Every person in the world has the desire to be loved! I believe that to be true, even when people think they don’t need love… I know they really do!
The date was February 12, 1990… the day my incredible hubby (then boyfriend) proposed to me! He got down on both knees and asked me… me to be his wife! Ahhh… yes! I hope I never forget how loved I felt in that moment!
"LOVE where it ALL began,"...that was a part of Luke’s and my love story, but that pales in comparison to where LOVE really began!
I love my husband, I love my family and friends, but none of that would matter if it didn't all start with the love of God. Love from Christ is where love began.
"Then Christ will live in you through faith. I also pray that love may be the ground into which you sink your roots and on which you have your foundation. This way, … you will be able to understand how wide, long, high, and deep His love is. You will know Christ’s love which goes far beyond any knowledge. I am praying this so that you may be completely filled with God." ~ Ephesians 3:17-19
Shhhhhh… Take just a moment… step away from the hustle of life… quiet your heart… lean in to Him. Do you hear it? He is whispering to the ears of your heart! “I love you!” He is such a good Daddy!
In the daily grind of life it is easy to forget how loved you are… He will not always stop the yucky things of life, but He will always use it all for good. (Romans 8:28)
So when you lose track of how “gaga” in love God is for you, read Psalms 139. Here is how my heart reads this scripture, starting in verse 5… Lord, You have me covered from behind and in front of me… Your hand is all over me! The reality of this is too incredible… I cannot even imagine how much You love me! No matter what life throws at me or where I find myself… You are always with me! Even in the worst parts of life… You are there! There is nowhere I can go or nothing I can do… You will still lead me and hold me in Your love. (Carin’s heart translation)
Love is not something to keep to yourself… it is to be given away! I think love is one of the only gifts in this world that the more you give it away… THE MORE YOU HAVE!!! It is never ending!!! Gives a whole new meaning to “re-gifting!”
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” ~ Romans 12:9-10
Remember… it’s not a once a year heart thing… it's an everyday of the year heart thing! Christ set the example… if we can even grasp a small amount of how much we are loved… how much of a change could we make by loving others? God’s kind of love flows from a loving heart not out of duty or coercion… it is from a joyful heart not from a guilty consciences… it is our choice… what will we do with it?!
In His Grace
Carin