4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 14
Ok, so I realize I am shifting gears a bit with this blog, but I am going to write about something thats been on my heart the past few days. It's not about fitness, its not about CrossFit, and its not about coaching. Its about the first "M" you see in the banner at the top of my page. It's the "M" that began before the second, will far outlast the fourth, and coincides with the third. Not to say, that I am an old pro or anything (going on year 6 of marriage), but I will confidently say that Web and I have been through a thing or two that would mature our marriage well beyond its years.
As Alexis and I were headed to my parents earlier this week, she said to me, "Having a husband isn't as easy as you would think, is it mom?" I couldn't help but laugh, but her innocent question lead me deep into thought about love, how we define love, and the numerous stages love experiences during the existence of a relationship. I look at my parents, my grandparents, my siblings, my life. To define love as an emotion, or a feeling, only means that you have not experienced love in my opinion. I could not think of a worse explanation. When you read the description laid out in 1 Corinthians it speaks of no such thing. In fact, the definition of love here is a display of servant-like actions that defy the selfish nature of the human heart. Love is not self-seeking. Crazy, right? Let me break it down, your intent in loving someone else should not be to fulfill some need or desire you think you have. That is a recipe for disaster.
When Web and I started dating, we spent hours a night on the phone talking about nothing. We are lucky now if we can get each others ear for more than a few minutes a day. Everything in his life used to intrigue me, some of what he cares about now (music lyrics, most movies, RGIII's twitter account), does little to capture my interest. He used to play Scrabble with me, we haven't played in years. You get the point...
In reality though, I wouldn't trade what we have now for all of that "silliness." Marriage is more like the perfect business relationship than it is a fairy tale. It is a constant balance of you support me, I support you, I sacrifice for you, you sacrifice for me, I respect your vision, you respect mine, and together we move forward, always forward.
My grandfather, who had been sick for a number of years, passed away when I was 17 years old. I remember sitting outside the hospital door in a heap of tears as my grandmother (we call her Bobby) entered the room and cried out "Oh, my dear dear husband. Oh, my dear dear husband." This memory forever left an imprint on my heart. Bobby was not longing for the "feeling of love" she was longing for companionship, her best friend, whom I had watched her graciously serve for years leading up to this day. This is love.
God bless and Happy New Year!
1 Corinthians 14
Ok, so I realize I am shifting gears a bit with this blog, but I am going to write about something thats been on my heart the past few days. It's not about fitness, its not about CrossFit, and its not about coaching. Its about the first "M" you see in the banner at the top of my page. It's the "M" that began before the second, will far outlast the fourth, and coincides with the third. Not to say, that I am an old pro or anything (going on year 6 of marriage), but I will confidently say that Web and I have been through a thing or two that would mature our marriage well beyond its years.
As Alexis and I were headed to my parents earlier this week, she said to me, "Having a husband isn't as easy as you would think, is it mom?" I couldn't help but laugh, but her innocent question lead me deep into thought about love, how we define love, and the numerous stages love experiences during the existence of a relationship. I look at my parents, my grandparents, my siblings, my life. To define love as an emotion, or a feeling, only means that you have not experienced love in my opinion. I could not think of a worse explanation. When you read the description laid out in 1 Corinthians it speaks of no such thing. In fact, the definition of love here is a display of servant-like actions that defy the selfish nature of the human heart. Love is not self-seeking. Crazy, right? Let me break it down, your intent in loving someone else should not be to fulfill some need or desire you think you have. That is a recipe for disaster.When Web and I started dating, we spent hours a night on the phone talking about nothing. We are lucky now if we can get each others ear for more than a few minutes a day. Everything in his life used to intrigue me, some of what he cares about now (music lyrics, most movies, RGIII's twitter account), does little to capture my interest. He used to play Scrabble with me, we haven't played in years. You get the point...
In reality though, I wouldn't trade what we have now for all of that "silliness." Marriage is more like the perfect business relationship than it is a fairy tale. It is a constant balance of you support me, I support you, I sacrifice for you, you sacrifice for me, I respect your vision, you respect mine, and together we move forward, always forward.
My grandfather, who had been sick for a number of years, passed away when I was 17 years old. I remember sitting outside the hospital door in a heap of tears as my grandmother (we call her Bobby) entered the room and cried out "Oh, my dear dear husband. Oh, my dear dear husband." This memory forever left an imprint on my heart. Bobby was not longing for the "feeling of love" she was longing for companionship, her best friend, whom I had watched her graciously serve for years leading up to this day. This is love.
God bless and Happy New Year!
