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Thursday, February 11, 2010

now that is love



what is love anyway?
                                  
we all have our own idea of what we think it is. but what is it?

Scripture says that God is love! (I john 4:8) but, what good does that do us if we do not know God. then, all we do is make up what we think that God is like from our own experiences in life and that gives us our idea of what love is. then our idea of what love is, is as warped as our idea of who God is.

this time of year people are thinking about love a lot because valentine's day is quickly approaching. we all have our idea of what we would think a perfect valentine's day would be like; spending the day with that special person that we want to make us feel especially loved. and, many times our hearts' expectations are much higher than the real experience of the day and can leave us disappointed. those expectations come from our idea of what we think love should be like and the reason that there is usually some disappointment is because we are looking to someone else other than Love Himself to make our hearts complete. or, we eliminate all expectations of the day because we have been disappointed so many times before that we think it will be a better day if we expect very little.

i love my husband very much and can not imagine my life without him. he is a wonderful man and makes me feel very loved. but, there was a time in my life when that was not the case. it was not so much his lack of efforts in making me feel loved but my expectations in feeling loved were so wrapped up in him completing that in me that he could not have possibly lived up to what i expected from him. that left me feeling so disappointed so many days in my life. it wasn't until i realized that i was looking to him to make my heart complete instead of the only One who can do that in me that everything changed for me. i began to recognize that God was love and if that was the case then why was i looking to someone other than Him to be perfect in expressing love to me.

I did not really understand how to turn my heart to God to love me because I thought His love was just like everyone else's. my understanding of his thoughts toward me was warped because i did not understand what Love really was. so, i began to ask God to show me what Love was and help me look to Him to bring fulfillment to my heart. He showed me that all my Love expectations could be met in how He felt about me. He was love! perfect Love! and He never has feelings or acts in any way other than Love at any point! EVER! how He feels about me never changes. no matter how i was behaving, he was thinking love thoughts toward me not just because He had to but because that is what He truly thought and Who He was. i was overwhelmed with His unconditional feelings of adornment toward me. all that my heart had ever wanted in feeling secure in a loved position was beginning to me met in Him.

When i began to turn my heart to Him to make me feel like the cherished woman that i desired to be, i began to experience love that surpassed all of my expectations. my heart began to feel complete in Him. i released my husband from the bondage that i had created for him and began to enjoy his efforts in loving me instead of being disappointed in them. his expression of love toward me became the icing on the cake, the above and beyond, the over and above because i was already feeling more loved than i thought was possible in my relationship with God. now valentine's day is never disappointing to me. it is not the day to put huge expectations on anyone, it is a day to celebrate and experience the Love of God and express that completeness of our heart in loving others as well. that is what true Love can do for us! make our hearts complete and enable us to enjoy the expression of other people's love toward us in whatever capacity they are able to give it.

now that is Love!


25 comments:

Andrea said...

I think the hardest lesson in my life has been realizing ONLY GOD can fulfill my "every" desire and meet "all" my needs.

Great post!
Hugs, andrea

PS: Sitka has an award for you at All Gods Creatures.

Darcie said...

I believe that God has created us humans with a void that only his love can feel. Thankfully! Because then we seek Him and His love.

I also appreciated what you wrote about "huge expectations" on our spouses for Valentines Day. I have honestly always struggled with this day, because I have felt it is something that men are forced to do. I would much rather my hubby surprise me with flowers on some unexpected day than on Valentines Day. Just my thoughts. ;-)

septembermom said...

Christy Rose, all I can say is that you amaze me with every post. Your insight and generosity of spirit are wonderful. Thank you!

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

I've come a long way in this area. Releasing my husband from meeting my emotional needs has been huge. Now we're working on him to do the same for me. It has been a long haul for us in this area. But God continues to show me that I'm not his God and he isn't mine. There is only one God and He doesn't share that title, even with our spouses :)

Awesome post!

Happy V-Day! May we all feel God's perfect love for us no matter what we may or may not receive from our spouses the V-Day.

Love,
Jackie

Saleslady371 said...

Right on! Every woman should read your last paragraph and release every human who cannot love us the way God does. His love is a revelation; you write about it beautifully.

Kristin said...

Another amazing post!

Ginger said...

Hi~Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. I've been out of the loop this week and just now catching up on my reading.

I really enjoyed your post! It was as if I was reading about myself. I too went through almost the exact same thing. Thank you for sharing so openly and from your heart.

S nice to meet a new blogging friend.

Ginger :)

Tara said...

I have thought about God's love often since becoming a mother and even typed about it in Andrew's little birthday post. In my heart, I know how much I love Andrew and don't think it is possible for me to love him anymore. I am just in awe that God loves us so much more than that even when, like you said, we aren't on our best behavior and deserve none of it. My mind just can't wrap around the thought but I know His love!

He & Me + 3 said...

Christy,
His love is so unbelievable. It is so hard for my human mind to comprehend it & my human love does not compare. I have thought alot about this lately. As much as I love my kids I cannot do the love of God for my kids justice. It is hard for me to explain His love for them when mine seems so shallow at times. His love is perfect...I need to remember and accept it daily too, even though I don't deserve it.
Great post!
Hugs,
Mimi

Kim @ Homesteader's Heart said...

Amen to that my sweet sister! It's so true. Sometimes I feel like I'm trying to put my husband in the place where God needs to be and it's not right. That's a lot of pressure on a man. Thank you for the reminder!
Hugs
Kim

Dimes2Vines said...

Very well written - thanks for the encouragement!
Stopping by from Fri Follows - I'm a new follower! Love to have you stop by:
http://dimes2vines.com

amanda said...

right on sister!!

but i must also say, after seeing the princesses the other night, the song 'so this is love' is in my head again...so this is love...da da da da...so this issssssssss looooooooove!! ((yes i am working on little sleep. ;0) ))

SusanD said...

Oh Christy, Thank you so much for your honest and eye opening post. You words today are very powerful. I'll be pondering much of what you said. Thank you so much for sharing. Blessings, SusanD

Catherine Anne said...

This is a great post. Thank you for sharing with us. Gods love is like no other. He is the creator of LOVE~

Deborah Ann said...

Got a little love for you at my blog!

A GAL NEEDS... said...

Thanks for your post! Found you at Friday Follow! Looking forward to reading more!

Miriam T. said...

One of the lessons I've been learning is that we should not box in God with our own expectations and definitions. What he has to offer is more than we can provide and more than we could imagine for ourselves. All we can ask is that we humble ourselves to Him and that He help us to better understand and know him.

I'm here from Friday Follow and I'm so glad I came to read your post! :)

PBnJ (Peace, Blessings n' Jesus!)

Stephanie M. Page said...

What a beautiful blog. So happy that you found me through Friday Follow, I am now following you back!

Shana said...

Great post ♥

Julie said...

Thanks for stopping by! Glad to be following you back!

Loren said...

What a wonderful post....The ONLY one who can fill our hearts fully is the Lord yet so many times we look to people, husbands and they will disappoint everytime! (not one purpose)
I just love your heart Christy Rose!

I love you new header! Is that MITI?

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

So glad you wrote such a great post about the true meaning of love.
kim

Libbie said...

His love certianly surpasses all! It is pretty amazing to be loved so completely! What a gift...everyday.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! I remember when I turned 40, I realized that I could only find my self-worth in my Father - I told my husband his stock went down when I realized that because I didn't "need" him to make me feel wonderful, smart, and capable. We were both released from bondage, from a deception. It was like a flower that had been choked by weeds - It wasn't his job to make me see the wonderfulness in me. Since then, we've argued and fussed less - No - I don't need him to measure my self-worth;however, I just now only have to Love him, support him, and, yes, I am not complete without him.

Want an excellent post!

Liz Mays said...

You expressed that so beautifully!!!