Love Glasses

If only it were so easy... just put some gadget on and you will see the world differently. Change your glasses, put on different shoes, wear different clothes, walk down a different street.... some of these things may work for a time, but they aren't permanent. 




This came on the iPod today and since it's love week here on the blog, I thought I'd share it. 


Don't get me wrong. There's not a thing wrong with trying something to help remember to see folks as God sees them. It just doesn't last unless we're letting God love them through us. As hard as we try, we will always fall short. Otherwise, we wouldn't need Him.

"Keep truth seeking, listen to wisdom speaking, catch his heartbeat and see the world through Gods eyes!"
"God give us grace to see all things, To see man's heart the way You see" ~ Beckah Shae

Check out some of these other posts about love from other bloggers:

Ali ~ Christy ~ Lauren ~ Scott (he hasn't posted yet... boo) ~ Babetta ~ Leslie ~ Carl

Random LOVEly Thoughts

• Love really is patient.
• It's impossible to love something that can't love you back.
• Just because something/someone can love you back, it doesn't mean they will. Love them anyway.
• Sometimes it's harder to receive love than it is to give it. Sometimes it's the other way around.
• There are times when it's easier to love a stranger than it is to love those closest to you.
• Love is hard to measure. 
• Love is a choice.
• Talking about loving and actually loving are very different. The former is much easier, less risky, and way, I mean way, less painful.
• You can learn a lot about love from a dog. Not so much from a cat. (This might get me some hate mail)
• Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand. - Mother Teresa
• First, love God. Second, love everyone else. The rest will fall into place - just don't get the order mixed up.
• Love hurts sometimes, but it's worth it. 
• There's always someone within reach that needs to know what love really is.
• God loves me, so it's okay if you choose not to. 
• It's all about love, love, love, love, love. Thanks Steven Curtis Chapman. That part of that song is all I could remember all week, and it's stuck in my head.
• It's hard to love someone when all you see is their faults. 
• Love doesn't change based on circumstances.

What about you? What thoughts run through your head when you think about love?

Fruit of the Spirit: Love

{Love. Who came up with the idea to put love first? I mean, where do I start? When I think about love, I either sit here, staring off into space thinking, "uhhhhhh, ummmmm, uhhhhh, yeah". Or, my mind reels with a gazillion thoughts that never really form into anything. I've written about love before. Do I really have to again? I mean, you get it, right?

Sigh.

Okay.

I'll do it.}

(please excuse the previous conversation that occurred out loud in my head. it wasn't meant to be shared, but sometimes, that just happens)

On to the real blog now.

In case you haven't stopped by in a while (and why would you, unless you like watching paint dry), this is the first in a blog series on the fruit of the spirit. I have some friends coming along to share their thoughts on the fruit, too. More about them later. If you're bored here and want to know more, they are all linked on the side bar, and some of them are on top of it and have already posted.

Today as I was driving to work, I was thinking about this word love and how poorly I've been doing it lately.  On the outside I can go through the motions with the best of 'em. But on the inside, I'm doing what's right. It's not what comes naturally. Not yet anyway.  I want to have that instant "what can I do to love this person more" reaction in every situation. Don't you? Maybe you already do that, but I think we can all fall short sometimes, so don't think I'm beating myself up here.

Jesus loved in every moment. I want to be like Him. He got it right. I mean, when one of your names is Love, how can you not just automatically bleed love?

Where does that leave me? My name isn't Love.

But Love is in me. He has placed His love in me so I can let it flow out of me. This reminds me of a thought I had recently. God doesn't give us anything we're to keep for ourselves. He gives it to us so we can give it, share it, explain it, express it, nurture it and let it go, learn from it.

I am not Love, like He is. But I am His beloved. Cherished. Loved. His love in me is not just for me. It is in me so I can give it, share it, explain it, express it, nurture it and let it go, and learn from it.  I'm still learning.

I have a feeling there will be more on this subject this week. Stay tuned.  In the mean time, check out these blogs from earlier today:  there is beauty in letting go, a joyful journal, the rabbit hole chronicles

...Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Fruit of the Spirit: A Blog Series

This is something new for me. I had the idea to write a series of blog posts on a particular subject. Since I haven't been writing much lately, I thought it would be a good jump start to get back into the habit. I started talking with a friend about it, and there were so many questions to answer...

What subject?
When should I post?
Should it be daily? Weekly?
What if I forget?
What if I'm not inspired?

Then I thought... why put so much pressure on myself? Just have others post as guest bloggers on your site!  Brilliant!

But that defeats the purpose of me actually writing. So then it hit me, do the series, but bring someone along for the accountability and inspiration to keep going. So I asked someone, and then someone else, and then another, and so on. So now what we have is several bloggers participating in this series, and I'm super excited about it!

Over the next few weeks, I'll be introducing you to their blogs. Some are people I've known my whole life, others I've just met, and the rest fall in between there somewhere. Some I know in real life, others just on-line. But what's really cool about it, is we all love Jesus. He's the reason we're doing this. He's the reason we write. He's the reason we live. He's the reason we take our next breath. Without Him, none of this matters.

Starting next week, we'll all be starting a series on the fruit of the spirit. Each week, a different fruit, starting with love next week.  Feel free to join in on the fun.

...Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Can You Believe It?

Was in my first 5k today with some people from work. You may be asking the question that I've asked myself for weeks...

You did what?!?!

Yeah.  I didn't run the whole thing, but I think I did maybe half of it, and finished it in around 42 minutes. That's pretty good for this girl who couldn't run at all as a kid without running out of breath in about a minute.  Don't get me wrong, I still huff and puff a lot, but I guess that's ok when you're 40-something. I'm not sure how many participated overall, and I wanted to write this while it was fresh in my mind so I'm not waiting until the results show up on the website. 

One interesting thing happened shortly after the race started. I was moving along, and people were everywhere. It was a little overwhelming, but I made it through that part (I really didn't know what to expect at the start of a race. It can be a bit chaotic if you've never done it before). I was listening to music, which not only motivates but also helps drown out the aforementioned huffing and puffing. I was probably about 1/4 mile in, and I heard the lyrics in my ears....

With my feet off the ground I'm gonna praise You
With this love I have found, I'm gonna tell the world
The reason I dance is 'cause You saved me
Yes You saved me, yes You saved me

And here's where it got odd. I mean, interesting is what I said before so let's go with that.  I started to cry. Not just a few tears, but I was trying with all my might to not sob out loud.

At first glance, they don't seem like words that would make a person cry, do they? Not to me either. I've listened to that song a whole bunch of times and I'm pretty sure I never cried before. Have you ever tried to run while you're crying? It is NOT easy.

Then, it hit me. One year ago I was in Romania (can you believe it?). I was holding babies. I was walking up hill at some point that day (that's just a given - everything is up hill) and I know I couldn't keep up, and I'm sure I was doing a lot of that huffing and puffing I mentioned before. I'm pretty sure that it was one year ago today (or tomorrow) that we walked up to the Hollywood, I mean Brasov sign and the man I passed told me I was "last in line". Then I wrote this.

Today, I realized that I'm not last in line any more. Not physically, not emotionally, not spiritually. Oh I know I wasn't really last then, but my perception at the time was just that. Last. I also know that I'm certainly not first now.

As I pulled myself together, I found myself running and praising God and thanking him for how far he has brought me in the last year. He did save me. Once many years ago he saved me from me, and last year, he saved me from Meningitis (whether you believe I was saved by the healing hand of God or the miracle of modern medicine, He did save me). And of course, that made me cry more, and a few of those sobs I was trying to hold in escaped. If you're new here or have forgotten what happened, check out this post. I did eventually manage to pull myself together for the majority of the run though.

Toward the end of the race - maybe 1/2 mile from the end of the race, I passed a man on the side of the road. Unlike the man who saw my defeat in Romania, this man spoke to my potential. He said,

"You're almost there. You can make it."

It's amazing what that little bit of encouragement did for my drive to finish. I'd like to say I sprinted the rest of the way, but I didn't, but I did have a little more spring in my step.  (This is a a great place to pause and remind you that death and life are in the power of the tongue, and something so powerful should be used with extreme care - there's your less for today).

As I turned the corner to cross the finish line, I scanned quickly the crowd for the rest of our team from work. I didn't see them, but I decided to sprint to the finish line and then look for them. Right before I crossed the finish line, I heard someone call my name. Once again, I knew I wasn't alone. My team was waiting for me, once again - just like the team waited at the top of the hill in Romania. But this time, I celebrated and, once again, fought back the tears.

Oh, that song up there is "Let it Out" by Worth Dying For, in case you were curious.
Update: Looks like just over 700 participants in the race, and I was #423 - official time 41:37.7. I'll take it!