Spiritual Journey Thursday - Love

 

     I look forward to Thursdays when I can publish thoughts on my spiritual journey and hear the thoughts of others on a weekly theme topic.  It has become a space for an encouraging and fortifying community to come together.  We welcome anyone who would like to join us!

 

 

 

Thank you Margaret Simon for encouraging us to link up poetry this month using the hashtag #digipoetry.  Also, thank you Leigh Anne Eck for creating a button for us to use.

 

This week's theme topic is LOVE.

 

    My four best friends, my chosen sisters and Libby's honorary aunts, will be giving Libby a bridal shower next month, and they will be putting together a very special journal for her (I've told her NOT to read this post!) full of letters of advice about marriage and/or life.  I'm starting the journal off first, and then I will start passing it around to friends and family.  I picked the theme topic, love, last week, before I knew about this journal, and not really knowing why or how it might apply this Thursday, but God knew.  I'm mixing a little poetry and some snippets from last month's slices about What I Know For Sure.  This will be my entry on the first page of her journal:

 

What I Know For Sure About Love

 

When I first fell in love

with your dad,

it was winter.

Seasons came and went

after that,

and as you know,

our dating stories weren't always

perfect.

We made it through those

hard times, though,
knowing that we were meant

for each other,

and we had

a summer wedding,

a Miami Merger.

 

Paul says love

always protects, always trusts,

always hopes,

always perseveres.

It certainly does. 

Marriage can be work;

it can be mundane, and

it can be stressful.

But mostly it's fun, joyful,

supportive,

fulfilling, and exciting.
When things get tough
we are confident
it will get better.

We're not perfect,

but we're best friends.

We like to have fun

and enjoy taking on new challenges,

and I respect him immensely.

He loves me more

than I deserve.

 

1 Peter 4:8 says,

"above all,

love each other deeply,

because love covers a multitude

of sins." 

Isn't that true?

From day one of our marriage,

I've known it was permanent,

and so I never had to worry

or fear,

and because we love each other

deeply, we forgive each other our sins.

Jesus taught us to do that,

didn't He?

Our faults

won't overshadow us

because love trumps all that.

"We love

because He first loved

us."

 

I know

that you and Jamie were chosen

for each other from

the beginning.
I know this for sure.

God has joined you together.
I've seen how you love
and respect each other.
I've seen you laugh together,
have fun,
and care for each other.

And NOTHING

can put that

asunder.

Keep laughing,
having fun,
and praying together.
Keep God at the center.
Support each other's dreams,
trust, and forgive.
Faith
and optimism
are imperative.

Enjoy what will be

a great and wonderful

marriage.

It's the adventure

of a lifetime.