Posts with the label love
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Friday, December 2, 2022
Faith and Grief
The waning grief seems to be unearthed and dug up again when any holiday rolls around, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I'm not sure why death seems to come calling more often during the holidays. I've attended three funerals in the last two weeks. I cry at every funeral. My heart breaks for the families. These three funerals were "good" funerals or rather, celebrations of life. The three individuals professed hope in Jesus so we know we will live with them forever in heaven. Until that glorious reunion, please allow me to share a wonderful message I heard at my uncle's funeral recently. I pray the words comfort you during your grief as they have me. The minister used the following scripture in his delivery.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to seperate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
His message is "Nothing can seperate us from the love of our loved one", just as nothing can seperate us from the love of God. The love of Christ in us binds us with others for eternity. We can appropriately insert the name of our loved ones into this verse...
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to seperate us from the love of ___(insert name here)___, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The comfort of knowing love remains is powerful. I Corinthians 13:7 (paraphrased) assures us that love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. Certainly, love helps us grieve.
Much love,
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Five Basic Elements of Unconditional Love
Life has thrown some pretty big challenges at Steve and I. I'm sure you have plenty of your own. We are thankful the carousel stopped before the dizziness got to our stomach. The constant ups and downs of the ride churned our beings. We hung on for dear life. When Steve and I married, 36 years ago, he planned to take care of me. I was the one born with a congenital birth defect. He nor I, never, for one minute, considered my health would ever be better than his. My perpetual limp, coupled with my basic need for prostethics for both feet, was quickly overshadowed by Steve's need for a double lung transplant in 2020. Life, in general, for everyone, necessitates the five basic elements of unconditional love. Love is what makes our worlds go round.
Before his transplant, I watched Steve struggle to fit in with his new requirement for oxygen, unable to walk 10-20 feet without stopping for air. People stared at him and his tank. I've almost overcome the stares from curious people, although, some days I'm off my game. I wish Steve never endured the breathlessness of a chronic lung disease or felt inadequate. God grew both of us through his illness and transplant recovery. Praise the Lord Steve is back now! We've come full circle. I'm the one trying to keep up with him again.
Everyone wants unconditional love. These are the five basic elements of unconditional love we embrace and practice:
Everyone wants unconditional love. These are the five basic elements of unconditional love we embrace and practice:
- Different is good. Diversity was cool in our home before it became a popular buzzword.
- Compassion not pity. Compassion and pity are synonyms but aren't the same. Both convey sympathetic feelings for others, but pity creates cause for regret or disappointment. Pity comes across as sadness or misfortune. Advseristy encourages strength, adaptation and courage. Those valuable charcter traits desire compassion not pity.
- Wear a smile. A smile is so much more comforting than that furrowed brow frown; no sad faces allowed. Caring is revealed with a happy face. Show your love for ohters by greeting them with a warm smile.
- Do not stare, gawk or crane. When I share my story with groups, I laugh at myself. I've become so used to people staring at me, I get offended when they don't. I wonder what's wrong with these people? LOOK at me! (That is a joke, of course.) I really don't enjoy being stared at for the wrong reasons.
- Take time for all. Individuals are put into our lives for various reasons. We will learn and grow from every person we meet if we invest wisely. Understanding people is a full-time job. Friends are a blessing to cherish.
Faith is unconditional love. Our faith sees inner beauty. Our value lives on the inside. Grace and mercy are always unconditional.. Paul, a popular disciple, struggled with his problems until he found Jesus. His attitude changed completely. He accepted his physical plight. Paul wrote the following scripture. I think he began to practice the five basic elements of unconditional love.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10. "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Lovingly,
Sunday, February 13, 2022
Compassion for an Egg
My smile lasted knowing God sees me as I saw this egg. He knows my flaws, my irregularities, my temper, my quick thoughts, my unbridled tongue, my impatience, ughhh, he knows more than I want him to know about me. When God cracks through our shell, the goodness of his righteousness pours out. I wish I was more like the egg, one crack and done. I keep needing cracked again and again. My King puts Humpty Dumpty back together again every time for me to do it again. I take my eyes off Jesus, walk my own path, disobey and there I am, sitting on that dangerously high wall again. Why can’t I remember my last fall? Why do I need so much discipline? He wrote me a Book for guidance and sent two pieces of himself for me; for us, one even lives inside of me. God needs a vacation from gluing my broken pieces, doesn’t he?
My smiled lasted longer as God used the uneven shell of an egg to bless my soul. He loves me, imperfections and all. He loves you too! I’m still an “egg-in-process”. He’s still cracking, I’m still breaking and he’s still fixing me.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
Eggstra365,
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Frozen 2: A 6-year old Perspective
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Friday, July 8, 2016
Free Hugs
I learn something from every adventure. I learned something extra special on this outing, from this woman...
This lady has been standing on this corner at various times for the past seven years giving free hugs. Sloane spotted her first and said "Let's get a free hug!". I was apprehensive. I can hug. I like to hug but it's not a common practice for me with total strangers. Also, short in stature does not a good hugger make. You can get a little more insight into short hugger thoughts here. Since I'm always willing to experience something new and different, I hugged her.
She may be the reason my trip to Victoria was so overwhelming? Her hug was the sweetest, most exhilarating, non-invasive hug ever! She cooed to me in a bird-like song as our arms met and embraced thanking me for stopping to hug her telling me "You're such a good hugger" and "Bless you". Uh, no, Free Hug Lady, thank you! The experience of that hug still lingers in my heart.
Yesterday, God used that experience in a way I didn't see coming. Steve and I were at Emory for his checkup. A young woman in a wheelchair with oxygen was leaving the office when the doctor came out and whispered something to her. A few minutes later, I saw this same lady wiping tears from her face as she and her male companion waited for the elevator. I wondered if the doctor had told her bad news about her health. In the same instance, Godly compassion filled my heart and I began to pray for her lifting her needs to our Heavenly Father.
Can you guess what happened next? That's right. God nudged me to hug her. I gave him all the reasons why I couldn't. She's a stranger. She's black. She don't want no white girl getting in her face. There's eight people waiting in this tiny area for an elevator! My heart started POUNDING! Just as her friend was moving her toward the elevator, I did it! I asked if I could hug her, she nodded and I did it. It wasn't awkward or strange in any way. It felt good to extend the love of the Father to a fellow being. I saw her again in the lab. She looked at me and smiled. Her entire countenance had changed. She seemed more peaceful, more content.
You may hug strangers all the time, but I usually don't. God showed me that to experience him, you must seek that which is alive. I loved the beautiful scenery in Victoria. The flowers are alive now but will soon die. People are alive now but will soon die but their souls are alive forever. I Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. God's love is alive! Share the love whenever and wherever you get the opportunity... especially to strangers.
Sharing the love,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Feel free to leave a comment with hugging tips or experiences.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Run Don't Walk to Heaven
Eldis is no ordinary woman. She's a mom, grandmother, friend, sister, wife, encourager, songwriter, piano player, drama director, fun-loving gift from God. She survived a double mastectomy from breast cancer, surgery for a brain aneurysm, widowed after 50+ years, raised seven kids (three of them adopted) and I won't attempt the number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, there are many! In short, there are many, many people who love this lady, including me. She's been one of my spiritual supports for Godly growth and a mentor to me about love; God's love. I've seen her many times like John the Revelator "caught up" in God's love repeating the same phrase over and over "God is love, God is love!"
I left the Independent Baptist Church I grew up in after worshipping there with Eldis and her family for 42 years. I joined First Baptist Chatsworth with my family, incidentally or not, the same church where Eldis grew up. I am thankful for my years at Mt. View Baptist. My move left some people scratching their heads wondering why I made such a drastic change from an uber-conservative church to Southern Baptist (also conservative).
The answer is simple. Whether it was self-inflicted or a very present demonstration, I grew up with an "unhealthy" fear of God. Watching Eldis, I grew to realize God is not "out to get me" for something I did or didn't do (not going to church on Wednesday night). He gave his only son, Jesus, so I might have life more abundantly. If I accept his sacrifice, apply it to my life and live for and through him, he is faithful and just to forgive my sin. Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. I've learned fear is respect and acknowledgment, reasoning together, not shrinking in the corner or coming to church because you fear what God will do to you if you don't. I interpret Godly fear similar to the way God wishes us to respect our parents, after all, he is our Father.
First Baptist Chatsworth has fostered the Eldis creed in me. When I walk thru the lovingly comfortable double doors I can feel the spirit of a younger Eldis chanting to me "God is love, God is love!" I am forever grateful to this extraordinary woman that held to her belief when others didn't fully understand. The basis of Eldis' faith is Jesus Christ and his love for her, mine is too. We will never outlove him.
As I watched this sweet family gathered around her hospital bed, laughing until they lost their breath, I marveled. Their faith impresses, to say the least. I only hope to possess this attitude when it's time to surrender my parents to their Heavenly Father. After a laughing frenzy, when Eldis regained her composure, she looked at me and said, "Tammy, I've always thought that God wants us to run to him happy when it's time instead of him having to drag us by the hair of the head saying (in the gruffest voice she could muster) "I SAID COME ON!""
As always Eldis, I think you're right!
Philippians 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
***I had to edit this post to include a fond memory. Eldis was the first and last person to serve me ground beef gravy for breakfast. She subs ground beef for sausage in her gravy. Her family loves it! I had never heard of ground beef gravy let alone tasted it!. Eldis says, "You have to get creative when raising seven kids on a budget!" I didn't like it 35 years ago and still don't but I'm sure it's still a staple at the Smith house!
Love me some Eldis,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
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