Words

Words come easy for me.  Always have.  At 14 months old, I was speaking in full sentences.  My poor little brother, Eric, who came along 4 years after me, didn't really speak until after he was 2 years old.  I may (or may not) have given him the opportunity.

I LOVE words.  I love crossword puzzles, good literature, Fancy Word Fridays, etymology, Wheel of Fortune, Scrabble, Words with Friends... Are you starting to get the picture? So many words floating around in my head.  If you and I have ever sat down for a one-on-one chat, you probably found that I had no hesitations to start talking about what's going on with me and sharing my heart and life.  In that way, I am a giver... a giver of words.

But right now, this very minute, there are some words that need to be said.  By me. To someone (more than one someone if we're being honest) that I love.  And I am finding it beyond difficult.  Because as difficult as it will be for me to say these words.  I think it will be more difficult for the persons hearing it.

I have been holding onto these words for quite some time. Years, really.  And it never seemed like the right time.  I was never ready to cross that line.  To let go of my role.  The role I had, while not always pleasant, was familiar to me.  Safe.  I knew exactly what it required of me.  I didn't always like it, but I didn't have to think about it, so that made it "safe".

But lately, I've been thinking, about love, which is what this blog is about.  When we love others, do we just allow them to aimlessly flounder about? or do we lovingly confront them and say "hey, because I love you and I care about you, I can't let you act this way..."? What's more loving? To just put up with inappropriate behaviors or to call someone out?  I guess it really depends on the manner in which it's done.

I guess what I'm saying is this: I need prayer.  Lots of it.  I've been holding these words back, but when I do finally let them out, I want them to come out in a loving way.  In a way that conveys how much I actually care.  It would be so easy for them to be bogged down with frustration, irritation or unkindness.  But I know that isn't the way God wants me to approach this.  "Be ye kind, one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:32) Even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven me.  Definitely something for me to dwell on and remember as I strive to show the love of God to those around me.

♥Rebekah

To Love is to be Vulnerable ♥

♥Rebekah

God's Love

I am a firm believer that once God's love gets a hold of your heart, all those things that you loved before that you thought were so important, will start to fall away.  Because you will find yourself, loving God back and because you love Him, you will want to eschew anything that will hurt Him.  You will find yourself seeking to please Him and desiring to show His love to others.  That's why I'm sharing this link.

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/love-letter-to-a-lesbian

Update

My apologies for not keeping up with this as much as I'd hoped.  Within days of starting this blog, my mother was hospitalized.  So, I have been kept rather busy and even normal things like sleep and laundry, have taken a back burner.  So, I just wanted you to know that I have not forgotten about this, but I just have to take a small hiatus.  However, in the meantime, I am applying the things I have been learning.  Sure, God has been teaching me about loving others, but throughout my current situation, I am learning much of God's grace and of His peace in my heart telling me that all will be well.  I would appreciate your prayers for my mother, as she is still in the hospital and we still are unsure of everything that is going on with her.  We know that she has E. coli and Staph, but she is also having some stomach issues.  She has a colonoscopy scheduled for tomorrow, so please join me in praying that things go smoothly.  Thanks to all who are already praying.  It's such a comfort to me and my family.  ~ Jeremiah 29:11 ~

♥Rebekah

Day 1: 1 John 4:16 God is Love

"So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." I John 4:16

Perhaps you're like me.  You grew up in church and Sunday School.  You know all the words to Jesus Loves Me and Jesus Loves the Little Children of the World and Praise Him! Praise Him! and even the more obnoxious songs like Father Abraham (Yeah, you're welcome for that earworm).  Or maybe the extent of your religious experience is that you watch Oprah...  For those of us within the first category, maybe the idea of "God is love" is something that we haven't stopped to really think about for a while because it's something we've known for such a long time.  For those outside of that category, maybe our view of God's love has been skewed by it's inaccurate portrayal in the media and through well-meaning evangelicals.  So what does the phrase "God is love" mean? 

I think in order to really answer this question, we have to dig a little deeper.  If God is love, what is love?  Let's look at I Corinthians:

4) Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant.
5) or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
6) it does not rejoice at wrongdoings, but rejoices with the truth.
7) Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things
8a) Love never ends.

This is a description of the attributes of love.  It is also a description of the character of God, therefore, God = love.

So the second part of the verse talks about abiding in love. What does that even mean? Well let's define the word "abide":

a·bide

  [uh-bahyd]  Show IPA verb, a·bode or a·bid·ed, a·bid·ing.

verb (used without object)

1.

to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me.

2.

to have one's abode; dwell; reside: to abide in a small Scottish village.

3.

to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.; last.

verb (used with object)

4.

to put up with; tolerate; stand: I can't abide dishonesty!

5.

to endure, sustain, or withstand without yielding or submitting: to abide a vigorous onslaught.

6.

to wait for; await: to abide the coming of the Lord.

7.

to accept without opposition or question: to abide the verdict of the judges.

8.

to pay the price or penalty of; suffer for.

In this instance, the definition of abide that applies here is the first one: to remain; continue; stay.  If we choose to continue in love (i.e. our actions, our choices, our relationships) then we are choosing to remain with God and He with us.  As we try and emulate God's love and choose to continue in the example that Christ has set for us, God will abide with us.  God's love IS like a circle.  We love Him because He first loved us.  As we abide in love, God abides with us.  And His love is everlasting.

God IS love.

♥Rebekah

An Introduction

Hey there. If you're reading this, welcome! Welcome to my new blog!  Yes, I do already have a blog.  It's kind of very nerdy and at times I'm known to have small rants about this, that and the other.  But this blog is something else.  It's something that I need and I thought I would blog about it in case it could be a help and encouragement to others.

How many of you deal with people as a part of your job? ::raises own hand::

How many of you live with someone else (i.e. family member, friend, spouse)? ::raises own hand::

If you raised your hand for either of these questions than you might be in the same place that I am.  I find myself getting frustrated and easily discouraged because I don't always understand.  But you know what? God doesn't tell me that I get to understand everything.  But he does command me to love others, even if they are different than me and even when I don't understand.

Well, Rebekah, how are we supposed to do that?? Good question.  I am starting a study about loving others, so that I can show Christ's love to others instead of giving vent to frustrations and/or alienating those who need God's love the most.

I think to start out, it is essential that we differentiate between the kinds of love.

1. Storge - Affection - The way members of a family feel about one another.

2.  Phileo - Friendship - Love between friends.

3. Eros - Romantic Love - How we feel when we are "in love" with someone.

4. Agape - Charity, Love regardless of circumstances - The kind of love that Christ has for us.

Now that I have briefly touched on the types of love, I feel that it will make it easier for you, the reader, to understand where I'm coming from.  For the most part I will be talking about "agape" love, since this is the kind of love that I will be striving to emulate in my own life.  I hope that you will join me and spread God's love to those you come in contact with.

♥Rebekah