True Love's Kiss

​Tonight, I can easily see why true love’s kiss is always the solution at the end of many epic stories. Kneeling beside the bed next to my love – like I do every night – I thought, “If only the love I feel for you could zap away your tumor.” My next thought was, “This must be how the idea of true love’s kiss as a solution came to be.” If only it were that simple.

Much like any fairy tale, it never is. There are a bazillion obstacles, duels, evils to overcome, and more before even getting to the end. Then, when it seems like there is no answer, there’s the epic “kiss.”

As for us, we're still a bit lost in the forest, waiting to see what's next and clinging to hope as we endure and continue to grow in character. 
 
Even though I know a goodnight kiss won’t cure my husband, it is still one of my favorite parts of our day. I say, “Goodnight my friend” he answers back “Goodnight," we share a simple kiss, some I love yous, and for the next several minutes we laugh and smile at each other a little more as Josh starts to fall asleep then opens his eyes ever so slightly to see if I’m still there looking at him. Tonight, I said,"Maybe I should go do the dishes, I think I'm distracting you," which made him laugh even more. It’s all-around adorable I have to admit. We are that crazy mushy couple even still.
 
As we continue to rest in the middle of this season, we cling to a hope and love that is bigger than all of this. It’s not found in true love’s kiss but rather in God’s great love for each of us. This love goes beyond the love I feel for my spouse each day. It is a love that encapsulates each good and hard moment. This love lingers longer than expected and is the type of love that can really sweep us off our feet in unimaginable ways. Of course, in writing this, I wonder if it may sound silly or impractical to think of God’s love in such romanticized gestures, but surely not. Maybe, in fact, we often underplay the gift of God’s true love.
 
It’s easy to breeze past verses like John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” Or 1 John 16:13a, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”

And even the ever-popular John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
 
Yet still, even with so many reminders, we may not always trust and believe in such grand love – especially in hard and challenging times. I admit there are moments when I still lose sight of this and times when I doubt what God’s doing, but he never stops surprising me and reminding me of his love in refreshing ways.
 
For the past month, the first part of Romans 5:5 has been written on my kitchen wall ". . . and hope does not disappoint.” This, of course, builds from several verses before it that highlight the process God is taking us through as Christians. As a friend highlighted for me, the starting and ending point is God's love with hope nestled right in the middle. When reflecting on this verse recently, I found myself captivated by the action, “because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
 
Right in the middle of hope, we find God’s true love being poured out in our hearts – into the core of who we are. This love is being poured out no matter what kind of heart we have – a happy heart, hurting heart, a healthy, sick, tired, confused or hopeful heart. I imagine it like a gushing waterfall or stream that just keeps going - pouring out over and over. Wow! God's love is true and good.
 
​How simply beautiful and refreshing.
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Thank you! as always for your love, encouragement and prayers. We are still moving day by day and enjoying the good moments together and trusting God with the rest. Prayers for continued wisdom, restful nights and even extra amounts of grace and strength on the not so easy days are appreciated. 

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 
And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, 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 5:1-5

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