So I’ll be the first to admit that the blog has been a little dry the past few weeks.
Like I said before, I’m not exactly uninspired…just lacking good sentence structure, maybe
? 😉
Or the emotional ability to be transparent.
It’ s been an overwhelming week.
Exactly one week ago, we were facing a very busy eight days before leaving for vacation and talking about how much time we’d need to spend on the fence to get it finished before we go. (This was to make life easier for the people taking care of our dogs. Two crazy dogs + no fence = no fun for anyone.)
Then? Less than an hour into the project…
It snapped. (Literally.)
On the second fence post hole, which my husband was using a power auger to dig, he hit a rock, it jerked, and broke his wrist. Tobin actually finished the holes and did some more work on Sunday, too, but by Sunday night, we knew that he needed x-rays.
Monday morning it was confirmed that his wrist was broken, and we spent that day wondering how on earth this fence was going to be finished in time.
That’s when Jonny, our friend and neighbor, told him not to worry…that the fence would get done.
During the past several days, Jonny and his son have spent countless hours at our house, finishing the fence this afternoon.
And I have to admit to you that I had a hard time accepting this kind of generosity at first…how on earth do you return this kind of love
?
Because that’s what it is, friends…LOVE.
I have been so challenged this week by that word and all it carries with it.
Because Love
is a Verb.
And this week we’ve seen that Love.
Living Love.
It’s so, so easy…to say it, to believe it…
But to actually demonstrate it?
Well, when it’s shown…it reflects Christ.
And that’s what we’ve seen this week.
.. through our dear friends.
Some people have questioned the changes in our lives this past year…including joining a Lutheran church. But as we returned from Indonesia last year and began searching for a new church, we pretty much threw out denomination as a deciding factor.
The two deciding points for us were that the church lives the Bible and that we see the love of Christ in the people of our church…not in the words they say but through their actions.
It’s humbling; at times, it’s difficult to grasp; but it’s genuine.
And we’re learning to accept it…as a gift from people who love us, knowing that it’s not possible to repay. Just to love back.
And if this lesson in love weren’t enough, yesterday I came home to see that our yard had been cleaned up. (We have a dozen raccoons living in our trees who had made quite the mess.) I found out later that our sweet neighbors, who are in their 80’s, had come over that morning while Mae and I were gone and cleaned up the yard.
Five big lawn bags worth.
Living Love again.
I can’t look at my yard right now without tears filling my eyes.
Because…we’re loved. Not just by our friends and neighbors but by
our Father.
The One Who sent His Son to live out Love on this earth and give us that perfect example.
Exactly what we’ve seen this week.
I know I have a long way to go, but if there’s one thing I want for myself, for my husband, for my daughter…it’s the capacity to Love just as we’ve seen this week.
To Live Love.
Our clean yard.
Jonny working on the fence and helping Mae put her handprint in cement.
What about you
? How have you seen living love in your life?
Wow, that’s amazing. This is a great reminder to live love, not just talk about doing it but to ACTUALLY do it. I saw it this week in chapel when students and teachers were on their knees before God, crying, and they placed their hands on each other’s backs in comfort, prayer, and love.
That’s beautiful. We think of you all and pray for you often. Thanks for sharing.