Monday, February 7, 2011

Images of Love

With Valentine's Day around the corner we see red and pink hearts everywhere!

But are those symbols true images of love?

What does love look like anyway?  Red velvet cupcakes?  Red hearts?  The Eiffel Tower?
Vintage linens or glassware?

You might think of a couple walking holding hands; a child looking up lovingly at a grandparent; brand new parents holding their infant tenderly.  All those definitely conjure a comforting image for me, but what if you don't have another half?  Or your grandparents have passed away?  Or you are a childless couple?  My image suggestions would be painful and not full of love.

What images of love transcend the brokenness of our lives here?

 You may be familiar with this Celtic symbol of the Trinity from ancient times.  It is called the triquetra meaning a shape with three corners.  Various histories claim the symbol so it is not primarily a Christian symbol in origin, but it has been associated with the Trinity since the Celtic revival in the 19th century.

I share all this by way of sharing something I have recently come to appreciate as an image of love.  The unity of God in three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is pictured in this symbol.  No beginning, no end, flowing One into Another.  You may know that Jesus the Son prayed in John 17
"that they also may be in Us".  When we are "in Christ" we are "in God", in the Trinity. 

I am a visual learner.  At the center of this symbol is a space surrounded by the flow of the Three in One.  That's where we are invited to live.  In the center of God.  Surrounded, protected, empowered, loved.

I want to be right there in the center don't you?  Not center stage.  Not even!  But in the middle of the Love of God from the foundation of the world!  Forgiven, Redeemed, Accepted, Loved.

That's an image I can stand on.

How about you?

Friday, January 28, 2011

Thoughts from Solitude

 One morning last fall, I happened to look out in our backyard as I was washing the breakfast dishes.  I saw something pink out of the corner of my eye.  It was a balloon floating over our fence.  It settled in our gone to seed garden bed.  I grabbed my camera and ran outside to capture the random event.
 I was able to get one stationary shot and then the balloon started moving on.  It gently floated across the beds and then suddenly caught an updraft.
The last image I took was just before it floated out of our yard.  The whole event was only about ten minutes, but the images and the randomness have stayed with me.


The pink was lovely and sweet; in an all male household there's not a lot of that color floating around!  The randomness was obviously unplanned; if my batteries weren't charged I would have missed the photos.  I need to be prepared to respond to the unexpected gifts of time with others or calls to action that the Spirit may bring my Way.  The gentleness and quiet movement of the balloon reminded me of the Way that the Holy Spirit often moves; I need to be attentive or I miss the opportunity of His gifts.

What have you learned in your solitude lately?

Monday, January 3, 2011

Just Want Y'all to Know


The cyber world has been a bit of a mystery to me since my DH, the computer engineer, first explained what the World Wide Web would be able to do waaaay back in ancient history around 1995.  But in spite of the mystery I have learned enough to be a user and consumer of sorts over the years!  And so have you since you are reading this blog!

 One of the things I have LOVED about the web is the possibility to use this amazing technology for the glory of God and the good of others.  I endeavor to do so in my blogging, my facebook and my tweets.  But I am really a nube compared to the women I enjoy following through A Woman Inspired.

 For the month of January, these women are committing themselves to blog very intentionally for God's glory and on topics that will be for our good as well.  I encourage you to hop on over and get connected.... you really won't regret it!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Beginnings

I love the newness that comes with the first day of school, the smell of new binders and paper, the fresh bulletin boards and newly sharpened pencils.  Can you remember the joy of the first day of marriage, or the first day of life for your first child (or second, or third, etc.)?  All these firsts bring such excitement and anticipation!

But do you celebrate the newness of opportunity that the turning of the first page of a new calendar brings?  Are you looking forward to doing new things?  Or in doing old things in a new way?  There are so many thoughts bouncing around in my mind! 

One thing I am aspiring to do is persevere: true confessions, I am a great starter, but often lack the perseverance to go the distance.  I have been attempting to change this characteristic though.  Last year I became a cyclist and rode two century event rides with my DH on our tandem.  There is a lot of training that goes into being able to go out and ride one hundred miles in one sitting!  This year I am attempting to ride 3000 miles over the year.  A worthy goal for a middle age woman, don't you think?

I am reading through the Bible using You Version and am on Day 160.  I am so thankful to have this on my phone so that no matter where I am, I can keep up without excuse!  This goal is so beneficial to me and everyone I come in contact with because I am changed by interacting with God's Word on a daily basis.  And changing to be more Christlike today than I was yesterday is a good goal!  I have a partner Who will never let me down too!

Those two goals bring excitement to this New Year for me.  Growing in perseverance will be challenging for sure but I know that perseverance brings proven character, and thus hope!  "and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)

1/1/11 Beginnings.  What are your goals for this New Year?