SO many thoughts, constantly swirling around in my head…
Friends getting married, getting divorced, having marriage issues, asking for advice… CONSTANTLY.
Friends having babies, TRYING to have babies and not succeeding, friends wanting to hand off their kids for a few… HA!
Bills mounting up, worries about paying bills. Friends going through various drug dependencies – or trying to stay clean.
Worries about wayfaring children…
Worries about relationships, or lack thereof…
Happy days, laughs, smiles, tears, adventures, and so on.
Everyday brings all of these things and more.
CONSTANTLY.
LOVE.
There is one reason we choose to offer support, we choose to stay, when walking away would be MUCH easier. Why do we listen when all we want to do is talk? Why do we agree to do things when we’d rather be doing ANYTHING else? Why do we hug/hold/kiss/cry – when those “emotional” things aren’t really our style?
LOVE
Love has varying degrees. I LOVE pizza. I LOVE brownies (and let’s be real – ALL sweets) I LOVE a good glass of red wine. I LOVE my family/BF/Friends, etc. I LOVE to travel.
Hopefully, when you say how much you LOVE the Clemson Tigers football team, its not the same type of love you feel for your child, or your significant other. I mean, I personally, cannot imagine loving ANYTHING more than my beloved Tigers but hey… 😉
Regardless of who or what you’re referring to, when you discuss love, the love you feel is
constant.
After all, that’s why it’s called “LOVE”. You don’t “sort of” like it sometimes. No, you don’t appreciate it certain times of the day, month or year. NO! If you LOVE something, or someone, you
CONSTANTLY
love it. The feelings don’t change on a daily basis. I heard the following story:
A man was traveling, and stopped off in a city to grab something to drink.
He ran into a woman who was alone, and getting a drink, as well.
They began talking, and he asks where her husband is. She says she isn’t married, and he, surprisingly says “Right. You’ve been married 5 times. And, the man you’re currently living with isn’t your husband, either, is he?”
Astonished, the woman embarrassingly says “that’s true”.
But, instead of criticizing or belittling her, the man tells her he has everything she needs, and will ever need.
The woman, not believing her ears, and finding it hard to accept that he is willing to get to know her, despite somehow, knowing she has issues. (To say the least)
She hurries to her friends and begs them to come meet the man who “Wants to know me, even though he knows all about me”.
Let those words sink in for a minute.
Can you imagine?
Finding someone in this life who knows everything. EVERY thing about you. The “little while lies” you don’t think anyone will ever know about. The HUGE lies that would destroy your career, your life, is ever discovered. The places you’ve been, words you’ve said about your “friends”, words said in anger….
No matter who close we are with people, there are always things we wish or hope to keep secret forever.
Imagine the freedom in being loved and accepted for exactly who you are, even though you are fully known!
**Admission**: This is a story in the bible. John 4, to be exact. It is also featured in the AMAZING show, “The Chosen”, which is streaming on it’s own platform. If you haven’t started watching yet, start now!
I have issues. You have issues. We ALL have some sort of issue in our life.
It weakens us, scares us, threatens us.
But just remember; TRUE LOVE is constant. It never wavers or leaves.
I’m SO thankful for true love. Both on this earth, and from my heavenly Father.
I’m so glad, even when I don’t necessarily WANT to be fully known, I AM.
And, most importantly, I’m still accepted, and loved. And, so are YOU. No matter what. CONSTANTLY
What a gift.
XO