With valentines day coming I have been pondering Love. If you stop to think about Love you will notice there are so many different kinds of love. Love for your friends, your husband/wife, your children, your neighbors, pets and the list could go on. I've been thinking a lot about the love between husband and wife and mothers and children.
The love that I have for my husband is completely different then the emotions and passions I have towards my children. For Dave I feel such thankfulness, pride, acceptance, joy, boldness etc. For husbands and wives who have children it is so important to make time to be with one another and tell each other how much the other means. Life can get so crazy busy and chaotic at times that our relationships can get lost in the sea of children! For Dave and I we love to spend time together wither it be just talking once the boys have gone to bed( we know it as couch time), watching a movie, having an "at home" date or going out on a real date if we don't get this at least once a week our interactions get a little shaky. We begin to get snippy and short with each other and we all pay for it. Its taken us 5 years to figure out that its okay to take time for us! As parents you can get so guilty about needing to take a breather and just be with your spouse. When your children are born you think you need to spend every waking moment with them or they will end up in therapy saying how mom and dad didn't spend enough time with me. That is so ridiculous! If you and your mate are not okay the children will not be okay.
As for the love I have for my children its different and the same with every child. I know that makes no sense. But there are aspects of each child I adore and they don't all have them. Noah is such a leader and protector of his things and his siblings. I love that about him! Judah is sensitive and really feels peoples pain and joys. That speaks to me so loudly. At the age of 2 he can already feel when I need a hug, when I need to be told he loves me and when I just need to be left alone. I love how God wired that one! Miss Olivia brings such joy where ever we go. Her eyes smile at you when she hasn't seen you in a while. Someone called her a delicate beauty and that has touched my heart since I heard it. She is the apple of her daddy's eye! I love all 3 of them with such a deep passion that it will never be broken. No matter what they do I will always love them. I may not like them at times but the love will always be there.
That type of unconditional, no restrictions, never changing, all consuming love is what the Lord has for us. I know everyone has heard this verse a million times but just think in the mindset of a parent. John 3:16 "But God so LOVED the world that HE GAVE his ONLY SON..." Could you do that? If you were asked to sacrifice a child for the sake of others would you do that? There is no way I could. Lets be honest. God loves this crazy, scary. messed up world enough to give, as a love sacrifice, his only flesh and blood. For what? US! For you and me so we could have the ability to love, laugh and live. The only thing he asks us in return, Matthew 22:37 " LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. This is the greatest commandment." To me thats a little request for such a big sacrifice....
No comments:
Post a Comment