Musings from Graceland

WHAT TRUE LOVE LOOKS LIKE

When most of us think of Valentine's Day, we think of fancy dinners, red roses, and slurpy, sentimental cards. And often, that's what my Valentine's Days have looked like.

Not this year.

For the last week or so I've been feeling really overwhelmed. I've been going a lot and I've just been tired. Yeah, as a mom of 7 I'm always busy, but this past week or so has been different. I've desperately needed some down time. I've been whiny, grumpy, emotional, fearful, negative, and just feeling worn plumb out.

And my husband knows that's how I've been.

So this year, he decided that he was going to give me something special. And what I wrote on my facebook status says it all:

Elysa 's hubby is giving to her this V-Day a day to do whatever I want...read, pray, sleep, blog, fb, etc. I praise God for such a good & loving man.

My friend Drewe Llyn commented:

How sweet! We want a report on what you accomplished today with this precious time! :-)

So I made her a report:

Well so far I have:

*Slept til nearly 9:00
*Brushed my teeth
*Brushed but not rolled my hair
*Eaten a big breaky fixed by afore mentioned hubby
*Had Bible time with family
*Listened to my online Steve Brown grace-filled Bible teaching
*Super-poked people
*Answered email
*Blogged
*Listened to music via AccuRadio
*Talked to God
*Gave chocolate to ... Jim & the kids
*Talked to Rhonda, not Robin
*Hugged kids
*Read notes and blogs
*Went thru all my friends status updates
*Wrote messages
*Cried a little
*Smiled a lot
*And wrote a "report on what I accomplished today with this precious time!". :-)

And then later I started thinking about an email I received from my pal Jeff Goins. I participate in a synchroblog group and every now and again we get together and all post on a common subject linking to each other's blogs.

Jeff wanted us to post on "what is love?" since it's that time of year when our thoughts turn in that direction. Well, at first I thought I'd post about how real love casts out fear...and I may still do that. But then I got to thinking about this amazing gift that my husband has given me. It's really an incredible one. It's just what I needed and it's requiring a lot more sacrifice on his part than just simply going out and getting me some dark chocolate m&m's and a card. He's running the household and caring for 7 kids...including one whose on her second round of the stomach virus.

He's already told me that he is not expecting anything out of me for this gift. He's even okay if I decide that I don't want to go out and eat later on. He truly meant it when he said I could do whatever I wanted with this day.

And see...that's true love. Romantic love is amazingly fun and chill-bump-inducing and all of that. It's great. And don't get me wrong...I love dark chocolate and eating food prepared by folks who aren't then going to ask me to do the dishes. But TRUE love, REAL love, the kind of love that reflects agape love, GOD'S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, is the best.

My husband is giving me what I need. What my heart desired. What is best for me. He did it with no strings attached. He offered this gift to me when I wasn't feeling or acting very worthy of something so wonderful.

He did it because he really, really, really loves me.

And that's what God does for us. He gives us what we need, sometimes even what we want, not because we're worthy, but just because He really, really, really loves us.

And that is mind-blowingly amazing.