Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Verse of Impact

Recently, I have been struck by two simple, yet profound verses.

Psalm 135:5-6
I know that the LORD is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.

The LORD does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.

He does whatever pleases Him. For me, these verses are beginning to have significant impact on my relationship with my husband. Because He pleased to do so, He chose Miguel as the perfect husband for me; because He pleased to do so, He chose me as the perfect wife for Miguel. This is truth from scripture for my life today in the moment.

Are you struggling within your circumstances? I encourage you not to ask "why" like I so often and frequently do, but rather, view your circumstances as those that God pleased to place you in. This is truly a life altering change of perspective.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

UN-Valentine's Celebration

For the past two years, Miguel and I have ventured to the Melting Pot Restaurant in Towson with three loyal friends--Em Sleeman, Em Connell, and Kane Minton. Each year, our party grows, a good friend, a new girlfriend. I anticipate our evening together from the beginning of January. Great food and wonderful friends. Tonight, we continue the tradition! Cheese appetizer, meat and seafood dinner, and oh the chocolate dessert! But, beyond the food, the fellowship always amazes me. I walk away realizing how blessed I have been. God has graciously given me friendships that are not only meaningful, but endure over the years! He is so good to me.

So....Here's to an UN-Valentine's Celebration at the Melting Pot.

Do you have any fond "Friendship" memories attached to a restaurant?

Monday, February 13, 2006

Song

I was wondering, in light of Valentine's Day, what is your favorite love song? Though not my favorite, our first dance song will always have special memories attached to it!

"When You Say You Love Me"
Like the sound of silence calling,
I hear your voice and suddenly
I'm falling, lost in a dream.
Like the echoes of our souls are meeting,
You say those words and my heart stops beating.
I wonder what it means.
What could it be that comes over me?
At times I can't move.
At times I can hardly breathe.


When you say you love me
The world goes still, so still inside and
When you say you love me
For a moment, there's no one else alive

You're the one I've always thought of.
I don't know how, but I feel sheltered in your love.
You're where I belong.
And when you're with me if I close my eyes,
There are times I swear I feel like I can fly
For a moment in time.
Somewhere between the Heavens and Earth ,
And frozen in time, Oh when you say those words.

[bridge:]
And this journey that we're on.
How far we've come and I celebrate every moment.
And when you say you love me,
That's all you have to say.
I'll always feel this way.

When you say you love me
The world goes still, so still inside and
When you say you love me
In that moment,I know why I'm alive

When you say you love me.
When you say you love me.
Do you know how I love you?

expectations

Over the past year, I have come to some very harsh realizations. First, God is not after my happiness. He is, however, after my holiness. Second, I am learning that my expectations are OFTEN left unmet. Unmet in order to force me to grow and confront sin in my life.

An all too recent and painful example:

Like so many of you, I enjoy the snow. In fact, as a single woman, I always dreamed of the snow days that would come after I was married--shut in with your honey, nothing to do but, well....the possibilities were endless. When the talk of snow began earlier this week, the excitement grew. My first snow--we'd rent movies, play games, eat soup. The list would be endless. I went to the library and rented four movies. I made sure the house was stocked with food--junk and other. I was ready. Then it began. The snow and the sin. They aren't inherently linked, at least I pray not. But it surely did appear that way all weekend. My expectations were unraveling from the second Saturday began. Selfishly, I waited until the last minute to prepare our house for guests that were coming over. This sent me into a self-induced bout of panic and anger. The remainder of the evening was spent pretending to be fine and trying to enjoy myself around my husband. Sunday was no different. I eagerly anticipated waking up early, making a huge breakfast for Miguel and then cuddling up on the couch with one of our movies. When asked what he wanted for breakfast, a quick "instant oatmeal" reply DID NOT meet my expectations. I immediately became angry. I was failing in my attempts to serve my husband despite my unmet expectations. The remainder of the day was no different. I allowed each little scenario to utterly ruin my snow day(and my attitude). There were no snow angels, no snow walks, no sledding events, nothing. My anger ruled me and I chose to remain in sin instead of enjoy the beauty God had put on display. I wish I could say that the day ended well--it didn't. More pretending that I was fine. More unmet expectations. Some good ol' yelling and screaming. Yet through it, I realized that God was trying to speak to me. He was purposefully placing me in situations where I am forced to choose between anger and joy. Which will I choose in the moment? I pray that during the next snow storm, I choose to enjoy it and not let unmet expectations rule me. I know God has many more expectations and deeply rooted sins to destroy in my life. However, I just hope that next time it's during a rainstorm and not a snowstorm!