Someday Today

 

"If only....."

I mutter to myself as I read yet another Facebook post about someone who has anounced their upcoming 

wedding/new baby/house down-payment.

And it's enough to make an eighteen-nearly-nineteen year old girl like myself wonder, 

"When will it be my turn?"

Then I remind myself, "God is enough. His will, not mine," and go on  my merry-ish way.

A couple of days later, a friend tells me, "You know so-and-so? Well, she's expecting!!"

I paste on a smile while my heart cries, "When, Lord, when?? Will it ever be my turn?? Can 'someday' be today???"

Then He reminds me:

  If I am not content in my circumstances today, how will I ever be content in marriage and motherhood?

If I don't love my Savior with all that is in me today, will I really be able to love my husband someday?

I'm so caught up in my desires for someday, that I'm not looking to God to fulfill me. When I take my eyes off of Him, I can't be content. 

True, there will still be days when I in tears bring my desires back to the hands of my Father.

 I need to remember:

Wedding cakes and bridesmaid dresses, 

baby bottles and diapers,

 will never bring true contentment to my heart.

Only Christ can do that.

Today I am single. 

Today I can serve God in ways that as a wife I could not.

Today I can participate in dozens of areas of ministry that further His kingdom.

And in serving, I'll be prepared for 'someday'.

Today I'll live; I'll not hold back, not shy away from the fun and the beauty of now.

Today I'll love Him fully, and learn to love Him with all my heart.

 And maybe, one day, when I am lost in Him and His love, I'll wake up and realize that 'someday' is now 'today'.

What I Learned About Loving

We took on a challenge to pour out Christ's love to others on Valentine's Day.

My "big thing" was to stay nights {Friday-Tuesday of my February break week}

 with my great-grandmother so my grandparents could go on an impromptu trip to visit a sick family member.

Sounds sacrificial, doesn't it?

Not really. 

The routine was so simple and her care so basic, that I almost felt ashamed. 

"I seriously thought this would be a great way to show Christ's love to others?  I feel as if I'm hardly doing anything! I'm sure the other girls are doing great and wonderful acts of love.

And what am I doing?? 

Sitting on a couch crocheting while watching a Hallmark movie.

Nothing sacrificial about that!"

Wednesday morning came.

 I went through the morning routine, packed everything I'd brought with me for spending the night, hugged Great-Nana goodbye, and locked the door behind me. 

I went home, and sat down to write about how I poured out Christ's sacrificial love.

But I still felt I hadn't done all that much. 

It had been a great opportunity, but it seemed like such a trivial one. 

And then it hit me.

Loving others isn't always a huge sacrifice that takes away from my comfort and down time.

Loving isn't just a step of obedience that we as Christians are supposed to take.

It's seeing people with God's eyes and loving them with His love.

It's taking every opportunity, whether large or small, to love others to Christ.

The opportunity doesn't have to be big.

It can be little, too. 

That's what I learned about love.

Pouring out...

Pouring out love, not anger. 

That's something I had to do the day before Wednesday, because I was in the confined car with two other people, and you know how that can be. Anything gets on my nerves in that situation, but I determined not to let that get the best of me. I also determined to have a wwjd attitude.

And that was hard.

But it reminded me that I love my brother more than my DSI, meaning that even if he ever did completely destroy what I spent lots of hard-earned money on, I still wouldn't give up on him by blowing up. With love, I still wouldn't have that right. {Which he didn't break it at all, by the way}

And that brings me to a great Valentine's Day story. It's a story of a guy who truly loved his girl more than any work or possession.

Read it here.

What a cool story! Something I didn't notice before is that Jacob worked for seven years after her married Rachel, which shows that he probably forgave Laban for his deception.

Suppressing rage is pouring out love, and that's one of the ways I poured out love and gave of myself this Valentine's Day.

A Revolutionary Valentine's Day

*Note: this post is a collage of our discussion from girls' group; it is not specifically by one author.

This past girls' group, we redefined Valentine's Day:

Valentine's Day is...

John 15:1-13

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

If a man abide not in me, the same is cast forth as as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my  love; even as I have kept my Father's commandment, and abide in his love.

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

This is my commandment, that ye love one another.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Well, those verses have alot in them! Our goal is to keep these commandment verses in mind!

The following is a list of characteristics of love from 1 Corinthians 13. As you read this list {preferably out loud}, insert your name very time the word "love" appears. Does this list truly describe you?

If the list did not truly describe you, note the specific areas that you need to work on, and make a conscience choice to work on those areas. But, as we read in John 15, we cannot do it on our own; we must abide in Christ!

Our definition of Valentine's Day prompts us not only give out cards, but pour out ourselves! True love is following the outline given in 1 Corinthians 13. True, authentic love begins in the heart, and fills us so much that it pours out on others.

This is revolutionary! If we all recognized this,  how different our lives would be! List specifically what ways you will pour out yourself to others on Valentine's Day. And don't stop there; love goes beyond Valentine's Day!