Saturday, September 14, 2013

My search begins....

I love to research. I love reading and learning. I have always felt this way, but now I have had one of my dearest friends move in with me, and with her being here, it has renewed my desire for knowledge. So I am beginning a new research adventure. LOVE. There is one word in the English language that describes love. My dear friend got me hooked on this. She started it, and I am going to go with it and see what knowledge I can gain as well. So here we go.
Love! What is love? How do we, as humans, describe love and all it entails. As a follower of Christ, the Bible states that God is love. So as I research this, of course, I am going to find what the Bible describes as love. I have done this research before, but this is going to be in depth. I want to be able to know, without question, what love is.
English as a language is lacking in the description of love. If I were in a new relationship with a man, and it was only weeks into it, I feel you can develop love for someone in that amount of time. As a society, we have taken this word, and made it scary. We have made it this untouchable thing that we can not "achieve" until we "know" this person. I can have love for someone I just met. Can't we all? I have a niece that is going to be born in the next few weeks. I haven't met her. I have no idea what she looks like, or how she is going to act or be like. I have no idea what her personality traits are going to be. I have no idea what kind of person she is, but I can say with out question that  I love her. I can't wait to meet her. I can't wait until I hold her for the first time. Yet, society says it takes time to develop love. So if I love my new niece already, how can this be true? Like I said before, English is lacking in the description of love. We only have one word for this emotion, and why? Why is this so difficult for us as humans to understand? This is why I am researching it.
Websters Dictionary gives us the English definition of love, and here we go, (1) strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties. (2) attraction based on a sexual desire. (3) affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests.
Okay, so we know it is a type of admiration. So here we go with the English language again. If I say I love someone verses I admire someone, there is a type of miscommunication isn't there? Why are we so restricted to one word to describe love for another person? I love my brothers. I also love my parents, and my nephews and sister-in-laws. But I also love my close friends. I love my job. I also love my jeep. But all of those loves are so different. The way I love my Dad, is not the same way I love the inanimate object in my garage. Crazy huh? So, I have decided to start with a writer who is very famous. C.S Lewis wrote a book called The Four Loves. I am currently reading it. (Pretty amazing by the way) But it talks about the four types of love that is found in the bible.
  • Agape
  • Eros
  • Philia
  • Storge
Agape is described as selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love. the highest of all the loves in the bible. I describe it as God's love.
Eros is described as physical, sensual love between a husband and a wife.
Philia is described as close, friendship love, brotherly love.
Storge is described as family love. The bond among mothers, fathers and brothers, and sisters.

So, in Greek, there are four types of love that are discussed in the Bible. Can we have all of these with people in our lives? Absolutely!! Not all at the same time, but some can develop from others. For example, I can have Philia love with someone, that can turn into Eros love. What I am getting at is what love is a very broad word, that can and most of the time misinterpreted over a period of time. No matter who says what, you can have love for whoever, whenever. And who is to judge to say you don't or can't love someone so quickly. The more in depth I get, the more I will write. This is it for today. I can't wait to write more!!!!


Love to all!!!  :)



Sunday, September 1, 2013

Understanding the Path

Knowing that I am supposed to love people and take care of people and put others before myself. I know that I am to love as Christ loved. That is what I have tried to do for the majority of my adult life. Now, there is a very fine line that comes with understanding how far one most go to love like Christ. Am I supposed to sacrifice my happiness to do this task that has been put in front of me? How far am I to go with this? If you ask anyone that knows me, I do love unconditionally. I love from the deepest part of my soul. I have been in relationships where I have put everything I know and everyone I "loved" on the back burner for that one person. And look where it got me.
I have always been the one that everyone counts on. I am always the one that everyone comes to. I have always played that role, and I know a lot of people count on me, and I have lived in this role for the longest time. I am not wanting to tell everyone to screw off, or that I don't care. Because I do. I care more than what you think I do. I care so much it takes over my own life, and my own emotions and I can not separate my own issues with that of the people that I love. I am called to love. Not to fix, not to mend broken hearts. That is God's job. This discussion of love and my roles and responsibility is so difficult for me. I want everyone around me to be happy. I want everyone to know the joy I do when I am fully engulfed in the love that my God has given me. I feel joy when I have a house full of people and everyone is having a good time. I feel joy when I sing in the car to my heavenly Father.
My job gives me a lot of time on the road. It gives me a lot of time that I call my worship time. I put my music on and just SING MY HEART OUT. When I am doing that, I feel so close to my God. I feel like I am in His presence when I am doing that. I desire for everyone to feel that. That is my path. My path is to spread the joy. But how can I spread joy if I am losing sight of it in my life? How can I show someone something that I have lost sight of??
I am working towards a huge decision in my life. I know what I am supposed to do. I know where I am supposed to be, but getting there, getting everything done...it is going to be a battle. I know I am to spread the joy. So I am getting the joy back. I am doing what I am supposed to do. I know it. I am sure! Now I need to take the steps to get there. I am a child of the true and living God. I am royalty. I have been given the most amazing gift. I have eternal life, because my God loves me that much! I am ready to follow the path he has for me. This blog has a lot of I in it. I am one person in the world. I am but one tiny human on the Earth, and I am ready to make my life significant. Not for anyone to know, not for anyone to say, Wow!!! Look at Lisa and see what she is doing. I am ready for me.
I want people to know what I am doing not for the pats on the back, I want people to see God's love. I want people to see God. No matter how they see it. I am a servant. I am but a soldier in the Army of God. God's love is surrounding me, and I just want to scream from the top of the highest building that he loves me. HE LOVES ME!!! He allows me to work for Him!!! I want to do His work.
If you have read the Bible, you have seen what impact one person can have. Saul. He killed Christians. He persecuted them and stoned them to death. That was his job. SAUL KILLED CHILDREN OF GOD!!! Seriously???? Saul, then on a dirt road was blinded by God himself, was imprisoned, and by the GRACE of God, survived. He then became one of the most influential missionaries of the New Testament, Paul. God took someone who killed His children, someone who persecuted His precious children and turned into someone who brought thousands to Christ. If he can forgive Paul. If He can use someone who lived a life so far apart from Him, then what have I been waiting for? I AM A CHILD OF GOD! I love Him!
So, how do I go about working for God? Can I do it here?? Yep! Can I do it at work? Yep. Can I do it in South Sudan, Africa? Yep!!! So, if you are still reading this... I need to ask a favor. I need prayer. I need prayer for strength and guidance. I need prayer for whatever God has planned for me that it happens. That I know what I need to do, but how?? Faith! FAITH!!!!!! I know I have faith. I know that God has huge plans for me, I just need to listen. Please pray that I will listen. Pray that I do the work of God as He sees it.
I know the blog is all over the place. I know it seems weird, but I need to write somewhere. I need to release somewhere. I know my PATH! I am a blessed child of God! Thank you God for loving me. Thank you for being patient. Thank you for always loving me, no matter how far I stray. You are the good Shepard, who would leave His flock of 99 to come that one. I don't want to be that one any longer. I want to be in your arms. I want to feel the love from you! Thank you for loving me!