The premise is that you are challenged by one of your followers to take a quick snapshot right where you are and tell your followers what you are doing, and then you challenge a few of your friends to do the same and keep the challenge moving. {Obviously some people cheat and don't post until they make things look a little more glamorous!}
This simple hashtag along with the daily lessons that Jesus teaches me through being a mommy got me thinking, "Why not do a #WILN - What I'm Learning Now?" I've always been able to take life's circumstances and see things He was trying to teach me, but never more so than I do these days.
I've technically already shared my first one when I blogged about Bows and Boots and how God was teaching me to "Let it GO!" There's no way I'll be able to remember all of the lessons He's been teaching me, but I thought I'd start today and share the one I learned this week.
In preparing for and thinking about Valentine's Day, I was thinking about LOVE. Brad and I had fun last year as new parents celebrating with our tiny Valentine and starting a new tradition - a pizza date with our family (which we'll be doing again tonight). Valentine's Day isn't just about romantic love. To me it's just about LOVE and telling those special people in your life how much you love them.
I'll never forget the Valentine's before I met Brad. I was living in an apartment with my brother and I didn't really know anyone my age (I was a hermit). I was LONELY. I came home from work/class to an empty apartment because my brother was spending Valentine's night with his fiancé Candice. But what I found when I walked in to my room took my breath away. My brother had a stuffed puppy, balloon, m&m's, and a card set up on my desk. It was such a simple gesture on his part, but it meant so much to me. In a time where I found little worth in myself, I felt so loved and treasured.
That day changed my view on Valentine's forever. It's not just about me and Brad, it's a special day to celebrate our love for each other and for our family. And let me tell you, I love Bryleigh...a LOT, like more than my heart can bear sometimes, and more than I can really put in to words.
As I sat and thought about my love for Bryleigh this morning, the thought hit me. As much as I love her, I will never love her perfectly. I will never get it all right. I'll make mistakes, I'll give her not-so-great advice at some point, I'll raise my voice and talk to her in a way that I should not, I'll discipline her out of anger and not out of love. As much as I love her, I can't love her perfectly.
I can't love her the way God loves her. We can't love one another the way God loves us. (I'm not saying it's not something to strive for each and every day...my daily prayer for the past year has been to love as God loves.) He loves us so perfectly. He loves us with a knowledge of the past, present, and future. Each time His hand is on our lives, it is in such a perfect way. He gets it right 100% of the time. He doesn't make mistakes, He gives us the best advice each and every time, He never treats us with disrespect, He disciplines us out of love and not out of anger. He loves us perfectly.
So why don't I trust Him more? That perfect love and that ultimate sacrifice means He ALWAYS has my best interest at heart.
We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. (1 John 3:16 NLT)
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