That's love for you

Yesterday I was in the car and I heard this song. The lyrics to this song just moved me. It is a love song, but not your average love song.... it is a love song from God to us. It reaffirms his love for me everytime I hear it that I can't help but sing along with it -- loudly.

I Love You More - - by Matthew West

Take a look at the mountains

Stretching a mile high
Take a look at the ocean
Far as your eye can see
And think of Me
Take a look at the desert
Do you feel like a grain of sand?
I am with you wherever
Where you go is where I am
And I'm always thinking of you
Take a look around you
I'm spelling it out one by one


I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again
I love you more

Just a face in the city
Just a tear on a crowded street
But you are one in a million
And you belong to Me
And I want you to know
That I'm not letting go
Even when you come undone

I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again
I love you more
I love you more

Shine for Me
Shine for Me
Shine on, shine on
Shine for Me

I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again
I love you more

Than the sun
and the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you, yesterday and today
Through the joy and the pain
I'll say it again and again
I love you more
I love you more

And I see you
And I made you
And I love you more than you can imagine
More than you can fathom
I love you more than the sun
And you shine for me

Yes, yes... it's been a while hasn't it. I know, you've missed me haven't you? I've missed me, too. With all of lifes pressures and daily grind, does it ever make you wonder how we come out alive? Sheesh. I know I wake up in the morning knowing that I have got to make it the best day I possibly can. And yet, I am still human.. I get caught up with the 'curve balls' as we know them. It's not always a walk in the park, sadly. However, I fully acknowledge that my life has merit and meaning and that it is entirely up to me to put it to good use. You see, life is all about choices. It's all about making choices that can make or break my life and effect not only my wellbeing but also the wellbeing of my family, my children as well as possibly people I would have never of guessed.
When we go about our day, we must be consistantly aware that as women, as people and as individuals we owe it to ourselves and to those we love and may not even know to truly understand that our lives have meaning. They do. Great purpose, actually. The choices we make - even if they seem very simple ones have a signifcant affect on the outcome of everything we do. For instance, who you choose for your friends has a great impact on who you are and who you become. Their influence on you is greater than you think. Who you choose to date is huge. Is this guy someone whom you could see yourself marrying? If they are not... then why date them... truly? When you choose a man to marry - - is he someone who brings out the best in you or causes you to stagnate in your life? Does he encourage you to pursue your dreams, desires, goals? To be the best you can be?
These are real honest questions to ask yourself. Surround yourself with positive, uplifting and encouraging people. Those who are not can only break you, not make you. Keep in mind that your heart is the most important part about you... if you allow a source of discouragement or destruction enter into your heart it can be difficult to overcome that. You must love you and who you are to love those around you. Allow yourself to discover the greater parts of who you are. You deserve to live life - beautifully!

Value

My mom and I had a short visit today while my son was having a descent afternoon....being that he was in good spirits it made it easy to have a relatively positive experience out and about. I've noticed something lately about my relationship with my mother..... that it works. As a teen, I was one of those rather rebellious souls that couldn't have cared less if I melded well with the parental units and more often than not - I was at odds with them. More specifically, my mother was the hardened culprit of my misfortune in my eyes. It was the smoldering of female hormones mixed with all the bitter feelings that I soured towards the world around me. It was never my fault, it was always her fault. Even when my friends were always arguing, my grades were horrible and I had cigarette lighters hidden above the ceiling tiles of my always private bedroom. Yes, it was my sanctuary, but really... what in the world was I planning to do with those doggone lighters? I didn't even know, truthfully, would I light the house on fire?? God only knows. Thankfully, my parents (both of them, mind you) found them before I could do any damage with that stupid idea. Obviously I had a lot of helk to pay for even having them in my possession and in my room, I might add. Whenever I was questioned, lectured, 'bossed around' or whatever... I never ever had a reasonable excuse for my misgivings. It was always my angry, bitter attitude that was the issue. I hated the world and the world I lived in.

But you know, as I said before, there's always a silver lining. Whether you choose to find it is up to you. Back then, I really didn't care. Truthfully, the only time I ever felt really loved when I was a kid - was never. When I was interested in guys as a teen, I wasn't attracted to the guys who seemed to have a real interest in ME. It was always the guys that I deemed as 'hot' who really didn't pay me the time of day. Too bad! I look back on those days and think, 'if I would have known what I know now....' 
What I am getting at here is that there is so much more worth to our hearts and our lives than meets our own eyes. I had never looked at myself and thought... I am worth so much! No, I didn't. And no one ever really tried to make me believe that either. But, I am going to tell you that right now - - YOU are worth SO MUCH!  You may have so much weighing on your shoulders these days. You may not even really look at your parents and think that they really love you. I will tell you this, however, regardless of how you feel about yourself and the world around you... you are loved. You are valued and you are desired. By Jesus. He made you, he formed you, and he made you perfect in his image. And because of that, girl, you are beautiful.

Do not let the world around you make you small and insignificant. You are gorgeous and significant. You are loved. And you are treasured.

Imagine this

It's been said that the sanctity of life begins at conception. Where the beginning of life takes place and is completely new. It is where we as creatures of the human race take our position in life - in the womb. It is where God formed us, shaped us and molded us into his likeness. We were perfect, irredescent, and irreplaceable at this stage of our lives. As we grew in our mother's womb, we were completely dependent upon our mother. We ate what she ate. We had the warmth of her body for protection and the comforts of her body against harm. We could hear the outside world, like the sound of the vacuum or the dog barking every time the mail man delivered the daily mail just outside the front door.... it is the perfect setup to begin adjusting to the outside world, isn't it? There wasn't a single thing from the outside world that could touch us. Nothing. It was just our job to grow and become a healthy living being. We thrived.

Does it ever make you wonder what goes on inside the mind of a brand new baby once they've emerged into the outside world brand new from their mother's womb? I wondered it the very moment my son was laid into my arms just after giving birth to him. His eyes met mine... he and I stared into each other's eyes, studying them, fixating on them. Yet, he was so very calm. As if he definately knew the voice behind the eyes that stared back at him. There was a very strong bond that formed at that very moment.

Girls, this......... this is the very bond that your Heavenly Father desires from us. Our hope, our lives, our breath comes from him. Our hearts were formed by him. Just as we were dependent upon our mothers from the time that we were conceived, it is our hearts that are dependent upon Jesus. He is our validation, our comfort, our peace.. he longs to have that strong bond in our hearts for us to live in the freedom that he truly desires for us. Our value and belonging is our core, yet, he is creator of our value. How beautiful. Beautiful you.

Who we are

Did your mother ever look at you when you were in trouble as a child and say, 'who do you think you are?' When she asked that very question, everything in your will wanted to say something back but you knew the better part of  you best just keep your mouth shut or it wasn't going to end well... yes, I had my moments as a child. Many times. (as I chuckle) I want to say I was an innocent child.. the little angel that I was... AHEM! But really, I gave my parents a lot of helk to deal with. I was very much in a state of rebelliousness growing up with not much of a limit or boundaries of what I could say or not say. Truth was, I didn't really feel good about myself or life in general. Why? I allowed the world to tell me my worth and my value - - and not God. I didn't know what it meant to be a female. To embrace the feminine heart.

Femininity is depth and mystery and complexity, with beauty as the very essence. Every woman has a beauty to unveil. Every woman. Because she bears the image of God. She doesn't have to conjure it, go get it from a salon, have plastic surgery, or get her teeth capped. Beauty is an essence that is given to every woman at her creation.  So, the next time you look in the mirror or are just thinking to yourself and ideas of invalue flood your mind, please remember this: Your beauty is already a part of who you are.... you just need to tap into it and embrace it. It's the fiber of who you are inside. Outwardly what you see is simply what enhances the essence of which you carry in your precious heart.

Search your heart and your soul. Begin to understand and unveil the majesty of what moves you - and love you! Once you capture the true you and revel in that... it'll begin to pour out of you. Let your beauty be unveiled.

The Silver Lining

Ever have moments when you wish you could just crawl up into a ball and just be invisible to the world? Where everything in your life seems to be just pear shaped? I had one of those moments for about all of last week. You name it, it happened... and it all came crashing down like a ton of bricks. Where do you find the comic relief in there. Oh... I had it, but then just when I was about to read the most HILARIOUS story out of the Parents magazine I somehow carved out a few minutes to read to my husband (only cause I knew that with our sense of humor - - he would have laughed histerically just like I did..) it was literally snatched away from me before I even had a chance to say Uncle. Yes... I was deeply and utterly distraught. I had nothing to look to for even a smidgen of a smile, a smirk or not even a chuckle. Ever have those days?? Instead, he had to watch the very important interview with this basketball star that had just won his team the last three points they needed to score in the playoffs....blah, blah BLAH. I know what you're thinking. Get over it woman!! But seriously, this is not about my wines and gripes. Really, it's not.

This, my dear, is about the silver lining. It is the silver lining that we each need to find when life presents itself in such a fashion that at the moment seems quite unbearable and 'OMG... will I ever survive this?!'  YES. Yes, you will. And how do I know? Because Jesus promised us that we would never endure more than we can handle. But, we have to trust in him to see the lush valley at the other end. He gave us hearts that are made to love, to nurture, gentleness and grace. Beauty beyond understanding along with the ability to pour on the understanding and ears that listen like no other. I had a hard time seeing the brighter side of things, only because I had moments of pure fear. Truthfully though, that fear is not a part of who I am nor who I was created to be. I had to look past the present and what stood before me and understand that there was a bigger picture than what I was choosing to focus on. I am better than that. And so are you! There is a silver lining to everything. Yes... I mean everything. You just have to choose to see it and remember it. That silver lining might just be your comic relief when you need it most - - it was mine!

The Alabaster Room

It is nightfall and imagine you are sitting in the home of a very good friend of yours who is having a nice dinner gathering to just enjoy everyone's company. Everyone is sitting at the table enjoying themselves- having fine food, conversing and taking in the good company. When in comes a woman, long tousled hair from the day's work. She has a pleasant appearance about her as she walks in the room past each friend visiting. She walks slowly and gracefully but with purpose... her eyes shine as she makes her way to the guest of honor. In her hands, she holds a beautiful, distinguished jar filled with expensive perfume. Carefully and gently she holds the jar in her hands as to not waste a single drop of this divine ointment. As she makes her way closer to her desired guest, a beautiful smile emerges, as though she is carrying an intriguing secret.  Then, as she stands before Jesus, she gingerly lifts the jar she is holding and slowly pours the delicate ointment over his head as it beads down his head and hair.
This beautiful jar, this jar filled with such expensive perfume was the only possession that the woman felt carried any value of her - and she used it to show Jesus her love and adoration for him. That is all she felt she had to show how much she loved him. And that was her worship to him. The disciples scoffed at her for 'wasting' such expensive perfume and pouring all over Jesus' head. Yet, Jesus was in awe of her selfless action towards him. He knew that she took the only thing that she felt she had of value and honored him with that.

Thus... The Alabaster Room. It is a dedication for the female heart to celebrate their value, their beauty, their feminine heart. To have joy in the fact that indeed, the female heart is to be cherished, loved and celebrated. That you matter to Christ. You were formed with a great purpose and everything that you possess is worthy to bring to the table as a form of love. To love God, to love your family, to love yourself. It is priceless, timeless, breathtaking, gorgeous, beautiful... girl, the list could go on and on. Literally. So... don't waste the possessions you have in your heart. That's what The Alabaster Room is all about.... being that place to embrace all that you are - - in your beautiful heart.

Matthew 26:7-10