the greatest Love story ever told

who loves you more than anything on this earth, more than anything in the universe?  only One.  your husband or wife loves you, and hopefully is faithful to you.  you are hopefully faithful to them.  your parents, siblings, children, friends, love you.  


but no one - no one - loves you like He does. 


John 1: 1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome^[a] it.


John 11:35
³⁵ Jesus wept.


i love that verse.  even tho He knew that He had the power to raise lazarus from death, he was so moved that He cried over his loss.  more than any other verse in the Bible, i think this one shows His love for us as individuals.  it shows that when He was physically on earth, He loved His friends 110%.  


John 13:1-5
¹ It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. ² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.


He knew that His time on earth was coming to an end.  He knew what agony awaited him, and yet His thought was always, always for His people.  He washed His disciples' feet - even the one who would betray Him.   


John 13:34-35
 ³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”


We are to follow His example, to love one another.  He spoke this commandment to us.  He spoke of loving our neighbor as ourselves as the second greatest commandment. 


Matthew 22:36-40
³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
 ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”


How can we deny that He is the God of Love?  even on the cross, as He was suffering a most painful physical death, experiencing the worst of humanity - His thought was of those around Him.   


Luke 23:27-28a; 34; 39-43
²⁷ A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. ²⁸ Jesus turned and said to them,“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; 


³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”



³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
 ⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
 ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.^[d]”
 ⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

(all passages via biblegateway.com)
How can we not do our best to love others who slight us, to forgive even tho we sometimes have a hard time forgetting, since we are not God.  And if we are called to love, how can we hold back that love?  


He loves us SO MUCH.  He created us, He watches over us, and even tho He doesn't make everything perfect for us all the time - He is here for us,  


Jesus loves you.  Our Father God loves you.  the Holy Spirit loves YOU.  


*hugs*  i love you, too.  : )  


ttfn!  i'm off to play w/ my nephews!  

do monday HAVE to be frustrating??

apparently the answer today was "yes."  bah.  i felt great yesterday, and all thru the night, and for a little bit when i got up.  then work was kinda stressy & annoying, and my back/tummy didn't feel so good.  :(  and it's better now.  FRUSTRATING!  but i'd like it to just STAY better, ya know?  yeah, i know, you know.  lol  


and, can i just say how annoying impromptu meetings are?  i mean, i understand that sometimes you get pulled into a meeting that you're not expecting or something happens & you have to have an unscheduled meeting.  but to consistently pull ppl into random meetings, or to schedule a meeting for a set period of time (say, an hour) and then go over that meeting time by 30-40 minutes...?  i just think it's rude.  it sends the message, in my opinion, that you don't think anyone else's time is valuable, or that anything they have scheduled could possibly be as important as whatever it is you want to discuss.  


rant rant rant rant rant.


:p


there was some other stuff going on, and someone at lunch said something that hit a nerve.  it's a pet peeve of mine when ppl who have kids automatically assume ppl who don't have kids "can't possibly imagine the (love/pressure/feeling/situation)" that a parent is in.  i care just as deeply about my nieces & nephews as you do about your children.  now, due to my position as aunt rather than parent, there are decisions/responsibilities, etc., that i don't have and you do.  i acknowledge that.  but don't tell me i won't defend, stand up for, protect, or care for my nieces & nephews with the same commitment you have for your children.  you might have that opinion, and hey, you can discuss it w/ other parents who feel the same way!  but don't say it in front of me.  cuz it's gonna irritate me.  i realize that this person totally did not mean anything bad by their comment.  i know they weren't trying to be rude or anything at all.  but that's part of what irritates me - the ... assumption.  the attitude of "parents obviously have a tighter bond w/ their children."  as a general statement.  "oh, if you were a parent..."  NO.  if EVERY parent felt that way about their children, if EVERY parent defended, stood up for, protected and cared for their children just by virtue of being their parent, then i would say okay.  and it wouldn't irritate me.  but the unfortunate truth is that being a parent doesn't automatically give you a "bond" with your child, and plenty of ppl choose to be parents to children who are not biologically related to them in any sense.  plenty of aunts & uncles choose to raise their nieces & nephews when the child's parents are unable for whatever reason.  


i hope that makes sense, especially to my readers who are parents.  not trying to irritate anyone in my irritation!!  : )  


anyway, i was at work til 6 & then i once again was going to go to adolph's but once again didn't make it there.  so i made an omelet at home instead.  and ate way too much popcorn again.  i've been craving corn & popcorn so much the past few days!  idk what's in corn that i'm apparently lacking... lol  


then i was trying to watch Apprentice & once again my computer decided to shut down every 10-15 minutes into the show.  booo!  my fb peeps suggested blowing air into the fan as it might be overheating, so now i need to find some canned air.  office max?  hmmm.  anyway, so i went into safe mode to catch up on my bloggity blogs & write this one.  then i'll go back to regular & try to finish watching Apprentice because oh my goodness it's such a great season!!!  the men are awesome & the women are FALLING APART!  lol  thank God marlee got her charity some good bank, tho.  : )  


oh dear... :(  my mom just called.  once again, suicide has touched the life of those i love.  a young woman with two little girls, a husband, a loving mom & step-dad, step-sisters, and a large extended family who probably didn't know her well, but loved her just the same.  she battled depression, and that depression swallowed her up this week.  please keep my aunt kim and her family in prayer.  i know i'm adding to your prayer lists daily it seems.  i appreciate your taking the time to pray for me, and for my family.  


Dear Lord, 
please comfort aunt kim, uncle rick, and their family.  please wrap Your arms around them, hold them up when they can't stand, show them Your love, Father God.  in Your precious, Holy Name.  amen.  


if you are feeling depressed, there IS help.  if you need to talk, find a pastor, a friend, a family member.  write it out, if that's your way to deal with things (as it is mine).  if you need to talk to a medical professional, if you feel you might need medication, there is NO SHAME in it.  if there is a drug out there (ahem, legal, please) that can regulate something physiological or psychological that is making you feel like hurting yourself, take it! use the help that is out there.  do not take your own life.  do not hurt yourself!  you are LOVED, you are loved, you are loved!!!!!!!


if you want to talk to a stranger, visit hopeline.  if you need to call them, call: 

For Telephone support: Here is a list of our hotlines in the US

(800)442-4673 .....1-800-442-HOPE -- same routing as 1-800-SUICIDE

(877)838-2838 .....1-877-Vet2Vet Veterans peer support line

(800)784-2432 .....1-800-SUICIDA Spanish speaking suicide hotline

(877)968-8454 .....1-877-YOUTHLINE teen to teen peer counseling hotline

(800)472-3457 .....1-800-GRADHLP Grad student hotline

(800)773-6667 .....1-800-PPD-MOMS Post partum depression hotline

there is help, please take advantage of it.  

that's all i have today.  Jesus loves you, and so do i.  *HUGS*

ttfn.