"The Love Dare" Day 350

This is day 14 of the "Love Dare" devotional that I am studying with my sweetheart. Today's title is " Love Extends Itself" the verse that if focuses on is Genesis 2:18 "I will make a suitable helper for him." In this study it talk about how God created a help mate for man. It shows how we are not sufficient alone and that we need a partner.

As I try to relate this to my life, and my relationship with my boyfriend, I realize how important my role is. It's not always so easy for me to love my sweetheart when I don't agree with him, or I'm having a bad day etc. I saw how each one of our role's are dependent on the other 's help and it becomes impossible without God's provision for one to perform both jobs alone.

It really showed me that love is a selfless act one that you give with no expectations or expecting anything in return. As I learn how to love Jay the way God intends for me to love, I have to ask God to teach me to love the way He would love. I know many of you may be in a relationship, married, or some are single. Relationships are work and loving someone doesn't always come so easy, I think we all can agree, however if we ask God to show us to love as He would. It's a daily process, one that I am learning so much about, my prayer is that God would fill me life with love. That every day as I live, that my life shows love, in my words, and actions. This is a journey that is showing me so much about myself and how I love the one's who are very dear to me.

My prayer is that God continue to make me the woman He would have me be, and that I show love to others daily and that I will love as He loves me. This an amazing study and I encourage anyone to get this book.
This is my favorite quote that has impacted my relationship and one that always reminds me how I should love. 

I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with
you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for
what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring
out."

... Elizabeth Barrett Browning

"The Love Dare" A journey 363 days to go

About a month ago, I was reading and something just touched my heart that I should start a devotional with my boyfriend Jay. A devotional is a study on a topic, where you study on your own and you can share with a person your  learning's and get the other persons perspective. You can also do a study independently and write in a journal all that you are learning or key points that can help you in your every day life. I just felt it so important that Jay and I really seek God's will in our relationship and what better way to grow as a couple than to study about Love and how God wants us to love others?

" The Love Dare" it is a year long study on Love and how God wants us to love in our relationship. So today day 2 so 363 days more to go on this journey, but already I am learning so much and seeing that I have a lot to learn when it comes to Love.

Day 2 Title: Love is Life's Motivation
2 Corinthians 5:14 "For Christ's love compels us..."
This spoke to me in the study it talked about, what if you allowed love to invade your life? your very being how your life would change? Think about it, if you really allowed love to take over you'd be able to see life totally different and also be able to endure things you never thought one could. What if you began to allow love to fuel all your decisions? what do you think would it drive you to change?

I had to really look at this and ask myself what do I allow to drive me and my life? My life is filled with so many things but I can see how I lack love. I fill it up with tasks for work, always keeping my plate full of things to do, but I am missing such a crucial piece, I am in need of true Love.

Can I truly say that I love others? Do I show love on a daily basis to those I come into contact with? Can they see love evident in my life? I sadly had to say to myself probably not. So my next thoughts are how can I truly love like God intended for me to? Is my love one of conditions?

I love my family, friends, my boyfriend, but how can  I show love to a perfect stranger? This study really got me thinking, and it's going to be a journey and I know not an easy one but one that I will have to be determined to learn more about myself and also as I am on the journey. I am not alone on this journey, I have my sweetheart and we will be discovering new things about love and about and how we are to love one another.
 
 I want to leave you with this, how can love the ones in our lives? How can we make it so our lives are full of love? What things can we change so others can see the love we have? Will you take this challenge or this "DARE" as the book says. Dare to allow love in and experience the love God wants for us in our lives.

1 Corinthians 13:2
" If I have all the faith, so that I can move mountains, but have not love I am nothing"

Pray for Jay and I as we study this together, that our hearts would be open to what God is going to show us. Also that God teaches me how to truly love. My hearts desire is to love as Christ loves us, may I see others as He sees, and love as He loves.

Breaking Free- A journey to FREEDOM Part 2

This is part 2 of a 9 part series I will be sharing with you on the book Breaking Free by Beth Moore. The first part talked about being a captive and what held me back was that I was unaware that I was even a captive. This second part is focusing on Experiencing Peace in God, the verse that I want to share is

2 Thessalonians 3:16 "No may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." This verse taught me so much while I was on the journey of Breaking Free and one that I will hold dear to.

When I am talking about being peace with God, many of you may ask what is she talking about? Peace comes in situations that are completely given to to God. Have you ever experienced that? Have you ever had a situation where you needed Him and you just cried out to Him, even if you haven't ever or maybe in a long time asked God for anything, but in that moment you needed Him. I know that I have been there many times, when I tried to do it all on my own without God's help, then when I am at my breaking point I call out to Him.

I had to let go of many things in my past in order to experience true peace, the hurts caused by people, the pain of losing friends and I longed to feel peace. I just never knew that I could just lay it all down, until I finally realized I had been carrying around years of baggage and in order to move forward in my life and also in my walk with God, I had to let go.

It was hard for me to face that I would have to forgive those who had caused me so much pain in order to truly have peace. I had to to pray that God would just take away the resentment I had towards them, and give me a heart of forgiveness. Trust me it wasn't easy, I wanted to hold the grudge since they had caused me so much pain, but God tugged at my heart saying " Ruth, you need to forgive them, forgive them and I will give you peace" in that moment I had tears running down my face and I just asked God to help me deal with the pain and give me a heart to forgive.

I can honestly say, that night and as each day passed I felt a calmness I had never felt. I could feel peace, I was letting go of the baggage that consumed my life and for the first time I felt peace. I can't describe how it all felt, but I will in the best way I can. How I felt is that this huge burden was lifted off me, I could actually smile again and it was genuine not a show, I had learn to let go and now I could look forward to what God was going to show me and do in my life.

I learned that in it all He was always there, in my darkest days He was there. God doesn't always calm  the trials that we are going through right away , but He does allow us to learn from it and to see His hand in it all. Don't worry if you're experiencing some trying times with your spouse, family, or friends. He will calm the storm and give you peace, but you have to seek Him. That was the one thing God showed me was that He was always there but I had just pushed Him aside and tried to handle it all on my own. One of my favorite sayings is from my mother she always says "This too shall pass" and she is so right when we give everything to God and learn to let GO we can experience peace that passes all understanding and we can be FREE.

I want to leave you with this verse Hebrews 13:5 " I will never leave you or forsake you" This is a great promise from God to us, and it is one that I cherish. He's always there, to comfort, provide always there right by your side. It took me a while to figure this out but I can't imagine my life without the Peace only He can give me, my life has been forever changed.
My prayer is that if you going through a challenging time or know someone who is give it all to God and in Him you can find true peace.