What I learned this week:  This week I share my thoughts about love and marriage, especially since my son's wedding just a few weeks ago.  I have been contemplating love and the way that we can heal when we feel safe that we can love someone and they will accept that love.  It really is such a special state and I believe that we as humans really do want to love others and things. 

I share the example of my cute dog.  I was reluctant to get a dog for a really long time.  I used to think that the dog was all work and really no benefit.  All I worried about is how if I had a dog, I would have to feed the dog, walk the dog and then also clean up after the dog especially when it was just learning to be house trained.  However I am so glad that I was mistaken.  I wasn't at all aware of such a great love that a dog can give.  I have an especially loving and well behaved and mellow dog.  So that make such a difference.  She loves to cuddle and then loves to be around a people.  She really is good at giving love and it is hard not to just drink it in.  I have now become the kind of dog person that I used to make fun of.  But hey now I understand.  It is fun to spoil her with love becuase she is so accepting and loving back.  

I also think that the covenent and promise in the marriage vows are very special as well.  It is the one person where we make a specific promise to do our best to love and take care of.  No other relationship do we make a special commitment like that.  We don't really choose our families and sometimes those relationship can be hard.  We may want to show our love one way and they may not be up to accepting that love.  It is a great place to learn and to grow but it can be hard and sometimes can not feel safe.  With our spouse, we speicifically chose them and then made a very speicifc and also public promise that we would love them.  It is this relationship that we can work on the most.  So I am learning to feel a little less worried about all my other relationships.  I am doing my best but I don't have the same commitment to them as I do to my husband.  And I am so happy with the relationship that I have worked on with my husband.

I also think that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want to assure us of that same type of love that is in a marriage relationship.  That is why Christ calls himself the bridegroom and the church is his bride.  He is ready to be close and has so much love to share.  hey want to make sure we can heal and grow and then go on to love others.  So even if we don't have someone in our life where we feel like we are accpeted and love for who we are, God can do that for us.  Are we willing to accept that love?  And he healed by it?  Are we willing then to share that with other people as well?

Then after we have that love, Christ makes an interesting promise which seems a bit counterintuative.  He says in Matthew chapter 16: 24-25

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Then as I also think about the life of Jesus Christ - all he did was follow the will of his Father, or our Heavenly Father.  And yet Jesus Christ was also completely himself.  As we learn from what he taught, we actually can become more of ourselves when we care more about other and worry less about ourselves.  And it is also what you do in your marriage as well.   Since you are secure in your love with each other, it is fun to care for the other person.  And think about them more than you worry about yourself.  And somehow you become more of yourself by doing that.  Quite a cool and challenging concept. 

Love and marriage.  Lots to think about. 

So glad to be back after a few weeks off!!  Thanks for listening or reading this!