thought about it in a different way. As I'm writing out a check, paying for something we have to pay for, with money we don't have. And frustration and a kind of angst rose up in me. Then I read about a good friend and a simple thought they had about Starbucks, and I realized that it's been a few months since I've been able to go into Starbucks and order something because I felt like it, not on a preplanned and budgeted visit.
life has changed. for the better! the financial crisis we find ourselves in is not because of bad choices made, but the price to be paid to find healing and normalcy. The responsiblities of being an adult. of being married. of living on our own.
even yesterday I was thinking of the simple things I am so grateful for, food, a roof over my head, the love of friends and family, and so content.
this is a season, and in this season, my psalm would go something like this:
God, You are so faithful,
since I was a child,
You have guided my steps,
heard my cries,
those spoken and unspoken.
Time and time again,
I've known Your faithfulness,
even in moments of desperation,
Your mercy and grace have offered provision.
I yearn for the simple pleasures of old,
days when each penny was not counted,
movies, lunches out and trips for coffee on breaks,
I know You have not forgotten.
This path of change,
leading toward growth and healing,
is not easy,
but is not desperate.
I see Your hand in everything,
and I wait for days of plenty,
where I can shop where I please,
but until that time,
I will be faithful as well.
A faithful steward of the gifts You have given,
a faithful steward of the relationships I am blessed with,
a faithful steward of the joy that must be earned.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
-1 John 4:7-12 (NRSV)
agape| Definition |
- brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence
- love feasts
|
The love I am to have for my husband is multidimensional. It's not just the feelings I have for him. It's not just the butterflies he gives me. It's not just because we've been together for more than five years. It's not just what he does for me. It's not even just the vows we made to each other of commitment and dedication.
It's also the living out of God's love in me. It's the opportunity given to me to live sacrificially. To love with everything I am, no matter what the cost. Through my love for him, I know God more, I become more like Him. As I love as love is meant to be, I discover even more how God intended for me to live.
It's also the witness of God's love to others. The witness of God's love to my husband. As I am able to flesh out sacrificial love to him, he is able to see in a broken vessel, a glimpse of God's love for him. That love, the love of God worked out through the Holy Spirit in me, helps transform him even more into the likeness of Christ.
It's the witness of God's love to people who witness our relationship. Our love for one another is an example, not a perfect example, but an example of how God created man and woman to serve one another, compliment and work together. In a broken society where love and marriage are viewed as unnecessary and temporary, our love is meant to be a shining light of a holy covenant.
God, teach me how to love. May I always come back to your example.
restoredhope;
Isaiah 61
The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me.
He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken,
Announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners.
God sent me to announce the year of his grace
- a celebration of God's destruction of our enemies
- and to comfort all who mourn,
To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,
give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,
Messages of joy instead of news of doom,
a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.
Rename them "Oaks of Righteousness" planted by God to display his glory.
I'm a
*God serving *youth loving *rollercoaster riding *vanilla latte sipping *mac using *joke making *wagon driving *80's crazed *T.V. hating *yet LOST adoring *Halo playing *H2O drinking *legal assisting *text messaging *JDC stalking *wedding planning *LIFE graduating *livejournaling *Hanson listening *5 piercing *dancing fool
without her I'd be less.
