His Love.

Good afternoon.  I have sat down to write this blog post for about two weeks now and can't seem to spit out the words.  I am dealing with a bit of sensory overload.  There are two many things pulling at me and trying to grab my attention that I can't seem to focus.  I've found that I have left my car keys hanging from the lock outside of the front door on numerous occasions.  Can you say, brain dead.  I guess once I get in the door, I am off to the next thing.  I need to slooooow doooooown.

I have been really busy with my photography business (Taken By Terra)!! And I am loving every minute.  If you would have told me that I would actually have people calling, emailing, facebooking, and texting me about doing a session this time last year... I would have laughed... hard.

My life has changed so much in the past year.  My sweet little chunk of love, Selah Grace, has blessed my world.  My life was pretty great with just Andrew, Ginger, and I.. she just added the sparkle. 

I often look back at my blog posts from a year ago when I am needing to be reminded of God's blessings in my life.  I stumbled upon this little beauty.. My blog post titled.. "Stretch"

Cracked me up.  Seriously, I am sitting at my computer just laughing at my words.  I am still dealing with these nasty dead gum stretch marks.  I have super fair skin..  lucky me!  Oh, the things that worry us in this world.  Even though that post was written out of completely and total sarcasm, most women on this planet will go to any length to get rid off old scars, wounds, and blemishes.  Why do scars bother us so much?  My scars help me to remember.  I have one scar below my right elbow from falling down the stairs when I was big and pregnant.  It wasn't funny then but it is really funny now.  If you could have seen me laughing hysterically while crying at the same time (I am not sure how it is possible) when I hit the bottom of those stairs, you would have laughed too. 

Scars shows the place where there was once a wound.  It took my arm a long time to heal and was super sore for months as it tried its hardest to forget that my tumble ever happened. 

God has really been dealing with some things in me lately.  My scars.  My wounds.  Some, I didn't even know I had.  He is teaching me his love.  His. Love.  Those two words have taken several months to hammer out in this thick skull of mine.  I asked God to evaluate my heart and mind and begin a new work in me.  Wow.  When you ask, you shall receive a spring cleaning that you will never forget.  Spiders the size of Guatemala were found in my dark & crusty corners.  Loving people that are nasty to you is so hard.  Forgiving people that have hurt you is so hard.  Loving people that do not deserve love is so hard.  For me anyway.

How can I love God if I do not unconditionally love his people?  Even the people that hurt me.  Loving people is not worldly - it is Godly.  How can I teach my daughter love and forgiveness if I don't practice what I preach?  I refuse to give her any excuse for not living a Godly life.  I will live to be her example.  And I know that I will fail... but she will (hopefully) see me humbly admit when I do and crawl back to God.

God has done a work in me the past couple of weeks and I feel refreshed.  I have forgiven and loved like I have never done before.  Only by the divine power of God was it possible.  Now, I am naturally a very kind person.  I love easily.  I'm a hugger and always smiling.  BUT there is a difference in loving someone like Jesus would love someone.  I'm still a work in progress but I get very excited at my baby steps.  And I know for a fact that God smiles at it too.  Are you making baby steps in conquering your struggles??  If not, get on it!  Life is too short to be an open walking wound.  It's not attractive.  Go and dunk yourself in some hydrogen peroxide!  

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

John 3:16