So, the other day I had a huge epiphany. I had a huge moment of "oh my gosh...I get it!" We are doing Beth Moore's Loving WellBible Study at church on Tuesday mornings, and while I have missed a few weeks of it, I was able to make it this past Tuesday. I really enojoyed the DVD and I learned so much from that one session. From what I can tell, the study is all about how we have been called to love others because God has first loved us. Not only that, but we are loved...so loved. God really does love each and everyone of us and it's just so hard to fathom that. It's been hard for me to realize that and to know that His love is true, real and more than we could imagine as human beings.
Back to my story. So, JM has been especially fussy and just not quite himself here lately. I put him in his swing to hang out for a little bit so that I could get a few things put away so my house wouldn't wouldn't look like a tornado came through. He, of course, started fussing at me and was really not too excited about being put in his swing. He really let me know about it when I left the room to put some things away. I came back quickly, all the while telling him this:
"JM, I am here, I am not leaving you."
"Don't you know your Mama loves you so much and would never leave you...I'm here"
"Your Mama's not going to let anything bad happen to you because she loves you soooo much!"
While it didn't calm him down too much, it was so profound to me. Had I not learned of my Heavenly Father's love for me this very same morning and really, my whole life in church? Do I believe it everyday of my life? One lady from study said that we've lost the wonder of God's love for every single one of us...I think that's true. As I said the words aloud to JM to assure him of my presence and my love, I was in awe of the fact that by saying it aloud, I finally got it. It's what I've been studying and what I know to be true: God loves us. Just the night before this I read this verse that stuck out at me:
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Heb 13:5
I love these next few statements. They were taken from the Beth Moore small group study guide for Loving Well:
Do you know how much I love you? Do you know that I have never forsaken you nor will I ever reject you? I will always be there. I love you unashamedly.
These are the things that we feel about our children - unconditional, enduring love - but we must never forget that we are children of God. As His child, he feels these things for us, also.
All right, I am SO stepping off my soapbox right about now. I won't be back on it again until something either makes me mad or something profound happens to me! Tomorrow I'll be back to my regular posting of precious pictures of John Michael and our fluffer.
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5 comments:
Mary Avery,
I am in awe of the lovely and kind-hearted young lady you have grown into! I am especially thankful for the spiritual deepening you have experienced. You are truly a daughter anyone would be proud to call theirs.
But I also loving seeing you love your husband and your baby. It is a wonderful feeling seeing YOUR baby mother HER baby. You have by far exceeded my highest expectations of what I knew you would be like as a mother (not that I did not expect great mothering from you, but that you ARE exceptional).
I hope you know your family has always loved you unconditionally and passionately, as our Heavenly Father loves us. It IS hard to comprehend how much God loves us (we do not feel worthy). But we get a little taste of His love through the love of our families and then the love we feel for our own children!
Beautiful comments you wrote - they really touched me!
Love,
Your Mother (Dana) and JM's Meme
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Heb 13:5- This is the verse that one of the doctors at Brookwood taught me. Maybe Dr. Barranco, I remember he had the little pink baby feet on his lab coat. Keep up the good work and bring my nephew home for the holidays.
Great post baby! I am so proud of you every time I see you write things like this, and this type of love defintely shows up every day that I see you interact with our son, as well as with me. You're such a great wife and a great mother!
Keep up the great postings!
Love you,
Jordan
Hey! The Wooden Spoon is a little Amish restaurant in Gentry. It is SO GOOD! They are open for lunch M-F and for dinner only on Fridays. For dinner, they have a few things on their menu that stay the same each week. But they also offer 3-4 entrees each Friday that change each week. I always get catfish on Friday nights. Their lunch menu is good too. And their desserts are to die for. I saw today that they are open now for breakfast M-F--I bet their breakfast and coffee bar are fabulous--I may have to try to find a time on a day off to drive out there for breakfast!
What a wonderful and inspiring post. It is so true that you can almost imagine the kind of love that God has for us once you have a child of your own. That verse is one of the many verses that I read over and over during the time of taking care of Mom and Dad. I have had the privilege of taking about 7 or 8 Beth Moore classes and also going to her conferences. She is such a wonderful teach and helps you to see scripture in a whole new way. Thank you for being such a great mother and wife. We are so blessed to have you in our family.
We are so excited about y'all coming in this weekend and can't wait to see our "big boy"!!!
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