It's Only Ever Been About Love ~ Valerie Ronald

                   
The phrase hopeless romantic suggests negative pictures of dewy eyes and dime-store romance novels. In fact, the expression is a description of a personality prone to dreaminess, idealism and imaginative flights of fancy. Not such a bad thing, really. To borrow a lyric from singer/songwriter, Steve Bell, “it’s only ever been about love.”

 That is my life theme in a nutshell. Love.

If only life could be described in such a simple word, but love is a word holding connotations, memories, expectations and baggage too complex to explain in a few sentences. Looking back, I recognize the scarlet thread of love in many guises stitched throughout my days, influencing who I am and what I create.

I grew up in a home where love waxed and waned, according to the emotional state of its residents. My family’s dysfunction squeezed my easily wounded little heart with fear of losing love or not giving enough love myself. Here arrived the hopeless romantic who discovered a flair for writing stories in which love conquered all. When reality became too messy, I escaped into worlds of my own making or read about happier worlds in books. There love could become what I wanted it to be instead of the often painful emotion I struggled with daily.

Then at a rustic Bible camp on the shore of a tucked-away bay, I met the Author of Life and Love for the first time, though I realize He had been drawing me to Himself all along. How could a hopeless romantic resist such a hero? Jesus, Maker of miracles, God in flesh, sacrificing His own life for mine. Such unconditional love soaked into the empty places of my heart until I gladly gave it to Him. I wanted what I saw demonstrated in the lives of those who knew Him at that camp --- joy, peace, purpose, and love overflowing to those around them.

If only the truth of God’s love for me had not drained away through the holes in my already injured heart, perhaps I would not have gone in wrong directions looking for ways to bandage up the wounds. I know now that although I wandered far into the world and all its empty dreams, God never let go of my heart. His love held it fast to His own.

I fell into human love like a cliff diver, headlong, heedless, high on emotions moved by charm and promises. I did not listen to the warnings of others who saw the danger. I jumped anyway, only to nearly drown in years of emotional abuse, manipulation and neglect. Within the crucible, my children ignited a fierce maternal love, teaching me invaluable lessons in sacrifice and devotion. Any spark of romantic love for their father was ground into ash on the altar of threadbare loyalty. Finally I hit bottom, looked up, and found genuine Love reaching down to pick up the pieces.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.   
(1 Jn.4:16b NLT)

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
(Ps. 34:18)

Gradually, as God’s love renewed me from the inside out, I began to write again in an effort to convey what filled my own bruised yet healing heart. I absorbed God’s Word like a restorative broth and what I learned poured out on the page. Though the infinite love of God could never be fully expressed, I had to try. If words written as an offering back to God could give others a glimpse of His great heart for them, I would write all I could.  

My written words are many, and will continue as long as I have the ability to record my thoughts in print. The topics covered are numerous and varied, yet when each piece is stripped of its descriptive flesh, there will always be found the bones of love. It is the theme for all I do, believe, desire and offer to others. My ways of loving are imperfect yet I believe the God of all Love can still use this hopeful romantic to show the way to Him. 

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Living loved is to touch bottom in the vast, unending pool of God’s care. Swim in it, float in it, be carried along in the current created by the beat of God’s great heart.

Living loved means though all sure things on earth are whipped out from underfoot, yet you stand firm on the only Rock which cannot be shaken, and you find peace.

Living loved gives a glimpse of yourself through God’s eyes, because His love comes without agendas or conditions or variances. It is a love to rest in.

Living loved sets the Cross at my back, the crux of history and of my own life, where Love stretched out His arms to die for me.      
(excerpt from my blog devotional, Living Loved)


 
Valerie Ronald lives in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. She is a graduate of Vancouver's Langara College journalism program, and has worked as a newspaper reporter, freelance writer, public speaker and bookstore employee. Valerie finds being a member of the Manitoba Christian Writers Association has honed her writing skill and confidence. She writes devotionals for her home church bulletins and her online blog. Her current book project chronicles how God's faithfulness saw her through the dark valleys of divorce and cancer. Along with her husband, Valerie enjoys spending time with their blended family and six grandchildren. She is a nature photographer, water colorist, cat lover and Scrabble addict.

More of her devotionals can be read on her blog   https://scriptordeus.wordpress.com

Unchanging by Steph Beth Nickel

An earlier version of this post first appeared on Janet Sketchley's blog, Tenacity.

Livestreaming church services. Economic upheaval. Social distancing. Self-isolation. Pandemic.

It’s what we talk about. It’s what we think about. It’s what we pray about—when we can muster the energy to pray.

It seemed like a very good time to focus on some of those things that never change.

Here are 11 things to consider:

We are called to be outwardly focused.
As Christians, we’ve known this all along. But true confession time … Until recently, I didn’t realize just how self-focused I was. Do I really do what I do to 1) honour God and 2) bless others? I want these goals to be my motivation, but too often they haven’t been. These days provide the perfect opportunity to ask God to refine our motives. (All the while, we must extend grace to ourselves and remember that self-care isn’t necessarily selfish or self-centred. See below for further encouragement in these areas.)

There are always opportunities to minister to others.
Even now, there is so much we can do to bless others: post something encouraging on social media; pick up the phone and check on a senior who doesn’t have access to the Internet; offer to drop off groceries to someone who is apprehensive about venturing out. Even with social distancing, there is much we can do for one another.

Turns out our parents and Kindergarten teachers were right; it is nice to share.
This truth needs no explanation except to say there will be people who need financial assistance, a kind word, and/or a smile today. If we have the opportunity, let’s be generous with what we have and trust the Lord to provide for our needs.

We need one another.
Of course, this is another truth we’ve known all along, but it’s crystal clear with the current situation. Kindness and acts of service are crucial. There may be restrictions as to how we can help, but we certainly need one another.

Our healthcare workers need our prayers—as do our government leaders.
There has never been a more important time to add our government leaders and healthcare workers to our prayer list. With the everchanging information about this virus that is circulating—even among the professionals—it’s difficult for them to know what the right thing to do is. They need the Lord’s wisdom and protection. (If you're either a healthcare professional or a government worker, thank you so much for your service!)

During difficult, uncertain times, we have Someone to turn to.
We’ve all gone through difficulty in our life: illness, loss, economic hardships … God was faithful then, and He’s faithful now. When we’re confused, overwhelmed, and struggling to make sense of it all, God invites us to draw near to Him, promising that He will draw near to us (James 4:8).

God loves us.
Don’t you love the fact that the Bible teaches not only that God is loving but also that He is love (1 John 4:7)? We can rest assured of His love when things are going well—and when a worldwide pandemic has changed so much.

God was not taken by surprise.
When the world changes overnight—and sometimes, hour by hour—we don’t feel equipped to keep up. Could any of us have seen ourselves in this situation two months ago? I know I couldn’t. Still, God wasn’t taken by surprise. And whether or not we feel prepared to face the days ahead, He’ll see us through.

No matter what happens in our world, we can rest assured that God never changes.
This is, perhaps, the singular truth that sees me through each day. While my life hasn’t changed all that much, I still sense the heaviness of this new reality. I can vegetate on the couch and watch Netflix and sleep more than usual—or I can trust in our unchanging heavenly Father and seek to accomplish the tasks He has set before me.

We are called to extend grace—to others and to ourselves.
The word should can cause big problems. Of course, the Bible lays out hundreds of clear Shoulds and Should Nots. However, when it comes to facing our current, unprecedented situation, we must be careful how we seek to impose our convictions—even God’s—on others. Even as believers, there are many times we’d be in big trouble if it weren’t for the Lord’s grace and Jesus’s sacrifice on our behalf. We must remember that many of the people we interact with do not know Jesus as Saviour, which I believe provides the opportunity for us to show them we are Christians by our love—not our judgment.

There is a balance between self-sacrifice and self-care.
We can find several examples in the Scriptures that indicate that we are to put others’ needs ahead of our own. At the same time, we must remember that, unless we care for our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, we will soon have virtually nothing to offer those the Lord has brought into our life.

May we prayerfully seek God’s perspective in this uncertain times, as in all others.

Steph Beth Nickel is a freelance writer and editor (among other things). Steph is a regular contributor to HopeStreamRadio. She and Paralympian Deb Willows are working on a follow-up to Deb's memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances. During these uncertain times, Steph is thankful for the new opportunities the Lord is bringing her way. You can connect with her on Facebook, where she spends far too much time: https://www.facebook.com/stephbethnickel

#Writerslife by Wendy L. Macdonald

It’s no laughing matter when a writer’s life takes a direct hit—or is it?

Right when I was making traction with my platform, podcasts, and manuscripts—right when I was getting ahead editing my manuscripts—the joyful sounds of my grandson’s giggles and gurgles stole my heart and time.

Sometimes love demands action. Because greeting cards can’t and don’t say it best. Putting down your pen and rolling up your granny sleeves when you’re prompted by necessity is how true love lives out its mandate.

I’m not a humour writer. But please don’t misinterpret that. I love to laugh. In fact, I have a gold necklace that says: Live, love, laugh. And it turns out that spending extra time with my grandson has absolutely given me much more to live, love, and laugh about. Some days my face hurts from all the smiling and laughing I do with “Little Guy.”

He’s a tickle-bunny of an Anne Geddes baby for sure.

For not only has he become the inspiration for so much of my recent writing, his image appears throughout my photography files too. I’m smitten even if I haven’t written half as much as I used to. Because love doesn’t say “no” when “yes” is the biggest blessing for all involved. Sometimes God trims our army so we can witness His marvellous interventions and multiplication miracles.

An inspirational writer won’t be fruitful if she ignores the call of God to leave the crowd to serve the one. And just to prove God has a sense of humour, He has indeed been multiplying my portion despite the extra downtime my pen has taken.

Trials trim the fat out of life when we lean into Christ.

I believe God’s using my busyness to trim out the unnecessary areas of my writing life. I’ve suspected for a while He may have plans I hadn’t planned on. So while I lean into Him and lift up my hands, I trust Him to trim what needs to be removed to make room for His plans. 

God is love. 

Whoever lives in love lives in God,

 and God in them.

  1 John 4:16 NIV

And as far as my gold necklace goes, I would love to have it changed to: Lean, learn, love. If we’re doing these three things, there will be plenty of true living and true laughing to go along with all the leaning, learning, and loving. I know because I’ve never felt so alive, never felt so loved, and never felt like laughing as much as I do since “Little Guy” was born.

Lean, learn, love; it’s good for your soul. 

I’m nosey-to-know if you’ve ever been called away from the crowd. 

(Wendy L. Macdonald is an inspirational blogger and podcaster who loves to photograph nature on Vancouver Island. Her byline is: “My faith is not shallow because I’ve been rescued from the deep.” Her main website is wendylmacdonald.com where she enjoys interacting with readers.)

Love Talks by Linda Aleta Tame

Imagine having the ability to understand all mysteries.  Wouldn't that be incredible?  Or having all knowledge or faith to move mountains?  Amazing!  But without love, it says in 1 Corinthians 13, I am nothing.  That gives us a pretty good picture of how powerful love is.  God is love after all.

I can think of few events that compare to the loving conversations I've shared with family and friends.  These love talks  have powerfully affected my life, changed my world view, opened the doors to many opportunities, and simply given me direction.  Oh I could tell so many stories, but I'll just share one that involved my mom.

I was seventeen and a brand new single parent.  My darling little daughter had been soundly sleeping in her make-shift crib, a dresser drawer.  She stirred quietly, and I confidently got her up to feed.  I knew what I was doing, I'd done it for five days already in the hospital.  But unlike the nights in the hospital, she didn't immediately go back to sleep, and there were no nurses to take her to the nursery if she didn't.  I was overwhelmed with a grave sense of inadequacy.  It was a heavy blanket smothering me.  A deep sadness rose in me.  Had I made the right choice?  Maybe I would be a terrible mom.

I called for my mom across the hall.  "Mom, if you just help me this one night, I promise I'll never ask again," a promise I never kept.  Knowingly, Mom offered her arms for the squealing pink bundle.  Once little Robin was settled, Mom asked if we could have a little talk.

"Honey, I will always help you as much as I can, but I want you to know something.   You are going to be a wonderful mom.  You are strong and able, but that's not the most important part."

I didn't feel strong or able at all.  I was terrified of what I'd done.  I had even argued with social services, who thought it best for me to give my baby up for adoption, and now I wondered if maybe they were right.

"You will always have your whole family behind you, dear.  Remember that when you feel overwhelmed.  But most of all, remember how much you're loved, and how much you love your precious little daughter.  Love makes it all possible.  You can do this, and I know you can do it well."

Oh my dear sweet mother.  Her words went right into my soul.  She knew me better than anyone else in the world, and she thought I could do it.   My daughter now has six of her own children.  She's a marvelous wife, mother and a genuine, loving woman.  In spite of whatever mothering inadequacies I might have had, there was never any shortage of love.

Robin Shanda

My mother's little love talk sent me on my way to the responsibilities of being a mom.  It gave me the courage and confidence to overcome the difficulties of parenthood, and to fully cherish the beauty of my daughter and later four sons.

Life is about loving.  Love is the greatest of all things. God is love after all.

God is Love  

1 John 4:8

Photo credit :  Hubble Space Telescope Website