Love and Comfort Zones

Thursday February 17, 2010

I’m warm and comfy.
I settle in, nestle.
Something catches my eye and I glance up. Then I feel a nudge.
I shove it away and close my eyes to the light.
I hunker down and nestle deeper.
The nudge returns, stronger, but I shift my weight, find a soft spot, and pull the cover up.

But the warmth dissipates. The cover’s protection wanes.
That light I shut my eyes against? I feel its warmth.
And the nudge? When I look closely, I see it’s a hand.

When I reach out, I’m bathed in the warmth of the light and gripped by a warm, strong hand.
Supported by love, I step from my comfort zone.

What am I learning about God’s love? It’s there, it’s warm and faithful.
It nudges me from my comfort zone, but I don’t step out alone.

Linking up with Bonnie today for What I'm Learning About God's Love, part of her Unwrapping Love series.

Commitment isn't enough

Thursday February 10, 2010

If you had asked, all those many years ago when we got married, if we were committed to this relationship, we would have readily answered “Yes.” After all, it’s not hard to be committed to a marriage when you’re head-over-heels in love and there’s no one to think about but each other.

Fast forward, many years (and four kids) later. The answer to that commitment question remains the same, but much has changed. The addition of four little lives to ours has undoubtedly altered our world. We can’t imagine life without those four awesome boys! Our lives have also been affected by jobs and just the general busyness of life, but the answer to that commitment question remains the same.

But we’ve decided commitment isn’t enough.

You know, we strive for excellence in all we do – doing the best at our jobs, being the best we can be.

But in our marriages? Not so much. We just let them happen.

Many of us rely on that rock-solid commitment to pull us through. I’m glad it’s there, but we’ve decided we want more. Think about it – a rock isn’t a very emotionally satisfying metaphor, is it?

Sometimes the marriage garden needs tending, and I’m not talking about adding rocks. Sometimes it cries out for time, sometimes for pruning. Sometimes it needs a bit of zest – some fertilizer – or more sunshine. Sometimes it just needs to be pampered and enjoyed and admired.

So we’re working on it, and we’re having a great time doing it. The garden will be lined with rock-solid commitment, but our goal is to make it overflow with love and time and respect and joy – all those things that put us head-over-heels in the first place.

Linking up with Bonnie today for What I Wish I'd Known About Marriage, part of her Unwrapping Love series.

Do I Wish I'd Known?

Thursday February 3, 2010


No one ever told me it would be this hard to watch.

I flash back to years ago, when I watched a toddler try his legs, wobbling all the way. He leans, he tips, and...I run with an outstretched arm, longing to catch him and spare him any pain.

But he falls. And my heart hurts for him.

I shake my head, bringing me back to the present. Seated here in the Spectator Mom section of the dating game, I watch those steps again. I resist crying, "Don't break my boy's heart!"

He's wise for his years; he makes good choices. But fall we all must, and no one can really absorb that shock for us.

But the good thing about falling -- whether in your first attempts to walk or to date or just in living life -- the good thing is, we learn from the falls.

As a mother, I don't want to see my boys hurt; I want to spare them the pain. But it's part of love, you know? And it's part of life. The bottom line is that Someone greater than me -- Someone who loves with an infinite love -- is there to soften all the blows of life.

No one ever told me it would be this hard to watch, though.

Do I wish I'd known? Probably best that I didn't. The less I know, the more I have to rely on that Someone greater.

So, I sit back, with a heart full, and I lean on Him.

Linking up with Bonnie today for What I Wish I'd Known About Dating, part of her Unwrapping Love series.