Loving, Being Loved, Worship, & Protecting the Wine {part 2} | Julie Arndt

In part 1 I talked about loving, being loved, and how it relates to worship. In this next part I want to give some practical ways these principles have worked out in my life.

LOVING MY HUSBAND

If you read any of my facebook posts, by now you may be gagging at all the “ooey, gooey, lovey, dovey” things Matt and I say about each other. LOL… It’s OK, because it’s not your relationship. BUT, we have been discovering something about love that makes us so completely happy and joy-filled with one another. When we invite Holy Spirit into our most intimate moments and love each other through His eyes, WOWZERS!! We are finally understanding Song of Solomon like never before, even if my neck is not “like the tower of David built with courses of stone.” It has unlocked new places in our hearts that allow us to love deeper and more true. Couple this with a heart of worship, loving God for the gift He has given to us through the other person, and we are not only happy but satisfied in being with the other.

You know how sometimes you learn a spiritual principle that works itself into the natural? In this case, loving from God’s perspective has helped us love each other more intimately. BUT, we are finding the reverse to be true as well! The more we love each other (body, soul, and spirit), the more we are finding ourselves in love with God! Interesting! We are worshiping more and finding our hearts so full of thanksgiving for what God has done… even in the little, everyday sort-of-life things. So marvelous! How did God know that “two becoming one” could have such a direct affect on how we love?! He is so clever!

LOVING OTHERS

It’s kind of funny, but once you turn on love, it’s hard to keep it out of every area of life. I think that is because it is so right and good… so completing as it answers our purpose in life. Once you drink in intimacy, you become a junky for true, pure love. Your heart can’t help it really… this is why you were created; to be an object of His affection and to give back out of the fullness which has been deposited.

LOVING THROUGH GRIEF

Last week was a sad, tough one for our family. We had to say goodbye to one of our beloved pets, Buddy. Buddy actually taught me a lot about perfect, unconditional love. When I looked into Buddy’s adoring eyes, I could see the love of his Creator. Buddy was one of the best dogs I have ever known. He wasn’t clingy, just affectionate. He always had time and energy to love. He really was everyone’s favorite because even if someone didn’t feel like petting him, his love gaze would melt their heart and hook them in. Before they knew it, they were loving on him and all was right with the world. So you can imagine how very difficult a decision it was for us to end Buddy’s pain and suffering. Even in his last moments of life, he gazed at us with loving, trusting eyes and that little grin he would get on his face when he was being loved in return.

As we were giving him back to the ground, even as my heart was so heavy with pain, I could feel God’s love swirling around me. There was such a sense of worship in my heart, which surprised me. And then God spoke to me. He helped me see that when I love like He loves, even to something without a “spirit”, this is an act of worship. Caring for His creation is worship!

Grieving is a part of life on this side of heaven. But as I lean into the memory of love, even though it’s painful, God’s grace is there and it’s beautiful. I could even sense God grieving with me, which makes me love Him that much more! How precious it is to have One who so completely understands us!

Watch for my next post about how we “protect the wine.”