A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

The task of a “What is Love?” follow-up seems a little too daunting right now, so I have decided to postpone that adventure and stick with something of which I feel more capable at the moment.  I’m not going to give much explanation of my “work and life here” as of late, but instead am going to let the pictures do most of the talking.  A picture’s worth a thousand words, right?  Better get readin’.  J

What is Love?

This is something I wrote at the end of my freshman year of college.  If I were to write this today, I might say a few things differently, but it came to mind this weekend.  I may follow it up in a day or two with some more current thoughts!

What is love?  In a world where this word is so commonly used, this seems like somewhat of a silly question.  Honestly though, what is love?  Is there really “love at first sight”?  Not likely.  Something love is not is little butterflies in the stomach.  Sure, it is a by-product at times, but from observation, this is not what lasts – what defines love. 

                Lust is so often mistaken for love.  The American culture has somehow implemented this idea that we can be in love with anything – kind of odd if you really think about it.  Can we really be in love with our car, music, outfit, sport, etc? Not thinking so…  We not only lust after people, but we lust after material objects too.  We make people and objects our idols so quickly and frequently without even realizing it. We are trading in something spectacular for something cheap.  I’m right there too.  How often the words “I love…” come out of my mouth without any real thought or emotion.  Maybe we can love things, like our country.  I don’t know…I’m just wondering.  

                What about acceptance?  Is that love?  I mean, the feeling of being accepted can bring so much happiness and possibly even joy!  But love in some instances isn’t acceptance as much as it is honesty.  Sure, acceptance is a part, but parents are called to discipline their children too.  If there is never discipline or teaching, where will this world end up?  Balance…such an open-ended, hard to figure out, word. 

                Can non-Christians love?  It certainly seems they can, sometimes it even seems they do it better than Christians do.  We are created in the image of God; His mark is on us.  Loyalty, sacrifice, emotion, acceptance, discipline – what is love?  What makes Christians different than non-Christians?  Christ said that Christians would be known by their love for one another, so what does that look like? 

                Where have I seen authentic, genuine love?  I’ve seen it on Christmas day when a family takes a hot meal to an elderly woman with no family around her and spends a couple hours just visiting.  I’ve seen it when a couple takes someone into their household for a season, not just as a visitor, but as a family member.  I’ve felt it when someone is willing to sit and ask a few questions and listen to my heart for hours.  I’ve experienced it when people like me, even when they know my sins and weaknesses. 

                I guess love, in a lot of ways, boils down to motives.  Sure, non-Christians and Christians alike serve and give and listen, but why?  As I know is true in my life too, no one has pure motives all of the time.  That’s impossible unless you are Jesus, and we definitely are not.  The first item listed in the fruit of the Spirit is love.  There is a whole chapter devoted to describing it in 1 Corinthians.  Christ says the two greatest commandments are to love God with your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.  Seems to be a pretty big deal.  Also feels like we need the Holy Spirit’s help with this one. 

                It’s so easy for me to look at the question “Do you feel like you love God?” and jump straight into legalism.  Well, I fail at reading my Bible and praying consistently, so I guess not.  Thank goodness God loves me through my sin and thick-headedness.  How do I relate loving God to loving my family and closest friends?  Interesting to think about.  My love for God needs to be so much stronger, but I shouldn’t place love for Him on this level that I can never see or reach, right?  I will never be perfect on this earth, but seeing love for God as something I can work toward in His strength is a good starting place. 

                Really, I suppose I don’t have many answers.  We need to experience a revelation of the love of God – it appears that this changes most everything.  Paul prays this for the Ephesians, and just within the past couple weeks I realized that Ephesians 3 does not stop with his prayer that they experience the love of Christ.  He prays that they will know His love so that they “may be filled with all the fullness of God.”  It’s not solely a knowledge thing. 

                Love is putting others above ourselves – above our desires, needs, and wants.  It is looking for their good above ours.  Love is placing our hearts in front of others, bare and unguarded, allowing them to know who we are and letting them in.  We aren’t called to the same level of vulnerability with everyone, but we are not called to a life of fear and self-protection.  Man, such a hard lesson, and personally I have a long way to go.  That is such a scary thing.  Thankfully we have a God who will never leave us or forsake us, use us, or play with our hearts.  Knowing that He is right by our side is our motivation and encouragement to share ourselves with others and trust. 

                “Jesus, please show us how to be satisfied in You and You alone.  Teach us what it means to love and to be loved.  Help us to receive Your love, and let that love overflow from our hearts into the lives and hearts of those around us.  Give us a revelation of Your love, and let us never be the same again.  Amen.”                           

In Light of Thanksgiving

I decided that writing some of the things I am thankful for would give me a greater picture for all of the things in my life with which God has blessed me – both big and small.  Yesterday was my first holiday (Thanksgiving) away from my family, and it was really hard.  Even though I didn’t like being away from them, I still have much for which to give thanks.  So “hold on to your hats.”  J

God loves me; He has saved me, is saving me, and will save me.  He never leaves me or forsakes me.  He gave me Jesus and loves me enough to pursue me.  He is continually at work in me, and I pray my heart is continually open to having Him work through me.  The God of the universe knows my name, and He has called me to have and to share a personal relationship with Him.    

I have amazing family and friends – traditions, holidays, memories, support, love, joy, laughter, and smiles.  I am really thankful to have new friends here too.  They helped make a holiday away from home a little more bearable!

I live in Spain.  As I was walking down my cobblestone street tonight, looking at the rising apartments down the narrow space, yet again I thought, “Wow.  It’s so cool that I live here.”  God has blessed me with desire, strength, provision, reason, and everything I need to spend this year overseas.  He orchestrated so many things in my life and heart – and that of others – to bring me here.  I’m reminded that even when this is tough, the Lord has no doubt brought me here and is with me.     

I’m thankful for my job – getting to love on the kids and other people here.  The Lord has always provided for me physically.  I’m thankful for technology so I can talk with (and see) my family and friends without breaking the bank!! 

Also, I’m thankful for Thanksgiving food, people with whom to prepare it, Christmas music (Dave Barnes’ specifically), beautiful weather, sweet tea, dark chocolate, old movies, things to keep me warm, leftovers, and fellowship.

God is so good all of the time.  How truly blessed I am.  

A Week at a Glance

This week was filled with some neat cultural experiences:

Tuesday night – I got to attend the English class, Thanksgiving dinner at my church.  I got to meet some really cool ladies from different countries and cultures, who come together to learn English.  One of my friends gave a great lesson on the history of Thanksgiving so that everyone could follow (whatever level), combined with a Pilgrim and Native American skit starring…da, da, da…us!!!  Quite memorable.  J

Thursday – I had a surprise day-off, which turned into an experience of making zucchini bread.  I tried my hand using sunflower oil and made a big mess, and I was really happy with the way it turned out!  That evening I sat in on a local, Spanish, Christian, university group meeting, which my apartment hosted.  Big groups are inevitably harder for me to understand, but I enjoyed the atmosphere of the group a lot.  I finished the night with my now-weekly tv series with my Spanish roommate.  It’s a Spanish drama series called El Barco, and believe it or not, I think it’s helping me with my Spanish comprehension!

Friday – In the evening I watched four Spanish kids for a few hours, coming after prayer for the Lord to help me.  He did!  It was a fun time of being taught Spanish by little children, having dinner around a heated table, playing hide-and-seek and an imaginary game (where I had no clue what was going on J), coloring, checking out their Christmas lists (here they go to the wise men, or Reyes Magos), and just being crazy.  After leaving their house, I joined my friends for the end of a fiesta, Downton Abbey style, for one of our friends who is getting married in December.  A lovely night indeed.   

We've Now Encountered the Rainy Season

Rain, rain, and more rain.  When people talked about the rainy season, especially amidst the background of an extremely hot and dry summer, I was a bit skeptic.  Without doubt though, I am now a full believer of the reality – there is a true rainy season in Granada. 

The random and consistent downpours have brought with them a chill to the air.  I am going to need a sign on my door that reads “TAKE YOUR UMBRELLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” from now on; it’s definitely taking some adjusting!

Because of the rain and the cold, the kids and I have enjoyed lots of indoor time – full of coloring (the Highlights book from my mom is coming in handy!), Legos, stories, VeggieTales, pretend meetings, “Simon Says,” questions, and laughter. 

Today at lunch we enjoyed some good laughs over a new phenomenon – eating Bob (the Tomato) and Larry (the Cucumber).  This comes full of sound effects from me, smiles from all, and complete contentment with chomping down on their favorite vegetable characters.  There is no goin’ back.     

The Soup Challenge

After being to myself for a four-day weekend, I found that a part of me was definitely looking to have my roommates return!  Between this weekend and now, I made chicken parmesan (with delicious international spaghetti sauce, tried some Spanish food made by my roommate, and conquered a homemade soup for the first time!!! 

When I say conquered, I mean that it truly was a battle.  I tackled the smallest whole chicken Mercadona had to offer, literally, accompanied by a few leftover feather-looking objects attached.  Raw chicken is most definitely not my forte.  I also went to four fruterias in search of kale (for my mom's soup) but had to opt out for cabbage when I couldn’t find it.  My humongous pot was filled to the top with chicken, cabbage, leeks, carrots, and potatoes. 

The soup ended up being really good, and I was able to share it – amidst stories and laughter – with Becca and my roommates. 

This week I also pulled out the camera on one of the only non-rainy days to get some pictures of the kids and God’s creation on my walk home I had been noticing lately.  Although the leaves probably have some menacing, leaf-eating creature, I quite like them. 

Tonight the plan is to hit the sack early…and figure out “my Spanish schedule” soon!! 

Steps of Faith

Yesterday I believe the Lord let me be a light into a woman’s life in my neighborhood, but it raised legitimate questions in my mind as well.  What started out as a smile led to a deep conversation. 

Last night and this morning, I was thinking about the conversation, the woman, people’s situations, etc.  I often find it hard to relate to other people’s situations and experiences, but I know that we are called to love on people either way.  In the long run, it’s Jesus who truly relates – not us. 

I was reminded of a conversation I had with my friend Lezlee before leaving for Spain.  She gave me a different perspective on sharing the light I have inside with those who have many needs, when I have been so blessed.  She drew my attention to look at the people for whom Jesus came to earth and with whom He spent much of His time. 

When thinking about this in regards to my conversation last night, I began to think about Jesus and Joseph (in the Old Testament).  Jesus and Joseph both went through a ton of terrible stuff, physical suffering and otherwise, that was not “their burden to bear.”  Joseph suffered much but was blessed much for his continued faith in God.  Jesus took our sin and the entire wrath of God to the cross because of absolutely nothing He had done wrong. 

These are just two examples of men who loved the Lord and trusted His timing and protection, even when I’m sure their circumstances seemed unbearable.  They didn’t cry out of injustice.  They bore the brunt of unfair consequences (in connection with their blameless actions).  That would take a lot of faith and believing that God is ultimately bigger than our earthly suffering. 

Right now the Holy Spirit is calling me to determine whether I believe God is big enough to save me, whether I trust Him to speak on my behalf instead of me, and whether being in any circumstance with Him is better than a choice circumstance without Him.  My prayer is “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” 

Jesus is to be the object of our faith – despite our circumstances.    

In Step with Our Father

Last night I sat in on the women’s Bible study at church, and we were looking at Ephesians 3:14-21 (a passage on the depth of God’s love).  While meditating on this, God gave me a neat picture.  It was of a little child grabbing hold of her father’s legs – her feet on top of his – as he walked. 

This is a cool image for me of dependence on the Lord and His love.  Humanly it’s not very easy, or at least not convenient, to walk with a child attached to you.  This took me back to a conversation I had recently about being where the Lord is at work. 

The Lord doesn’t need us to accomplish His work in the lives of people on this earth, but He chooses to use us.  It would probably be easier to do His thing without us, but He chose us and wants us to be instruments in His work.  The God of the universe wants to use us, knowing all of our faults, weaknesses, and fears. 

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).  We are jars of clay with the amazing treasure of Jesus inside of us.  It is He that changes hearts and draws people to Himself, because of His amazing love.  He wants to do great things in and through us…because of His love for us. 

I want to be where the Lord is at work.  I desire to not only step in His footprints, but to take each step with Him.  This is to what we are called.