Nine years ago I started a relationship with a young man that began as a close friendship and quickly blossomed into love, engagement and marriage. Our love was tested. At times it was difficult for me to receive such love from someone who saw me beautiful when I felt disgusting, who found me worthy when I felt worthless, and approved of my performance when I felt like a failure. Sometimes I rejected this love and chose to believe in the lies instead. Other times I took it for granted.
And yet he loved me anyway.
Together we discovered that love is about selflessness, sacrifice, faithfulness, and vulnerability. And our love grew deeper and stronger.
Then a beautiful little brown-eyed girl entered our world. My heart grew bigger to make room for more love, and I found myself overwhelmed by my affection for those adorable eyes, adventurous spirit and contagious laughter. My love was tested, rejected, trampled on, and taken for granted...and sometimes received with open arms and sweet kisses. I found that love is still all about selflessness, sacrifice, faithfulness and vulnerability.
And then a charming little blue-eyed boy came along. My heart grew even bigger than I ever thought possible, and I found myself overwhelmed by my affection for both of my children, and for this precious child with beautiful eyes, gentle spirit and sweet, sweet smile. My love is and will be tested, someday rejected, trampled on, and taken for granted, but I'm sure it will also be received with open arms and sweet baby boy kisses. I am finding that love is still all about selflessness, sacrifice, faithfulness and vulnerability.
This is the kind of love that we celebrate on Valentine's day - an intense, self-denying, grace-providing, never-giving-up kind of love.
Some of us find ourselves in the midst of a beautiful love story with loving spouses and whole-homes. Or some may be blissfully beginning a relationship or on the verge of welcoming a new little one to love into the world. But some may be desperately lonely, battered by rejection, wounded by betrayal, marred by abuse, broken over division, grieving over the loss of a loved one, struggling with infertility or staggering to recover from a miscarriage.
Now matter where we are in our relationships, we all are a part of a beautiful love story with the One who loves like no one else - the One who is Love in and of Himself.
Who finds us beautiful though we feel wretched
Who finds us worthy when we feel worthless
Who shows approval when we feel like failures
Who passionately pursues though we reject
Who continuously forgives when we betray
Who relentlessly loves when no love is given in return
Who brings peace to our battered souls
Who heals our wounded hearts
Who brings hope to the hopeless
Who is self-denying, grace-providing, never-giving-up
Faithful Love
God is Love
You are Loved
Believe it. Receive it.
Be overwhelmed.
Enjoy some more pictures and videos from this past month:
The count is up to 8 teeth!
This 9 month-old is crawling like a pro, bouncing on knees,
pulling himself up and babbling away
We spent a good portion of January with one or more of us sick. Bleh.
But we did things like make our own castles.
Sibling bath time
Aunt Judy and her little heartbreaker :)
Isaiah's new favorite pastime: pulling out the muffin pans
and pulling all the magnets from the fridge
Yee-haw!! Western Day at Preschool
She makes one cute Cowgirl. ;)
Much love from the Poppen family
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