Mark hates holidays. He honestly doesn’t like any of them, he tolerates his birthday, but I don’t think he’d mind if we really didn’t celebrate it. It is not Easter, Christmas, Valentines day, Fourth of July he minds. He minds that people think on these things one day a year and then the rest of the year drop the subject. He hates the commercialism of the days. Spending money we really don’t have multiple times a year.
Instead, he wants to make it a life long habit to live out these days each and everyday. I agree with him, I would rather he show me love year round, than give me flowers and chocolates and call it good. If he did that, those chocolates and flowers would be worth nothing. I would actually probably resent them. I would need to work closely with my Jesus on that one! The same goes for me, Mark would rather I love on him by having clean clothes in his drawers, delicious food on the table, making sex not only enjoyable for him but an adventure. Do I enjoy sex or tolerate it because it’s my “duty”. I was molested as a child and sex is something I struggle with, but something I also want to conjure! With prayer and Mark’s patience it is slowly getting better.
Mark wants us a family to celebrate Easter each and everyday. He wants us to rejoice that we are no longer slaves to sin and hell, but we are free in Christ. He wants us to write on our walls that our house WILL serve the Lord! The fourth of July saddens Mark, because America is looking and sounding alot like the Romans did. The Romans were a powerful nation at one point, but they were also a very corrupt and sinful nation. They tolerated every nasty and evil thing. America is also heading that way. As we drift further from the word of God, as we drift further away from obeying God, we will suffer the consequences. It may be our physical heath deterating, it may be our nation gets invaded and we live under the rule of another nation (Americans don’t think we are above such a thing, we are not!). Mark comes from a military family. A family who has fought for our nation and would have gladly died.
I am making a Valentines Day supper for our family. We will have lemon pepper salmon, garlic onion mashed potatos, aspagras, and cheddar biscuits, with a red velvet cake with raspberry chocolate cream cheese. The love we are celebrating is Jesus love. All week we have been memorizing love verses. To really love requires a Jesus kind of love, it is a committed, quick to forgive love. Mark and I love each other because we are commanded to, there are days when Mark and I genuinely love each other. We can gaze into each others eyes and enjoy the moment. But there are other more frequent moments when we have to remember the truth of scripture, throw our pride off, put on our humility and forgive each other and love each other because God has commanded us to love each other. To me that is real love. Mushy, gushy, oozy love is wonderful, but it’s not lasting, it’s a feeling, a wonderful feeling, but one that is dangerous to get hooked on. Be thankful for the mushy, gushy, ozzy love but cling to the everlasting love, the everlasting joy that is Christ and will never ever go away!
So I leave you with this….What is love?
i'm only two posts in and already i think i'm in love with your blog 😛
we're definitely on the same page on a lot of things. maybe not identical in our lives and struggles and such, but i think what you wrote on my FB is right: what we hold important and the way we view this world, at least to some degree, is very similar.
i would LOVE to get together with you some afternoon and cook supper, or something like that. sounds like a fabulous time! 🙂
also, i find it amazing how open and honest you are, even on something so public as a blog. sometimes i fear i tend to “overshare” so it's nice to find someone else who's willing to be upfront honest about their life. like i said, i love this blog and am excited to keep reading more.
one thing came to mind as i was reading though – and please forgive me for the unsolicited advice on something i only know a glimpse about from reading this post – but have you read Rob Bell's “Sex God”? honestly, i can't remember if i'd finished it or not (i got it years ago, and i know i read most of it, possibly all of it, but like i said, i can't remember). anyhow, i thought it might be of help to you, and i have the book if you want to borrow it.
again, my apologies if i'm butting in on a sensitive subject.
thanks for sharing your blog with me!
Hi! I tracked you down to tell you that i LOVE this picture and went through the agony and pain and got it tattooed on my foot for my 45th birthday present to myself! I altered it a little and I'm VERY happy with it!!
~ Valerie ~
I'm so glad you liked, I love it to. I have a similar tattoo and I love the personal reminder it is to me. Blessings!
Zoe, after two years I just saw your comment and I would love to read the book your talking about if you'd still be willing to borrow it to me!!