Love One Another as I Have Loved You...

This is my 100th post...I feel like it should be big, inspiring, meaningful, etc. So I'm thinking of having a give-away later this week but I'm not sure what. And the content of this post is something very dear to me...

Jesus commanded us to Love One Another...it is considered to be the greatest commandment by many. But I personally think it is the hardest. I can handle the original 10 so to speak... I mean I'm not perfect with them but I get them. They are pretty clear cut.

Love one another though...not so much. When the minister said love everyone...I wanted to raise my hand and say "Everyone?" quizzically. But I refrained. I know what his answer would have been. He challenged us to pick someone that we feel needs God's love in their life and covenant to pray for them and with them. He had us write it down for accountability. For myself I wrote down a close friend of mine who I felt betrayed by recently and our nephew. I feel that both of them need God's love in their life and need to feel it coming from those of us on earth. When we got to the car I commented to J that I hated sermons like that because they made me accountable. I can't just walk away and say Ok thanks I'm good now. I have to do something with it. Although I told J that God wouldn't have needed to make it a commandment if it were easy and everyone were easily lovable. So for this week and the time leading up to Christmas I'm working on showing God's love. It isn't always easy but God never promised it would be.

We are preparing the way...

Sometimes what you need is a good swift kick

So I've decided once again that God works in mysterious ways. I've always known this but sometimes I forget. And sometimes God wants us to leave our comfort zones for something better. I for one am reluctant. I don't like change in the big sense. I'm good with it in small does (although as I get older I'm finding that I'm not as fond of change) because change is inevitable.

I have been in a rut of sorts in one aspect of my life. I stay because it works. I stay because I'm comfortable in my rut. I've decorated it (it even has accent pillows). I know where everything is. I know how everything works. I know how to play the game. So I remain in my rut. But recently something has occurred that is pushing me out of my rut. A trusted place has become not so safe so I'm looking at other avenues. I feel that God will lead me where I'm supposed to go when I'm supposed to go there. God has always done this when I listened.

Now what to do when I get out of my rut...the options are plentiful. When I find out where I'm headed I'll share it with you.

In the mean time...I will close with my favorite quote...

"Sometimes you have to leap and build your wings on the way down." This was the quote I had on my dating page when I met my husband. He quoted it to me on our first date. It has been a good mantra.

Back to working out

So this morning after a couple weeks of not working out I had one of the best workouts I've had in years. Partially due to some pent up frustration about work (another story for another day) and partially due to hitting my stride. I loved it. It felt great!

Food wise I'm doing better but not great. Due to a four day power outage we ate out a lot the end of last week and all of the weekend. But this week I've been trying to get back on track with food. We need to go to the store to replenish food we threw away during the storm. But life moves forward.

Now we just need to find a good chimney and roof company in our area.

Getting back on the wagon

So I'm no longer running along side the wagon...I'm hanging off the back. It isn't the best place to be but I'm on my way to getting securely in the wagon. This weekend I did OK with eating. Friday night we went out for Italian and it was delicious. But there was way too much of it and I ate it because I was starving. I think J and I need to start sharing orders or I need to box up half of it when the serve it. Because if it is in front of me I keep snacking. And I don't need to.

But Saturday was much better. J had duty at work so we were up at 5:00 AM. I had a meeting with a florist at 8:00 AM. So I decided since the Y was on my way home from the florist I'd go in my workout attire. Which I think through off the florist a bit. But who cares it was 8:00 AM on a Saturday. So I went to the gym and did 30 minutes on the Arc then I did 45 minutes of weights. It was good to be back. I came home showered and laid down to wait for J to get home from duty. Saturday afternoon we went to lunch/dinner at 5 Guys. Which is not the most healthy but I felt OK about it since I'd worked out and I knew that was my main meal for the day.

Sunday we got up sent J to duty. I kept the dogs out of trouble. When he got home we got ready and went to church. After church we went to Michael's to pick up our lamps for our centerpieces. We stopped by Wendy's for lunch. I had a Chicken Club sandwich but I only ate half. I had some french fries. But my worst downfall is Coke. I love Coke. I actually think that sweet stuff to me is like nicotine to J. I have to have it...I get grumpy without it...I feel better with it.

Love is...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-6

The part of this verse that has been striking a cord with me a lot lately is "it keeps no record of wrongs." I am a firm believer in the philosophy of forgive...but hold onto it forever. I am working on this. I know it is not healthy. I know that you haven't really forgiven if you keep the record of wrongs. When J and I went through our "pre-marital" counseling recently our wonderful Pastor had us read this passage and focused in particular on the part about letting go and not keeping a record of wrongs. But he told us that God played a horrible trick on us women because he gave us an amazing memory. So we have the ability to remember the wrongs but the grace to let them go.

I think God forgot to give me the grace to let them go. Currently we are dealing with an issue with an acquaintance who shall be referred to as S from here on out. S has a tendency to call when something is needed. And has on more than one occasion made the situation seem like S wants to come spend time with us...but while I'm there can you do? or can I use? or can I...? or can you...? It is tough because I'm not sure S is aware of this behavior but it is causing a wedge. J and I think we should talk to S about this but we're not sure it would do any good. But in communication it is always important to communicate your feelings even if the other side doesn't hear them at least you have done what you could. But S has a tendency to take things a bit personally so we don't want to make it feel like an attack. And we are trying to let go of the past things but at the same time we don't want to be doormats either.

So we're praying about this situation and how to deal with it. And in the meantime we are trying to forget...as well as forgive....