LOVE
As a goal for each month, I am reading a book that corresponds with the focus of the month.
Some of you may know I am reading a book called How We Love for not only the Happiness Porject but also for a book study that I am in with a group of women who besides me are "Wise Women"
Below is a recent email I sent to them, that I also think fits with my focus of the month as a whole.
Orginally, the focus of this month was suppose to be on Joe and loving my husband more (proofs of love, hugging for a minimum of 6 seconds, etc)...but as it turns out...through reading this book (and as you'll see from the message below, another book too) I have come to realize I needed to love ME more too. I needed to learn about LOVE and its root, its foundation...
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
I don't know about you, but I have read or heard this chapter quite a few times in my life...but tonight, I read it once and heard it once...so I knew I needed to tell you about it.
Our church is being guided through scripture readings for the entire year and as I was rocking Jackson to sleep tonight, I was checking off my readings of Psalm 20-23 quite haphazardly...
Then, I was running to the store to get a few things and heard ch 23 on the radio...and it hit me...FOR YOU ARE WITH ME (v4)....huh? The LORD is WITH ME...through all of this....
See, I have been reading How We Love as if IT were where all my answers would be found....OR talking through and processing all this with my husband would help me figure ME all out....OR coming to WW on Wednesday nights and talking and listening would give me the support I need...and yes all those things are very true...
But I have not asked or welcomed or even expected GOD to be with me....I mean, I talk to Him, I pray to Him (mostly for others, rarely myself)
HE will LEAD me through all of this and HE is leading you too!
I know many of you already know this...but in the midst of our search for understanding about How We Love our spouse, or our siblings, or parents or ourselves... I am finding a great comfort in knowing HE is the LOVE.
God has you in this group with these women at this time in your life for a great and amazing purpose.
It just made me smile.
I hope you find comfort in Him today. I feel like I have discovered a new Friend that has been right there with me this whole time walking ahead of me...just hoping I would follow...and now I finally think I am starting to.
Love you all.
Megan
So that was the email, which as I read it again, I still am in awe that God loves me that much...leads me that much...
But in regards to loving my husband, February was also STREP month in the Schmidt House, so for what it's worth, not much "love" was happening between us - maybe this is too much information but Joe has had strep 3 times and I have had it twice starting in late Janurary and running throughout February...so kissing was just out of the question!
I did make him lunch everyday for work and coffee every morning, with a couple of books and a bunch of ILY (I love you) texts throughout the month...not much...but more than I've done before in regards to purposefully loving Joe...
I think I will have to add another month of love to the calendar for Joe's sake later in the year...but next month (March) is my Parenting focus month - "Lighten Up" as I plan to call it - with some great books planned and some specific goals in mind for being a better mom to our kids. I'll be adding the game plan for March in just a few days!
Until then, LOVE!
