So What Does Love Really Look Like????
Happy Weekend Everyone! I hope those of you that would get the opportunity to sleep in on Saturday mornings, were able to sleep well. And to those that use those first hours to get housework and errands done, I pray you were as productive as you hoped you'd be. And those of you who get up early to spend that time with the Lord, I really pray that you reached another new height in Him.
So, I was just looking back at the posts from this week, and I realized that God had me in the vein of talking about Love. How to love. Ways to love people. Ways to love family. Showing your family the Love that Jesus showed for you. But if you are like me before March/April 2012, you knew God loved you. But, the magnitude of the way He really loved me, never really hit me until right before Good Friday 2102.
By 2010 I had gone through sooooo much. I had moved cross country mainly to get away from my past. A very painful past that included a first marriage that went down in the types of flames I would not wish on a worst enemy. Lots of alcohol. Physical, emotional, sexual and mental abuse. Shame mixed with pride. Absolutely no self esteem that was wrapped in vanity. Damaged children trying to forget painful memories of things no child should have to experience. Unforgiveness toward the one person who i thought was to blame for my and my children's pain and also unforgiveness to those who watched and did nothing to help or even speak. And lastly, and the most powerful one of all, unforgiveness to myself for never truly seeing damage that was happening that I could have prevented if had I just opened my eyes to see. My story is long and something that can only be a testimony to how amazing God is and how powerful His love to me has been in my life.
So first of all, we have all heard that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Yea, it's in scripture. That's a pretty big sacrifice. But what sins? What is this about? It all hit me one day, i'm not sure if it was at church, or if I was in the middle of reading the bible. But 2 things stood out to me. He could have stopped everything at any moment. He could have come down from the cross at any moment. But still He stayed, and he endured, and He took the whopping that I was supposed to get for all the stupid stuff I did in my life. He took the spit in the face that I deserved for MY dis-respectfulness. He took the crown in the head that I deserved for MY vanity.He allowed all of that because He loved me just that much! I don't know anyone on the face of the earth who would take all of that for me! Not one person! That alone took me A YEAR to really absorb! But after that absorbed, I found out that second thing. The second thing I learned is that after He took all my punishments for MY sins, after He was left dead and dangling on the cross, after His body was brought down and buried in a tomb protected by guards. On the 3rd day, He returned!!!! Showing me that there can be a new life, after death!!!! I realized the old vain, disrespectful, selfish Ana needed to die. That's the example that He was trying to show me!!!! He took the punishments of MY sins already!!!! All I had to do was finally SEE that!!! And when I allowed that Ana to die, a new and improved in God Ana can rise up in place of the old Ana. A new Loving, Respectful, Patient, Long-Suffering, Obedient Ana can take her place. A Whole New Life. Thanks to Jesus Christs Sacrifice in Death and His Holy Resurrection.
If any of this hits you, then that's amazing and I pray that you can slowly make the changed in you that you need in order to better yourself one step at a time. If it didn't touch you in any way, just wait. One day Jesus will pop up in your life and will show you exactly who He has been for you in ways you never thought.
I love you all! Enjoy your Saturday!!
So, I was just looking back at the posts from this week, and I realized that God had me in the vein of talking about Love. How to love. Ways to love people. Ways to love family. Showing your family the Love that Jesus showed for you. But if you are like me before March/April 2012, you knew God loved you. But, the magnitude of the way He really loved me, never really hit me until right before Good Friday 2102.
By 2010 I had gone through sooooo much. I had moved cross country mainly to get away from my past. A very painful past that included a first marriage that went down in the types of flames I would not wish on a worst enemy. Lots of alcohol. Physical, emotional, sexual and mental abuse. Shame mixed with pride. Absolutely no self esteem that was wrapped in vanity. Damaged children trying to forget painful memories of things no child should have to experience. Unforgiveness toward the one person who i thought was to blame for my and my children's pain and also unforgiveness to those who watched and did nothing to help or even speak. And lastly, and the most powerful one of all, unforgiveness to myself for never truly seeing damage that was happening that I could have prevented if had I just opened my eyes to see. My story is long and something that can only be a testimony to how amazing God is and how powerful His love to me has been in my life.
So first of all, we have all heard that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Yea, it's in scripture. That's a pretty big sacrifice. But what sins? What is this about? It all hit me one day, i'm not sure if it was at church, or if I was in the middle of reading the bible. But 2 things stood out to me. He could have stopped everything at any moment. He could have come down from the cross at any moment. But still He stayed, and he endured, and He took the whopping that I was supposed to get for all the stupid stuff I did in my life. He took the spit in the face that I deserved for MY dis-respectfulness. He took the crown in the head that I deserved for MY vanity.He allowed all of that because He loved me just that much! I don't know anyone on the face of the earth who would take all of that for me! Not one person! That alone took me A YEAR to really absorb! But after that absorbed, I found out that second thing. The second thing I learned is that after He took all my punishments for MY sins, after He was left dead and dangling on the cross, after His body was brought down and buried in a tomb protected by guards. On the 3rd day, He returned!!!! Showing me that there can be a new life, after death!!!! I realized the old vain, disrespectful, selfish Ana needed to die. That's the example that He was trying to show me!!!! He took the punishments of MY sins already!!!! All I had to do was finally SEE that!!! And when I allowed that Ana to die, a new and improved in God Ana can rise up in place of the old Ana. A new Loving, Respectful, Patient, Long-Suffering, Obedient Ana can take her place. A Whole New Life. Thanks to Jesus Christs Sacrifice in Death and His Holy Resurrection.
If any of this hits you, then that's amazing and I pray that you can slowly make the changed in you that you need in order to better yourself one step at a time. If it didn't touch you in any way, just wait. One day Jesus will pop up in your life and will show you exactly who He has been for you in ways you never thought.
I love you all! Enjoy your Saturday!!
This is so awesome!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it has blessed you!
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