2.14.17

LOVE. Childlike love. Puppy love. There’s true love and there’s dumb love. There’s passionate love and playground love. There’s the love of a friend, the love of a mother. Love of a savior. There’s LOVE painted in red roses and red hearts, there’s LOVE painted with the blood that was shed for humanity. You can fall into love, supposedly fall out of it. Make it. Break it. Lose and find it. It can be a verb or a noun. LOVE. There’s countless songs in all genres about it. For four letters it tears up lots of gossip, who you love how you love. And today it has its own holiday. V-Day.

Valentine’s Day may find you in a place of disgust with the holiday, mocking its Hallmark emptiness… or it may find you blushing with roses from your love… or what about you with the silent reality of a dissatisfied marriage … or you with the broken heart. However, let me remind you of the best type of love.

Unconditional love. It’s something as humans I truly don’t think we can fully grasp because it’s not deserved or earned or solicited or even worthy of us. In this very moment, you could not be loved any more. No matter what your past, your burdens, your heart break say about you…. you’re loved. Unconditionally. For God so loved the world… that he gave. Out of Love for you the savior died so that you may live. God is Love. And wants to lavish all the feels type of love out on you, without limits or conditions.

Stop craving scraps of love from people who aren’t even capable of loving you like you need it. Your husband can’t fill the love. Your boyfriend/friend/parent/child cannot fill the void. When we experience the love of a Savior who desires relationship with us, we live as whole, loved, way better versions of ourselves.

So..Give your husband a break. Try loving yourself first. Try accepting Love. I promise you, HIS love never fails ❤️

And a note on comparison: don’t do it today. There’s temptation everywhere. Cutie couples with picture perfect roses and chocolates and date nights. Here’s the deal- those things are cute but not what makes real love. Truth moment- I did not wake up to flowers or chocolates or even a card. I did however wake up to a man that proves he loves me year round. Especially today when he came home from work while I puked and fevered and felt like an absolute mess. YES, flowers and gifts are great- but how else has your man been trying to show you love and you don’t even notice?! Super challenged myself because this girl’s love language is gifts. But I’m reminded today that wanting other people’s gifts is a life-sucking, joy-sucking, gratitude-sucking TRAP that has absolute no benefit. You deserve the world, but entitlement is an ugly thief. Be grateful if you have a man that’s been perfectly gifted to you! If you’re alone this lovefest day- show yourself some lovin’- do something YOU love for YOU. ?

XO,