God Is Love, & He Loves Everyone

Sitting in a coffeeshop...

I love coffee,  & I love sitting in coffees shops.

It is truly one of my favorite things to do, and it brings my heart and soul great joy!

Today though, as I sit in a coffee shop, I am partaking in another favorite- people watching. 

I am really weird like that, and people probably think I am the creepiest thing ever, but that's alright because while I am people watching, I am thinking about how much God loves His children. 

I was thinking about this, as people walked in and out of the front doors to the coffeehouse, and each time someone walked in or out, I thought, I wonder if they know how much God loves them.

Then I kept on thinking, and my simple mind wasn't even grasping something marvelous!

God is love! 

Wow! God really is love, friends. It is a profound truth, and it blows my mind to attempt to comprehend. Like I said, my mind is simple. Yours is too. We cannot merely grasp the great and deep love that God has for us and his people. It goes beyond our comprehension, & that is because God's love is not to be understood, it is to be but barely grasped. Which is cray because we often feel overwhelmed with a waft of God's love! Guys, we don't even need full understanding of His love to feel it or be overtaken by it, and that is amazing to me. 

Basically, we live on a sinful and temporary Earth (Thanks, Eve). God's love is heavenly and holy. I am starting to see that the more I aim to be heavenly and holy, the more real and true God's love is to me. And I also see that the more I aim to be heavenly and holy, the more Satan comes to take away this goal and pursuit of mine. So to you Satan, here is what I have to say: There is no room for you in my heart. As long as I am seeking the Lord and Savior of the world, you have no precedent in my life or my soul. God's love is overwhelming, and His pure love is overwhelming this dark heart of mine, and creating life and light. 

Reflect on God's love. I would suggest in a coffeehouse... or anywhere...but if you want to feel hipster for two seconds it is a great place to start!

Heavenly Father, you are good, all the time, in every way. 

Amen! 

On A Day Like This

Today was a snow (ice) day!

I love the joy that snow days bring! Who doesn't love the beautiful white powder relaxing on the ground, and the calming aroma it brings. The best part of today had to be all of the remaining Valentine chocolates I ate. Apparently my lover doesn't understand that I am trying to lose a few pounds, and gave me an entire box of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory chocolates, complete with a massive peanut butter cup, chocolate covered graham crackers, and chocolate truffles (YUM!).

Today, I relaxed and reflected on the goodness and grace of our Lord. It is humbling to think about a God who loves me so much that He not only sent his son to die on the cross, but allows me to indulge in the simple pleasures of this temporary life; snow days are a direct reflection of God's beauty. It sounds goofy in more ways than one, but I feel compelled to thank God for a Monday off. Monday's are my "crazy" days of the week, and the opportunity to eat chocolate, drink coffee, catch up on reading, and watch The Bachelor is enough to bring me to my little blog (that i'm convinced only my mom reads), and relay my gratefulness for this day.

Thank you Father for a beautiful snow day! Thank you for having such a gracious and giving heart that you allow me to relax and catch up on this crazy life. Today was so needed, and I am tickled pink that I was given this gift. Thank you for keeping my loved ones safe as they drove on the roads today, and thank you for loving me more than I can envision in my simple mind. Days like today are few and far between, but I treasure and remember them.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their snow day, and I pray it fulfilled you as much as it did me!

Don't Drink Poison

My sister once shared with me words that have never failed to leave my heart

"Don't be bitter towards others, because bitterness is like drinking poison, and hoping it kills the other person."

Today was a day full of bitterness in its truest form. It seems that the more time I spend with my Heavenly Father, the more Satan tries to tempt me into despair and unhappiness. This is problematic; how do I grow closer to God when every time I take a step, Satan is there to take me back two more steps? 

I had an epiphany this evening. Sobbing uncontrollably, thinking about the hurts today brought, it all of a sudden just clicked. Those wise words shared by my sister knocked at my heart, and I faced the unfortunate truth that today my heart was bursting with bitter. Bitterness looks and feels as ugly as it sounds, it rots into the core of your heart and has the power to suck the joy and life out of you. I was pondering on all of this, wondering how life could bring such ugliness... and God spoke so very clear to me, it was as if he was right next to me: 

"Love conquers all."

We have heard it over and over again, but my heart fluttered with a new respect and recognition of this incomparable and valuable declaration. Love conquers all. My sobbing slowed, and I caught my breath, as I repeated to myself over and over again, love conquers all, love conquers all, love conquers all. It is a sweet truth to come to, and God has impeccable timing. 

Today was full of darkness and bitterness, but I didn't realize the incredible light it would bring me to. God never said that if I surrender to Him my journey on Earth will be easy. He never said my burden would be light, and my path would be full of happy anthems. He did however promise that He will never leave me or forsake me, and on bitter days like today, He is not far. He is walking beside me, whispering "love conquers all" in my ear. Sometimes all it takes is a good long cry, and good hard listen. 

Job 21:25

 "Another dies with bitterness in the soul, having never tasted anything good or pure."

Don't drink poison. Conquer bitterness with love.