A Demonstration of Selfless Love: Reflections on Monday of Holy Week

This weekend, my husband demonstrated the beauty of what real love in marriage is all about.

I was sick all day Friday, and then pushed myself too much Saturday morning and was tired the rest of the day, and much of yesterday as well.  I slept a lot.  I didn't cook at all on Friday, and not till supper on Saturday.  Supper yesterday was the first real meal we've eaten together, that I cooked, all weekend.

But has my husband complained?  Not one bit.  He's even helped with the dishes.  He encouraged me to rest.  He just quietly did his own thing while I was sleeping and recovering.  He was sweet and helpful on Friday when I was feeling the crummiest.  He stayed home from class to take care of me.  He even brought me 7-Up because we didn't have any in the house.  He's made me tea, brought me blankets, adjusted the heat when my feverish self went from cold to hot and back again, and kept me company.  We spent a lot of time playing LEGO Lord of the Rings on the PS-3 this weekend (perfect activity to do when one is sick; using the video game controller takes virtually no energy!).

He hasn't even complained about the fact that I've done no housework all weekend, that I was the most boring wife imaginable (I don't even know how many hours I slept the last three days!), or that he had to fend for himself in the kitchen (although he's perfectly capable of feeding himself :) ).

Can I just say, my husband is awesome.  He's loved me like crazy this whole weekend without expecting or asking anything in return.

He's demonstrating to me Christ-like love: selfless love, love that gives without expecting to get.  Yet another reason why I love my husband so much.  He models Jesus to me.

And, what a lovely coincidence, this happens to be the week that we remember the days that Jesus demonstrated his love for us in the most radical, selfless, incredible way possible.

He gave his life for us.  And in the days leading up to his death on the cross, Jesus spent his time teaching his disciples, preparing them for what would happen in the days ahead, giving them spiritual encouragement and strength, and loving them.  "As I have loved you," he said, "love one another." (John 13:34-35)

It's actually not possible for us to perfectly love one another in the way Christ loved us.  We're human, after all, and it's only by the power of God that we're able to love at all.  But by his grace, we can demonstrate that kind of selfless love for each other, motivated by what Christ has done for us.  His love for us is so great that he willingly died for all people--even though they didn't all love him.  "God shows his love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  (Romans 5:8)

That's the kind of perfect love I will never be able to achieve, but it is the love that, by God's grace, I am so thankful to receive.

How have you seen the love of Christ active in your life this weekend?

Linking with:  A Proverbs 31 Wife, Grits and Grace, What Joy is Mine, The Alabaster Jar, Raising Arrows, The Better Mom, Countrified Hicks, Yes They're All Ours

A rant. Still blessed!

Because of this post and this one by Sheila at To Love, Honor, and Vacuum, I feel like I can write this post. :)

I don't get sick often.  But when I do, I get sick.  I woke up in the middle of the night with, shall we say, digestive issues... which haven't entirely quit yet... and now the rest of my body is feeling like I've been tossed down about four flights of stairs.  And I'm pretty sure I have a fever.  I've been freezing cold but sweaty all day.

Why is it that it has to be both miseries at once?  Why not one or the other?

I guess on the upside, I'm killing two birds with one stone.  At least it's not two separate illnesses at two different times.  And I'm not the only one... this bug, or one like it, is all over campus.  At least three of my friends are sick today as well, and everyone knows that misery loves company!

But I tell ya what, I HATE stomach issues.  The, erm, regurgitation itself isn't so bad.  It's the anticipation thereof that's the worst.  Since I was little I've had a phobia of vomiting, which means that if I think I'm going to be sick, I get really worried and tense.  Once I actually get it over with, it's not so bad.

On the other hand, there's a lot to be thankful for about today.  My husband didn't have to be gone much so I haven't been alone hardly at all.  One of our two classes for today was cancelled anyway, and I could submit the homework for the other via email.  I've gotten to sleep a better part of the day.  I'm still in my pajamas and robe.  And the best part?  I haven't had to cook, clean, or do dishes all day-- and I don't even feel bad about it!  

Ideally, I'll be fine by tomorrow... I have plenty of things I'd like to do.  But I'm going to enjoy the rest while I have the opportunity to do so!  I think that sometimes God lets us get sick as a loud-and-clear message that we need to rest.  I'm going to listen to that message! :)

thankful in all circumstances, past and present

Being home sick is one thing that opens my eyes to all I have to be thankful for!

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul wrote, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstance, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (5:16-18).  I just finished reading The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom, a story about a Christian family in Holland during WWII who helped hide and rescue Jews.  Corrie, her family and many of their friends were eventually found out, arrested, and sent to concentration camps in Germany.  Miraculously, Corrie and her sister Betsie found each other and were able to be together in the worst of all the camps they had seen.  Upon their arrival at one camp, they realized the barracks was infested with fleas, besides being filthy and unsanitary.  Betsie in her prayers that night was thanking God even for the fleas, but Corrie protested.  "How can I be thankful for fleas?"  Betsie insisted, so they thanked God for fleas, but Corrie could not see how they would be a blessing.  A few weeks later, Betsie, who stayed in the barracks knitting because she was too ill and weak for any other work, had exciting news to share with her sister.  Betsie had been talking about Jesus and reading a smuggled-in Bible to the women around her, and yet had never been bothered by the guards.  She had discovered that day that her freedom to witness the Gospel was because of the fleas: the guards refused to enter the flea-infested dormitory.

Now, I am obviously in far better circumstances than Betsie and Corrie were.  God tells us to give thanks in all circumstances, however, and that includes mine!

Today I am thankful that I cleaned the house over the weekend so, although I haven't had energy to do much, the house is still in pretty good order.

I'm thankful for this time, in a quiet home, to rest.

I'm thankful for my grandpa, who brought me saltines, 7-up, some medicine and tissues with lotion in them!

I'm thankful for my husband, who works hard and who has been taking such good care of me while I've been ill.

I'm thankful for my mom and my friends, who I got to talk to on the phone today and yesterday.

I'm thankful that I'm feeling much better now than I have been, my energy is increasing, and I'm less tired.

I'm thankful that being sick happens to me much less often than being healthy!

I'm thankful especially that God is always faithful, always in control, never changes, and is always good.  His constancy is reassuring, in a world that is constantly changing.

linking up with other thankful and beautiful ladies today:

looking at life with an eternal perspective

I was going to write a list of all the ways I use vinegar in my house.
It's pretty nifty, versatile stuff, so I might do that later.

But what's on my heart right now is something that my husband and I were talking about last night.
We were talking about perspective.

I came down yesterday with an annoying summer flu (stuffy nose, sore throat, aches, a little fever).  Also yesterday I found out about a friend with a sinus infection that has spread so far it's within less than an inch of her spinal cord and cerebellum.  She's a single mommy of twins and is having surgery in a few weeks.  A little flu is nothing to complain about.

My husband was telling me about his boss...his encouraging, funny, no-nonsense, and very kind boss.  He's been such a blessing, this man I don't even know.  My husband loves his job.  No, it doesn't make tons of money, but it's enough...and for the happiness that I see in Joshua's face when he comes home from work with more stories to share, I wouldn't trade this for anything.

We have a little apartment, yes...with a leaky window and hardly any counterspace.  But Joshua told me, "You make this place a beautiful home."  And it really is.  It's ours, we love it, we love living here.

And emailing with a new blogging friend this morning, reading other blog posts....  How do we look at our lives?  Do we measure them by the world's standards?  Do we compare ourselves to those who seem to have it all?  Or...

do we look at our life through God's eyes?  Do we see ourselves the way He sees us?  Do we place upon ourselves the worth He has given us?

Because as children of God, we are precious.  Priceless.  Treasured.

What happens when we look at life with an eternal perspective?


It should change everything.

This life is not all there is.  We're not doing things for the here and now.

At-home mothers, wives, homemakers: you are making an impact on your family for eternity.  You are raising your children to love and obey Jesus, and they will be among the believers in heaven someday.  And in their own lifetimes they will be given opportunities to share the Gospel as well.  As you bless your husband, encourage him and support him, you are enabling him to do his ministry for the Lord, wherever and whatever that may be.  As you make your home a place of beauty and rest, you are creating a place where the Holy Spirit dwells, which will bless every person who enters it.

Women and men who have jobs in the workplace (and everyone else, for that matter): you are lights in a dark world.  You have been given the opportunity to live the love of Jesus, even if you can't talk about it.  And maybe you're a pastor, a youth worker, a teacher in a Christian school, and then you have even more opportunity to spread the Gospel.

Everything we do has an eternal impact on the world.


Nothing is insignificant in God's eyes.  He calls us each to different vocations, and he works with each of us to do his work.

In this world we have troubles.  But Christ has overcome the world.  He has conquered sin, death, and Satan.  Our victory is WON!  We have nothing to fear.


Yes, we may struggle, with health, with finances, with relationships.  But those things will last such a short time when we look forward to eternity.  Compared to forever in heaven with Jesus, in a place of perfect rest and joy, the pain and suffering of this world is brief.

We were placed in the lives we have to bring the healing light of the Gospel to every suffering, painful place in this world.  We are here to point others to Jesus.  We are here to help give the world an eternal perspective--to help them see that in Christ, they have the victory.
 

Still can do all things through Him...

Strength to eat, even when I don't feel like it.
Strength to make it across campus for chapel despite hardly any energy.
Strength to not fear my stomach's protests.
Strength to smile despite the aches and pains.

Most importantly: strength to remember that this is the flu, I will get better, and I have SO much to be thankful for.

Strength that comes from Him and Him alone.  His strength is made perfect in my weakness.