Thank you for the Gift of Love

I woke up this morning thinking about our family small group our family has been part of for three years. This week we are going to be talking about LOVE. We are using a series called Visionary Parenting as the basis. As I prepared the discussion questions the theme of LOVE really came out loud and clear. LOVE really does make all things possible. As Dr. Viola Vaughn so beautifully illustrated, "God's music is playing all the time in the world...and God's music is LOVE" .

So, in life, we have to be open to hearing the music of LOVE. If we choose to be resentful, unforgiving, entitled, boastful, selfish we do not hear the music. For instance, in our homes, with our spouses....we can choose to LOVE them unconditionally and HEAR the music. If we choose to open our hearts, to trust, to put the needs of our spouse above our own, to protect the vows we spoke...then we are rewarded with HEARIING God's music of LOVE.

I thought about the prayer I will start with Friday night before we all sit down to discuss love. Here it is:

"Dear God, Giver of all good gifts, thank you tonight for the gift of Love."

Then I remembered a prayer my Dad said at my wedding.

"Dear God, Giver of all good gifts, thank you tonight for the gift of Laura and Mike's love."

If there is one thing my father has done very well is his teaching of God's Word to me. His prayers throughout my life have gotten me where I am today. I am so thankful. Little did I know it then, but that prayer set the stage for my marriage...I believe that.

God has been by our side along. He waits, he is patient, and his music has been playing. Today, my next step in this thing called Unconditional Love is to open my heart wide open and HEAR God's song of LOVE. It is been here all along...playing softly in the background. It is time the music plays loudly. He has the power to make a good marriage a great one. I realize now it will never be perfect; but it can be amazing...with God's help. And it starts with unconditional love. It starts with putting God First. We need him, to guide us, protect us and lead us. We are human and we can not love like him....and so if we really do want to love unconditionally then we need him to help us.

Dear God, thank you for the gift of your love. Thank you for bringing Mike into my life so that we can hear your music together. Thank you for giving me my soul mate to love and to cherish till death parts us. Amen