Category: love

Offer: To Make Available

Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men
when truth prevails.
(1 Corinthians 13:5-6 J.B. Phillips)
 
 
 
 
Offering some prayers of devotion to our Beloved Savior:
 
 
You Offer Me Life
  
You offer me patience, when I am edgy.
You offer me kindness, when I am cantankerous.
You offer me mercy, when I am rude.
You offer me modesty, when I am smug.
You offer me a way out, when I am selfish.
You offer me repentance, when I am resentful.
You offer me a change of heart, when I’m irritable.
You offer me an eraser, when I tally up wrong.
You offer me a song, when I want to pout.
You offer me love, when I want to hide.
 
 
 
 
Snow Day Predicted
 
I love you, O my God . . .
You are my snow day, my warmth.
 
You fill me with expectation
as I wait for the promised snow
that will stop the city for a day,
then melt away.
 
For this moment let me watch and pray,
as the snowflakes float to the earth; covering,
echoing birth,
muffling death’s dirge.
 
 
 

Posted on by kelrohlf 6

Love Letters


But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
I will sing to the LORD
because he has been so good to me.
(Psalm 13:5-6 NLT)


 
I thought writing love letters to God would be easy. The frustration occurs when I attempt to write lovely letters, rather than true expressions of my heart, like Lynn D. Morrissey encourages in Love Letters to God: Deeper Intimacy Through Written Prayer:

It is the gift of the whole heart that God most desires-a heart without pretense and posturing; a heart in all its honesty, beauty, passion and brokenness; a heart pulsing with love, joy, sadness, delight, doubt, pain, anguish, even anger. True love expresses all emotions, and true love-God’s true love for you-accepts them. 



I don’t know why, but I feel awkward with God lately.

Am I struggling with accepting His love for me, yet again?  

So, I start thinking about the word, beloved, again. If I break the word apart it says, be loved.

Be. Loved.

The Spirit whispers, “Let Me love you. Don’t shrink away. Don’t listen to the lies that you’re not measuring up.” I whisper back, “Okay.”

A Prayer of Response:

Beloved-
Here we are! Another day! Me curled up in my chair, with the cat next to me, pen in hand, ink on paper . . .I am listening. I am seeking. I pore over words looking for a phrase to move me toward and forward to Your heart, Your will, Your way . . . my heart is clogged with worldly angst. Desire for relief, comfort, even nothingness.

Yet You have all this existence surrounding me, begging me to exist, breathe, live and move within it. Sometimes I feel so alive, I could burst. Other times everything falls flat.

Help me to put aside my agenda for today. I just want to rest in Your presence. Imagine what it was like for you to become “word made flesh.” You understand my fears and insecurities. Grant peace. Immerse me in your love. Let me be soaked with your love, joy, hope, peace, purpose and grace upon grace.

Your beloved- Kel



Posted on by kelrohlf 10

Love: Warm Attachment

 
 
Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.
(Zechariah 1:3 NIV)
 
Does anyone really fall in love in the winter? Spring with its bursting song and backdrop of flowers and budding trees seems like a more likely season to fall in love. Summer with its long, warm days beckons us to stay in love, enjoying the pleasures of each others’ company. Autumn grants us moments to linger on walks through the fallen leaves holding onto those we love and have loved. Winter drives us indoors, sometimes to the warmth of the hearth and the comfort of snuggling up in our beds, but the cold creeps in and our passions wane. We begin to feel lonely, and to wonder if there will ever again be anything to look forward to besides cold floors, and bleak landscapes.
It is easy to feel stuck in the winter. I don’t really want to get up to face another day. I make little routines to propel me forward, but I lack the motivation that I have during the other seasons of the year. Yet love is love the whole year through. The unfailing love of God never changes. His love is constant. He doesn’t need a special holiday like Valentine’s to demonstrate His love. He has already sent His love. (Romans 5:8) And if God did send us a Valentine’s card or those little candy hearts with messages on them I think they would say something like “Return to Me.”
(Excerpt from  Defining Moments: Overflowing with Living Words)
 
Defining Moments: Overflowing with Living Words is my debut devotional, which my husband lovingly afforded me to self-publish the winter of 2011.
Posted on by kelrohlf 4

Afraid: Filled With Fear, Concern or Regret


Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you
with My righteous right hand.
(Isaiah 41:10 NKJV)



 
Linking up with Five Minute Fridays, a place where we are given a word and a challenge to write for five minutes.
 
“Unscripted. Unedited. Real.”
 
GO.

Afraid not! This time I will not be taken in by your lies, your false promises, your glittery temptations and your morose bodings. You are a liar! A murderer from the beginning! You birthed fear. You took away the fear of God and introduced the fear of what ifs.

What if? What if, I don’t listen to you? What if, I stop my ears up with truth, sound proof my heart with the Word of God? What if, I choose to walk by faith and not by sight? Will fear still prowl alongside me, sneering at my resolve?


Of course! Of course, fear will be trailing me, hounding me, breathing down my neck the rest of my life.

However, God is. God of Awe and Wonder. My Shield. My Strength. Even though fear is hot on my heels, My Protector is before, behind, around, and inside me. I will not be afraid.

And by the way, I’m not even talking to you anymore. I’m running to the Savior. He is the True and Living One. He renews my mind, refreshes His mercies daily and keeps me in Perfect Peace.

And even if, one little worm of fear wriggles into my mind, I will praise the LORD, maker of all things. Restorer of Hope and Love that Never Grows Old. Love casts out fear!

STOP.
Posted on by kelrohlf 4

The More and Muchness

 
 
 
 
 
A couple weeks ago, I mentioned my quest to learn more about the Spiritual Exercises developed by St. Ignatius, so today I wanted to share a little more.
 
His mission statement for himself and the Jesuits was “Ad majorem Dei gloriam” (which translated means “To the greater glory of God.”)
 
Another Latin word associated with his vision for followers of Christ was “magis,” which means “the more.”
 
St. Ignatius would ask himself, “What have I done for God? What am I doing for God? and What MORE can I do for Him?”
 
When I discovered the concept of “magis,” my mind turned to words in English that might come from this root, like majesty, magnificent, and magnitude. Anything more that I could do for God, would have to be in response to His majesty, magnificence and magnanimous love.
 
This idea of giving more to God can seem daunting and may even feel like pressure, but I am not thinking of obligation, but rather adoration, like the woman who wept and washed Jesus feet with her tears.
 
The more I comprehend His great love and my great need, the greater my expression of love will be.
 
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”(Mark 12:30).
 
In a commentary that compares the various times this command is quoted in both the Old and New Testament, the author explains that the word for strength translates as “muchness,” which made me smile.
 
What does loving God with all my muchness look like? It sounds a lot like what St. Igatius was aiming at with his “Ad majorem Dei gloriam!” Or as a famous hymn writer once wrote: “To God be the glory!” Loving God with all our being brings Him such joy.
 
And Jesus doesn’t ask us to stop there. He asks for more. He wants us to love one another as He loves us. That’s almost too much for me, I scarce can take it in. How about you?
 


Posted on by kelrohlf 0