Love is.....HARD

                                   

Well, I just realized my last blog was months ago! What happened? I was doing SO well! Blogging was totally no big deal - I could fit it in. No problem. Then, I blinked and almost 2 months went by. Oops.

But, it has been on my heart. So many days - so many accomplishments and failures. Laughter, joy, tears, heartache. Life continues on at an amazing pace - it doesn't stop because I don't have time to sit down and write about it.

I love my life. I love my children, I LOVE my husband. It gets crazy - but I really do love it.
And, by love it, I mean - it makes me sob tears of joy, scream through tears of frustration, growl and bark at my children in ways that are truly of the animal kingdom, throw things, hug so tightly, kiss so sweetly....loving my life.....makes. me. crazy. Seriously.

LOVE.

You know that verse about love? Here, let me remind you:
1 Corinthians 13 (ESV)
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;^{[b] 6} it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Yeeeeaaaahhhh. Remember that one? The one that, as moms, reminds us of our short comings every. single. day? Love is patient. Oops. Love is kind. Um, missed that one today. Love is not rude (does snapping at my kiddos count? Really?) Its not irritable or resentful??? Ugh.

Oh moms - we know this verse. Even those of you who don't read the Bible have heard of it! Its at every wedding ceremony, its what we are taught to reach for! And, its not a bad thing! True love - true agape love is definitely what we should reach for every single day.

But, I want to just call attention to the laaaaast little line of this verse. We had a sermon a while back about this and it was eye opening for me.  Love is not easy or painless. Read this:
Vs 7 - LOVE BEARS ALL THINGS, ENDURES ALL THINGS.

Bears all things (definition) -

3.

endure (an ordeal or difficulty).

"she bore the pain stoically"

• manage to tolerate (a situation or experience).

Endures all things (definition)-

verb

3rd person present: endures

1. 1.

   suffer (something painful or difficult) patiently.

   "it seemed impossible that anyone could endure such pain"

 

Hold on a minute.

Love bears all things and endures all things. You mean, love is difficult?

 Love is an ordeal? Love is just TOLERATING something? Love is a painful experience that we suffer through???

LOVE IS REALLY REALLY HARD SOMETIMES?

 

Well, that kind of explains a lot.

I knew it wasn't easy to love.

Its not easy to love my children, day in and day out. (shh)

 

You mean, its okay to admit this is hard? That loving these little boogers isn't always easy? Sometimes its something that is actually painfully difficult?

 

Its not easy to love my husband. We don't always see eye to eye (that's putting it nicely lol) and yes sometimes, loving your best friend is much more like enduring a situation than walking through rainbows and sunshine, holding hands.

 

But, its also not easy to love them SO much. When they walk out the door for a deployment. When you watch your little one (and not so little ones) leave to go somewhere. When you loose someone you love.. . . . . . when something so horrible takes place, that you thought would never happen to you....

 

Love is very, very hard. It doesn't just mean being patient, and kind and sweet. It means its not easy to love - anyone.  It means sometimes instead feeling warm fuzzies - you want to kick and scream and cry and give up. We are far from perfect, and the people we choose to love are far from perfect. I think that probably explains why our ways of loving are an ordeal - it explains why love, for us, can be a painful, exhausting experience.

 

As my hubby left early this morning for another (thankfully short) deployment, I will re-learn this lesson - again. Seven months pregnant with our 4th little - doing it all alone is the hardest thing I have ever done (so far. Life is still young lol)

 

But, we all re-learn this - every day. Love is not all skittles and candy. Love is SO hard. Love ENDURES. Love BEARS ALL THINGS.

 

Momma - take a deep breathe. You are NOT ALONE. This mom thing is a really, really hard thing to do! Keeping our cool when pushed to the edge, walking hallways at night with sick, hot babies on our shoulders. Working through all those life lessons, that only get harder with each birthday. Praying for our children. Supporting our husbands. Taking care of our parents. Staying strong in the middle of suffering and pain that just won't quit so that our little ones won't see our fears......

 

When you feel like love is hard, its because it really is. But, we are not alone. Hold on to youf FAITH. Hold on to your family. Your friends.

And, remember, love is also healing. Love is wet, sloppy baby kisses. Love is taking a deep breath and being SO grateful for a new morning to start again.

Love is enduring.

It goes on in the face of heartache, complete exhaustion and intense stress.

 

You've got this moms. Today is a new day - LOVE it!