Incomprehensible Love

{via}

A few days ago we watched a video in class. It was a video that had seen a plethora of times, but it still just moves my heart. If you have seen it before, you know how inspiring it is. If you haven’t, grab a box of tissues.

This dynamic duos story really began in 1977 when Rick Hoyt, a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, told his dad that he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit for a Lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident.  The dad, who was not a long distance runner, agreed to push him in a wheelchair. The night after the run, Rick told his father, “Dad, when I’m running, it feels like I’m not handicapped.” From there the duo began running half marathons, marathons, Iron Man triathlons (yes, a full 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride & a marathon 26.2-mile run) and more. In 2009 the duo completed their 1000^th race and in 2011 they completed the Boston Marathon (the dad was 70)!  And according to their website, they still aren’t done racing! Can you imagine the love that Father must have for his son!? Now try comparing that to the love our Heavenly Father has for us… Incomprehensible.

My 2 Valentines

Happy Valentine’s Day! Today I just feel blessed and overwhelmed with God’s love. I know that today we focus primarily on our earthly relationships, but the truth is, if it weren’t for God’s love, my husband and I would not share such a beautiful earthly love.  The only reason that I am able to love is because I understand how much my Heavenly Father loves me. (Okay, I will never actually understand how much He loves me…. But He has given me a glimpse of His unconditional love). He is the ultimate example of love.

So rather than focusing on the gifts that we give each other, the flowers, the cards, or the feelings we share today, I want to focus on God’s perfect example of love. I want to focus on the fact that He is the center of our relationship and that we are beyond blessed.

Because of His love I have been blessed with a man that has captivated my heart, who encourages me in my walk with Him, and who loves and encourages me in ways that I thought I could only dream of. Over the past couple of years the Lord has taught me so much about love through him and I cannot wait to see how much more we will learn in the years to come!

Have a blessed day!

Above All

1 Peter is easily one of my favorite books. It is the book that the Lord chose to use to turn my life around. 1 Peter is a short & easy read, so take a moment to stop what you are doing and go read at least one chapter of it {you are clearly on your computer or smart phone if you are reading this, therefore you have access to a Bible… no excuses 🙂 now go! } One of my {many} favorite verses from 1 Peter is the verse above. And since it is the month of love I wanted to share it with each of you. Each morning between February 1st and Valentines day I am taping a little card on Caleb’s mirror in the morning with a reason why I love him along with a Bible verse. Since 1 Peter 4:8 is one of my favorites, I shared it with him yesterday. If you are living a life of love, it is hard to walk in sin. What a beautiful reminder as we begin the month!

Have a blessed day everyone!

Month of Love

Can you tell that I love peonies? Images via Pinterest

Happy month of love!  Remember the other day how we talked about how loving and living are synonymous?  Well this is the perfect month to implement this style of living.  Be intentional about showering those around you with love. You may be the only source of love they come into contact with today. Don’t miss your chance to demonstrate Christ’s love for others.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

John 13:34

 And happy birthday month Mom! Hope you have a warm and relaxing birthday in Curacao! Feel free to send some sun this way!

Time to Travel

{Image from my first trip to Paris}

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Put aside thoughts of money and time… if you could go anywhere and do anything, what would you do? Many of my favorite memories growing up are the memories made with my family as we traveled the world. I am beyond thankful that my parents took my brother and I to many other countries so that we could begin experiencing other cultures from a young age. As I have grown older this desire to travel has only grown stronger. My husband and I have begun making a list of all the countries, cities and places that we want to visit. Any suggestions? Where are some of your favorite places? The more details the merrier!

I have a file saved for new suggestions. One day I may even post it somewhere on the blog to share fun ideas with everyone (would any of you be interested?). We have our countries listed out with bullets  underneath that consist of suggested hotels, sight seeing destinations, tours to do, places to eat/shop, etc.   That way when the time comes, planning will be easy and we wont miss anything!  We would love your suggestions!

Autocorrecting Love

Have you ever tried typing into an iPhone the word “love” and found that for some reason it autocorrects to “live?” While I had noticed this in the midst of sending a text, I had never really thought about it. It wasn’t until I started reading “Love Does” by Bob Goff that I gave this a second thought (a blogger I follow recommended it- a great suggestion). He points out that fully loving and fully living are synonymous. Living a life full of love is the kind of life that Jesus invited us to be part of. We are called to live in and walk in love. It’s not enough to simply look the part.

You can tell how much one loves God by how well they love those around them. If asked, would those around you say that you walk in love?

I Love You {Most}

Happy Saturday! Today is one of my favorite days of the year! Why? Well because 25 years ago on this day my wonderful husband was born. Happy 25th Birthday Honey!! A quarter of a century!  So today is all about him and I just wanted to take a moment to brag on him. Words cannot convey what a blessing he has been in my life. He is the most encouraging, loving, hard working, selfless, God fearing, passionate, funny, handsome man I have ever met  {I am missing at least 1,000 other wonderful words to describe him… just didn’t want you to get too jealous of my man 😉 }.

Caleb, you are an answer to a lifetime of prayers. Thank you for being a man who seeks God first and for keeping our relationship focused on Him. You are an incredible leader and inspire me to be more passionate about the important things in life.

Thank you for being a hard worker. I have loved watching you set goals and begin achieving them over the past few months. I am so proud of you and cannot wait to watch and encourage you as you continue to be successful in the years to come. The Lord is going to continue to use you in incredible ways! Thank you for investing so much time into our marriage and for always doing whatever it takes to make me feel important. Thank you for wanting to make memories together. From the vacations, our little dates, weekly questions and so much more. You make every moment memorable and always know how to make me laugh. You have captivated my heart and care for me in a way that I thought I could only dream of. I hope you know that nothing you do for me goes unappreciated, even when I don’t show it. I cannot wait for a lifetime together! I love you {most} Honey. Happy birthday!

Love,
Your Wife

No Regrets

Yesterday’s post was short and simple. Do it with passion, or not at all. Shortly after posting that image I received a link via email to a dear family friend’s blog. This blog is both heart wrenching and inspiring.  How can a blog be both of these things? Well, picture this- a 30-year-old lover of Christ, husband, father of a precious little girl, battling cancer who still finds joy through the Lord. Can you imagine? His post yesterday was about living with no regrets, loving and living well, and living passionately.

I am sharing this with you for a two reasons.

1.)  Life is short, make the most of it. You aren’t promised tomorrow.

2.)  I would love for you to join many others and me in prayer for Andrew, his wife Bailey, & their daughter Ellie.
(Even if it is a one time prayer right now)

Read Andrews blog here and Bailey’s blog here. You don’t want to miss their encouraging words during this difficult time. Their joy is inspiring.

Do it with Passion

 

Pick Wisely