Happy Galentine's and Valentine's!!
What a joy is it to take time out of our busy lives to celebrate love? Whether it's your friends, children, furbaby, or your sweetheart, it is a gift to love and to be loved.
As I pause and think about "Love" and what it means to me, I am reminded of three things: my family, my husband, and my salvation.
Family
I know that I was blessed with my family. Each of us has his/her own experiences, and so much of those experiences are shaped by the people around us.
Ironically, I keep struggling buying blackberries! See, I'm allergic to most berries, but Blackberries are a safe berry option that I enjoy. Recently, everytime I bring the berries home, I find one tucked away, hidden under all the fresh, plump looking ones that is COVERED IN MOLD! I immediately, throw them out. Just as Paul writes in 1 Cor. 15: 33, bad company can lead to bad morals. I know the bad blackberry will soon ruin the rest.
In the same way, I've been blessed with people, my family, that were a good bunch of berries (yes, this is funny since my maiden name was Cherry). They were far from perfect, but they did shape me into who I am today.
In 2021, I worked as a legal intern with DCS in Nashville--it was both the best and worst experience of my life! I saw the most heinous, heartbreaking situations. My time there taught me to deeply appreciate my family but also:
We can't just say "love like Jesus."
We have to actually extend grace and love.
Everyone has a story. Everyone has been shaped by his own experience. Loving like Jesus means making space for others and treating them as the beloved children of God that he created.
Husband
Next, I am reminded of my husband, Aaron.
I met Aaron when I was just fifteen years old! My 15 year-old-self definitely did not think she was going to marry this random guy, but a few years later, we went on our first date. I remember an immediate ease coming over me and feeling safe (which says a lot, because I get very nervous when other people drive). I knew then that Aaron would either be my best friend or husband.
A few years later, he walked my mom down the aisle at my sisters wedding. He helped with anything my family needed--moving furniture, picking up sticks, packing candles...basically, whatever my mama said.
During the reception, I was talking with my best friend while he stood across the venue speaking with a family friend. Our eyes kept meeting, and I remember thinking:
"yeah, that's my husband."
I recently found a photo from that exact moment. One day I'll show it to our children and say, "That was the moment I knew your dad was the one."
Most importantly, Aaron has been the most instrumental person to my faith. Aaron and I had different religious backgrounds, and it was very challenging to navigate, especially for me. I grieved over it. I cried over it. I prayed over it. I can't count the number of tearfilled discussion that we have shared.
Regardless, that difference is what made me dust off my Bible when we started dating. Even though I grew up in a Christian, faith-focused home, I realized that I needed to seek God for myself. I was determined not to have a "Hand-Me-Down" faith, but to seek God and pray that He would be at the center of our relationship. (Philippians 2:12-13; John 1:1)
I can now appreciate the differences we shared in the beginning. They drove me to be intentional about seeking God and sharing His truth with others. I'm truly blessed that what God has joined together, no one can separate (Mark 10:9).
Salvation
Lastly, certainly not least, I am reminded of my salvation.
We are created in the image of God, and our emotions (anger, happiness, sadness) are all from our creator.(Genesis 1:27) Even more, the bible tells us that God is love. (1 John 4:8)That means by his very nature, God is love. Love cannot exists without Him, so by our very nature, our ability to love and be loved is from God.
But God doesn't just say it.
He shows it.
God sent his son to save us! (John 3:16; Luke 19:10)1 John 4 goes on to say, he sent his son into this world so that we may live and be propitiation for our sins. Basically, he sent Jesus to be the replacement for us--not for one group, one culture, or one background, but he sent him for ALL of us. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The bible also says that we have ALL sinned (Romans 3), and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). He died and rose so that we may live with him, adopted as equal heirs, children of God.
Romans 6 explains that those who have been baptized into Christ were baptized into his death, buried with him, and just as Christ rose from the tomb, we are given a new life. (Romans 6; Matthew 28:1-8; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3: 18-22)
Through His death, burial, and resurrection, we are given new life. When we are baptized into Christ, we share in that death and resurrection--raised to walk in a new life (Romans 6; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:18-22).
God makes this covenant with us and seals it with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; Ephesians 1:13-14; John 16:7)
That is love.
Jesus died, was raised, and lives for us--and through Him we are adopted as heirs...beloved. (1 Cor. 15:3-4; Hebrews 9:15; Romans 8:17)
What a gift is to love and be loved!
xo,
Kelsey