Tag Archives: love

Aug6

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on August 6, 2013 by lsgrlr

I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

Acts 15. “After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that He accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for He purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.'” (Verses 7-11). We are saved by GRACE! We couldn’t earn it if we tried. We couldn’t get ourselves clean enough on our own to warrant God’s love. So God sent us grace, then used HIM to SAVE us. Jesus = GRACE.

Jul13

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on July 13, 2013 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

John 13. “After He had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, ‘Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray Me.’ His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them He meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to Him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, ‘Ask Him which one He means.’ Leaning back against Jesus, he asked Him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ Then, dipping the piece of bread, He gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, ‘What you are about to do, do quickly.’ But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night” (Verses 21-30). Okay, so I am no Nancy Drew, but if you ask “who it dun-nit”, and receive the answer…??? How they NOT get it? Here I am yelling at the disciple. Screaming at them cause they are soooo clueless. But then it hits me. It still would have happened. Jesus still would have died. Why? Because, “God so LOVED the world…”

Jul11

DAY 192

Posted on July 11, 2013 by lsgrlr

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We can’t do it alone, we all need help on the journey. Be thankful for the people who help you grow.
(Picture taken at House Of Hope, S. Korea)

Had a revelation today. While having a conversation with my mom. My discovery: parents are self-sacrificing. What’s even more interesting, they do it automatically. My mom is a very giving person. For this reason sometimes she feels taken advantage of. She was feeling a little down today (my mom has gone through a lot in the past several years), as she sat talking about all the people she has helped and all the people she has given to. Her emotions got the better of her when she thought about the fact that when she needed help no one came to her aid. This is her perspective and in some cases it has been skewed by her emotions. In other areas the statement is very true. But here’s the thing about my mom, if any of those people were to come to her now and ask for help, if it was in her power to do so…she’d still help. I realized that my bother and I often take advantage (although most times unwittingly). Why? We have been trained to expect her to do what she has always done. Why? She is mom. Listening to her today I see how much she does. How much see cares, how much she gives without expecting anything in return. Here’s the lesson be grateful and thankful for the people in your life that give to you without expecting anything in return. Don’t take for granted that they will also be around. More importantly GIVE back to them, just because a person always does something, it doesn’t make it their job forever. We are called to bear one another’s burdens. HELP carry each other’s load, it will make the journey more enjoyable.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2, NIV).

So what am I thankful for today? My mom :).

Jun22

DAY 173

Posted on June 22, 2013 by lsgrlr

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That’s my mom!
(let’s keep the fact that I posted this picture just between us…)
-Picture by Lisa R.-

Today is my mom’s birthday. I have been blessed to have a really awesome mom. We have had our moments of misunderstanding and miscommunication. But whether she is praising me or scolding me, she has always been on my side. Today I got to thinking about how lucky my brother and I are that our mom is healthy. Exactly one week from this day the daughter of one of our long time patients had to bury her mom, who had passed away due to mets (short for metastasis…when the cancer has spread to other areas). I know more than anything else in the word she’d would have cherished one more birthday, one more Christmas with her mom. I have been thinking a lot today about how much I take for granted that my mom’s just going to be there (forever). But here’s reality we can’t control life and death (that’s God’s responsibility). But what we can control is what we do with the time we have. We can either spend that time investing in STUFF only to leave it to someone else (you really can’t take it with you). Or we can spend that time investing into the lives of those we love and cherish. So that when we are gone we have left them an example to follow. It’s our choice we can either leave behind stuff, or we can leave behind a legacy.

“Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:16, NLT).

So what am I thankful for today? Opportunity!

Jun15

AND I QUOTE…

Posted on June 15, 2013 by lsgrlr

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“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.” – Thomas Merton –

May12

DAY 133

Posted on May 12, 2013 by lsgrlr

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Traditions are memories that we carry with us through the rough times. Even if it is something as simple as an annoying singing balloon.

Traditions are memories that carry us through the rough times. Even if it is something as simple as an annoying singing balloon.

It’s Mother’s Day! Today we say thank you and show our appreciation for the one person who stands by our side no matter how wrong (or right) we are. My brother and I have a Mother’s Day tradition of buying our mom annoying singing balloons, which she totally enjoys (clearly we have her sense of humor). We plant the balloon somewhere central where we can all take turns hitting it until the music comes on (I like to think of it as musical anger management). However today is not about musical balloons, or finding the right restaurant…today is about MOM. She survived 9 months of someone sitting on her bladder and playing kickball in her stomach. Then went through numerous hours of labor to bring you and I into this world. Her hard work did not stop there. She has had to put up with misbehavior, bad attitudes, and hearing her name called hundreds of times to find things that we misplaced, and somehow only she can find. She is amazingly courageous. She is taxi driver, athletic director, master chef, and family doctor. She is irreplaceable, incomprehensible, always dependable MOM. “Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: ‘There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!'” (Proverbs 31:28-29). Thanks Mom! No one else could have put up with me (or Jon). We love you so very much!

So what am I thankful for today? MOM!

May11

DAY 132

Posted on May 11, 2013 by lsgrlr

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Before the flower can bloom. The seed must die.
(Picture by Lisa R.)

Fear. It is crippling. What’s worse we don’t always realize that it has a hold on us. I thought about this today, when I had two very different conversations with people who have become accustomed to their fear. So much so that they don’t see that it rules their choices and decisions. I will not tell the stories, but my point is this: if you open the door to one fear, you open the door to ALL fear. This lifestyle causes you to rationalize your behavior and keeps you blinded to what is going on. I have seen people afraid to go outside, because they believe everyone is bad. Fear has taken away their ability to trust (even themselves). I have come across others that have to always be around people, they fear being alone. Fear has taken away their sense of self. They find their identity in the acceptance of others. Fear causes us pain. Oddly we have become comfortable with the pain and often don’t want to let it go. I thought about my own life today after my two encounters. Lately I have been feeling like I missed an opportunity (I know I did). Why? Because I let my fear step in. It told me I wasn’t good enough and made me procrastinate just enough to miss a chance that was being offered. The thing is I didn’t realize till just today (after my encounters), that this happened. I chalked it up to bad timing. Fear can present itself in such a natural way we don’t even realize we’ve been had. Today’s lesson was a hard one, it’s rough when you realize you’ve gotten in your own way. But God reminded me that although I falter and fail He loves me…perfectly. “Perfect love drives out ALL fear” (1 John 4:18).

So what am I thankful for today? That God wastes nothing and I can learn…even from my fears.

Mar9

DAY 68

Posted on March 9, 2013 by lsgrlr

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“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” -Mother Teresa- (picture by B. Coty)

Exactly one week ago today, I posted that my brother went to Jamaica for a week. He is back home now. My mother is beside herself with joy (so much so you’d think he just returned from war). This makes me laugh, in fact many things about my mother make me laugh, not because she is funny (which she is), but because she is so sincere in the way she loves us (my brother and I). Her first question whenever we return from a trip is always, “Were they happy to see you?”. Why? Because it is unfathomable to her that people would not be excited to see us. To her, we are the MOST amazing people to ever grace the face of the earth. My brother was regaled with questions like, “did they hug you tight?” (no seriously she asked that). “Did they tell you how handsome you were?” “How did they treat you?” “Did they talk to you?” She loves us, and therefore wants to make sure that others love us accordingly. In my life she has been a source of strength, a source of inspiration, and my biggest cheerleader (even when I lost the game).

As I sat and listened to my mom’s version of twenty questions, I had this thought…I am BLESSED. I have someone who will always love me and be on my side (even if she doesn’t always agree). I want to be this kind of person for my children (if and when I have them), but I also want to be this kind of person for everyone around me. We humans have a rare opportunity to love…TRULY love. To not ask what will I gain from this, but to give without expecting something in return. My mom does this for me and my brother on a daily basis (and we are NOT always easy to love). My mom said she got it from God and gives it to us, freely. My desire is to share what I have been freely given, with others.

So what am I thankful for today? That I have an example of unconditional love. LOVE that asks no questions (or in my mom’s case lots of questions :)) and has no expectations, it just simply IS.

Feb26

DAY 57

Posted on February 26, 2013 by lsgrlr

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Love and time go hand in hand. Love requires us to put time in…

Today someone described love as a wind-up clock. At first I thought what a weird analogy, but as I began to think about it I began to see the similarities. Unlike automatic clocks, you have to put effort in for a wind-up clock to continue to work. Love is the same, while we may use it as an adjective (describing our feelings). Love is actually a VERB, it is active and moving…it requires EFFORT. The ticking of the clock tells the hearer that it is working. It will continue to give accurate time, as long as we take the TIME to wind it up. A smile, a kiss, the warm hug of those you hold dear. Laughter, joy and yes even tears these are like the ticking of the clock. These gestures say that time has been poured in, that their love has been wound-up.

This journey moves fast and before you know it you will reach your destination. So don’t waste time. The clocks of the people in our world need to be wound…this is the purest gift we can give.

So what am I thankful for today? That my love for others goes tic-toc.

Feb14

DAY 45 – Love Defined

Posted on February 14, 2013 by lsgrlr

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My heart, my love…

Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s our national LOVE day. My boyfriend out did himself today, as more than one surprise present arrived at my work place. It brought a smile to my face. I felt happy…LOVED. As I pondered this feeling, I began to contemplate this very important four letter word. What is it? What does it mean? Is it a feeling? Is it learned, or is it innate? What exactly is… LOVE?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 love defined:

Love is PATIENT

Love is KIND

Love does NOT envy

Love is NOT prideful

Love is NOT rude

Love is NOT self-serving

Love is NOT easily provoked

Love thinks NO evil

Love does NOT root for injustice

Love REJOICES for the truth

Love BEARS ALL things

Love BELIEVES (when no one else does)

Love HOPES (when all hope is lost)

Love ENDURES ALL things

Love NEVER FAILS

Love is a choice requiring sacrifice and commitment. So, today let’s not take this word lightly. It is not meant to be used in the same sentence as coffee, puppies or sunflowers. It is meant to be shared with each other. Love builds up the down trodden. Love strengthens the weak. Love NEVER fails.

So what am I thankful for today? Oddly not candy, flowers or presents. No, today I am thankful that TRUE love exists.