This month,
Mattie had the brilliant idea of hosting 14 days of
What Love Really Means. A few BLMs have written stirring posts that I encourage you to all check out. Not only are there daily posts, but giveaways as well! Please stop by and check her out. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Mattie is the mother to one living child and two angels. You can read her story
here.
In our lives (no matter how rough it may be), we all experience love at some point. Amidst the pain and heartache, instances of love have popped up in our lives whether its through a friend, other blms, family members or even total strangers.
Our Savior's Love
John 15:13 states that Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
There is no greater love than our father's love for us. Many times we question his love (I sure did!) when we experience loss after loss, heartache after heartache, and disappointments after disappointments. We ask ourselves; "why me?" "what did I do to deserve this?". Truthfully, there are no easy answers and I definitely have none to give you. We many never even know why good people suffer or why babies have to die, but I do know he loves us with an agape love. I know that when we hurt, he hurts. I know when we feel disappointed, he feels disappointment. I know that when we meet with roadblocks after roadblocks, he weeps with us. When Lazarus dies, Jesus wept. When he was being crucified, he asked for forgiveness for his accusers. Despite all the trials and tribulations we face, he loves us more than we will ever know and made the ultimate sacrifice for us. Someone asked me the question once, "would you give up your child to save others?". To which I responded, "HELL NO!" This is what our Savior did. He gave up his son that we may have life and have it more abundantly. There is no greater love than the love of our heavenly father.
A Mother's Love
"A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path."-- Agatha Chris
I have said this before, but a mother's love knows no limits, no boundaries, no ends. I never knew true unconditional love until I became a mother. Granted, I only knew them physically for a few minutes, but when I looked at my babies, I saw no deformities, no translucent skins, nothing that others would normally cringe at. I saw flawless beauty in both Alyssa-Joy and Evan. Others seem to shudder when they see me holding my "dead" babies, but I see love radiating amongst the sorrow of the moment. It does not matter how small they were or how underdeveloped they were, they were my babies and they were perfect in every way and I dare anyone to say otherwise. There is no greater love than a mother's love and I am sure those of you with living children and angel babies can attest to that fact. I will fight for the memory of my children and as short as I am, I can put up a hell of a fight!
A Spouse's Love
Love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person. Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love. ~ by Erich Fromm ~
Marriage is not an easy feat. I will be the first to say that. However, when you find the right someone love is a beautiful thing. My husband and I have had our share of problems, but we remind ourselves that we took vows and ultimately love conquers all. God is the head of our lives and because we love him, we love each other more. Marriage is about communication, trust, keeping no secrets, holding no grudge. Marriage is about forgiveness and seeing the faults in yourself first. I chose to love my husband unconditionally after the my love for God. He sure does have his faults (!), but I look at his positive attributes and praise God for blessing me with a good man. I have a man who is a hard worker, who love and often talks about his kids, who goes out of his way to be a blessing to others, who loves me like Christ loves the church. Divorce is not an option for us (though I am not condemning those who go this route) therefore we make it a priority to communicate, show trust, and give love freely.
My love for my husband is greater than any other.
The Love of (for) Others (BLMS)
Love is the best medicine, and there is more than enough to go around once you open your heart. - Julie Marie
Love is going out of your way to show someone you care. We are all connected through loss, but the love we have for each other is remarkable! I often wonder what would do without the support of all of you. We love each other with a compassionate love. We share those we love with each other (our most prized possessions), share our intimate secrets with each other, and give support freely. This is an amazing love and there is no greater love than the love we blms have for each other.
All these speak of what love really means to me. Love has no limits, boundaries, ends. It is not based on what we can do for each other, it is not contingent on anything, it is limitless, supportive, understanding, tolerant despite each others beliefs. It is patient, kind, warm, pure, and without undue intention. Despite the circumstances of how we met, despite our everyday situations, we love each other and there is no greater love.
Awaiting my expected end,
Marie
