This is the story of our precious baby boy, who was diagnosed prenatally at
17 weeks with a fatal chromosome disorder called Trisomy 13. Although
Jonathan's condition is considered "not compatible with life", we desired to give
him every chance at life. Our prayer is that those who are touched by our story
are drawn to God, who is Life Himself. John 14:6

To start at the beginning of our story, click here.

2.15.2010

love

greg and i celebrated valentine's day a day early, on saturday night.  i joke that we've been married long enough now that celebrating on the actual day isn't important anymore.  and we don't buy each other gifts.  now we just enjoy anytime we can be alone and go out for a nice dinner.  so that's what we did. 

long before i was married, i completely bought into the commercialization of valentine's day.  i guess what i'm saying is that i had unrealistic expectations of what "romance" was supposed to look like.  i mean, was i the only one not getting diamond earrings on valentine's day when the commercials made it seem that that's what you were supposed to get?   no one ever "went to jared" for me.  of course, i'm not saying that there's anything wrong with buying chocolate hearts and jewelry for your special someone, but after being married for a few years, i have come to realize that fancy gifts on valentine's day does not define the health of your relationship. 

by now, greg and i have experienced some of the best days of our life together (getting married, the birth of our babies) as well as the worst (jonathan's diagnosis, burying our child.)  we have also, by now, most likely seen the very best of each other as well as the worst.  and while it's easy to love someone in the good times, we still choose to love each other during the not-so-good times. 

this kind of love is worth more than diamonds or gold.

*****

"The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."
~Zephaniah 3:17

at least three times this past week, i have come across this verse.  one of those times, it was sent to me by a friend via email.  i love it when that happens; i don't believe in coincidences. 
 
i particularly love the fact that i happened to study this verse during the week of valentine's day.  i tend to only think of valentine's day as something shared between couples in love and never have i thought of it as a time to celebrate the love my God has for me. 

God truly knows all my flaws and short-comings, and He knows all the things about me that i'm not proud of.  yet, he still loves me in ways that is above anything even my husband can offer me.  i looked up the hebrew concordance for this verse and came up with this further interpretation:

He rescues and delivers me.
He takes great pleasure in me.
He gives me rest with affection.
He serenades me with songs of rejoicing.

john macarthur's bible commentary says:

"As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, the Lord will exult over His people with gladness and song, resting in quiet ecstasy over His people in whom is His delight."

what a beautiful picture of how great the Father's love is for us.  this kind of love is worth more than anything this world has to offer.
Share Posted by Lauren at 9:32 AM

1 comment:

  1. LoriFebruary 15, 2010 at 4:24 PM

    John and I are in that same boat with you--we've seen the best and the worst and are stronger for both.

    Of course, we ditched Valentine's Day 17 years ago--our first one--when we (rather, I) realized that I will never be disappointed with high expectations if I just don't have high expectations. Hence, good-bye, Valentine's Day!

    Honestly, I don't feel like we miss out one bit. We actually sort of enjoy 'celebrating' NOT celebrating! :)

    Beautiful verses, by the way...just beautiful.

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